By Hassan Illeik, Mohamad Bdeir
For five years, Israel kept harping on about a “red line” that must be never crossed on its northern front. That “red line” was the transport of “balance tipping” weapons from the Syrian army to Hezbollah. Israel was always insinuating that it was ready to conduct a pre-emptive military campaign at any time to thwart such transfer. On Wednesday, 30 January 2013, Israel decided that this line was crossed.
Regardless of the identity and nature of the target hit by Israeli fighter jets, it is evident that Tel Aviv carried out an aerial aggression deep into Syrian territories against a target linked to the capabilities of the Resistance.
This was confirmed by leaks from Haaretz about a modern air defense system, which could, create “a change in the regional balance of power,” in the event it reached Hezbollah. The Syrian leadership also substantiated this interpretation, announcing that the targeted facility was connected to “raising the capacity for resistance and defense.”
It’s also in line with a statement from Yair Golan, head of the Israeli Northern Command, published in Israel Hayom on 6 April 2012: “What Hezbollah possesses today is haunting us. According to what we know, except chemical weapons, everything, no matter how advanced, was transferred to Hezbollah.”
If that was the case, then what lies behind Israel’s aggression on Syria last Wednesday? It is highly likely that what Israel destroyed was just one of the many prototypes of the defense system obtained by Syria. Yet one single piece of military equipment is not justification enough for this type of adventurous operation.
On the surface, the attack is an exploitation of Syria’s inability to reproduce earlier threats to impose the concept of the “red line,” despite the fact that it had been crossed. So Israel employed the Hezbollah angle to justify getting involved in the current confrontation against the Assad regime. Only under this pretext would it be able to legitimize its aggression on an international level.
Israel’s direct involvement in the Syrian arena can only be understood in the following light. First, all former Israeli (and non-Israeli) bets on the imminent fall of the Assad regime were shattered. Second, the situation in the field in the last few weeks tipped in favor of the regime. Third, the international community retreated from the idea of military intervention.
Israeli calculations are betting that this attack will help them score several points. The first is to stop planned transports of weapons that were free-flowing in the past. The second is to attempt to establish new “red lines” with regard to what the Syrian regime is allowed to have in terms of strategic weapon supplies. The third is to show that the fears of the outcome of external intervention is exaggerated as evidenced by the lack of a Syrian military reaction to the Israeli bombing. The fourth is providing the armed opposition on the ground with a push by distracting the Syrian army with a new front. This is in addition to its moral embarrassment by showing the regime as “determined against its people and reticent towards Israel.”
This embarrassment will encompass the whole resistance axis, which seemed to have guessed wrongly that Israel would not get openly involved in Syria.
#1 by bigcree1Shadowhawk on February 2, 2013 - 9:41 pm
A most enlightening read. One must think like the enemy when trying to get a handle on how to thwart them. These self ‘Chosen’ war mongering barbarians have conducted warfare for a very long time and they don’t shirk at using dirty tactics which cause inner strife and confusion. They then seize upon every opportunity to further drive a deep wedge between allies whilst causing a ruckus in the same breath. Secondly they are damned determined once they set their sights on an objective. This one being the overthrow of the Syrian leader , Bashar al Assad. Even though they lost big time, they have not gone away. They use this same tactic repeatedly. Look at what they did to Ghadaffi and Sadaam Husein. I feel they will NOT succeed this time as the world IS watching and Syria has a few tricks up their sleeves. Russia is a wildcard, but they have strategic reasons for leaning towards Syria such as their many oil operation there, as well as a geographical one. Hezbollah is strong and not as penetrable as Hamas. It will not allow the kind of infiltration which has occurred within Hamas and it has the honor of know it kicked ‘israels’ ASS back in 2006. Brazen acts of opportunistic bravado by the ‘israelis’ may appear to make them look ‘sharp’ but in reality it shows their desperation, in my humble opinion. I do agree with the writer of this Article on the fact; they WILL not quit however. They won’t stop trying until they are forced to, and that’s what’s coming down the pike. Assad will REMAIN and ‘israel’ will simply cave and eventually pay a dear price for what she has been doing to the Palestinians for the past 65 years. Not if but WHEN, and it’s definitely coming their way.
#2 by annebeck58 on February 4, 2013 - 1:33 am
If only the USA would finally stand down. Let Israhell take care of themselves. Don’t jump in there as protector of the horrible lunatic-state.
But, as our Congress and White-house are absolutely run from Tel Aviv, I do think those we (s)elect to represent US(??) will never back down. They are beholden to Tel Aviv., and it has been this way for so very long (from what I’ve been researching, since the moment Lyndon Johnson took office), our government will do whatever they are required to do.
This means, should Syria or Iran or even Russia have a go at the pita little state, the USA is going to go back at them, full-force. We’d remove troops from all of our other non-wars, if necessary. Of course, the way wars are fought these days, we could bomb anyone who shows to be on the side of right (of Syria), from Arizona or Buffalo. NY.. Or it could be a ship off the shores our just outside the borders of the country in questio n.It would take one person. One big bomb. And that is it.
That is the world’s problem as well as ours. We don’t have a government we can trust. The world also cannot trust the American government to not act just like the mentalscases in Israhell. The USA would step over lines even Israel would not. And they would not only because they don’t need to. They have US/USA to do it for them. It is like Israel is our bratty little brother who picks on the kids next-door (even girls). And whenever they come back at that brat, we step in, because this is what, “family:, or, “friends” do. I hate this.
It’s so frustrating to even be American these days. I feel completely upset that our country has been taken over and it seems there is not a thing we can do. Obviously, our representatives within our government know the deal. And they are unwilling to work for US.