Since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham toppled the Assad regime, Israel has gone on the offensive in Syria in a bid to weaken and divide it in the hope that the emerging government will be bogged down by internal problems and unable to pose a threat.
Right off the bat, Israel began an intense air bombing campaign, targeting Syria’s military and strategic assets. None of its more than 740 air strikes carried out in the last four months were in retaliation for any attack from Syria, but were simply preemptive, aimed at crippling it.
At the same time, Israel has cynically positioned itself as a “protector” of Syria’s minority groups—particularly the Druze and Kurds—which critics view as a pretext to extend its influence and presence in the country.
Indeed, it has already seized the Golan Heights buffer zone and encroached even further into Syria’s southern provinces of Quneitra, Dara’a and Sweida, where it is demanding the complete demilitarisation and disarmament of armed groups. The Israeli army is patrolling and raiding villages and towns in the surrounding areas and even reportedly attacked and killed civilians there.
