Alwaght- Since the start of Hamas’s Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the subsequent ruthless Israeli attacks from the sea and ground that initiated a massive massacre of the civilians especially the children and women, the branches of the Axis of Resistance each in a way involved in the confrontation and, unlike a majority of Arab countries, did not stop at just verbally condemning the Israeli crimes.
In the meantime, Syria, which has always been one of the main fronts against the Israeli occupation and the front line of support for the resistance forces in Palestine and Lebanon, has been accused by Arab media propaganda of silence and and just watching what is going on in the occupied territories.
These media even went beyond and claimed that the Syrian government is opposed to the recent war and developments that drag it into the confrontation.
These claims, which were put forward against Hezbollah in the first weeks of war, present a one-sided and short-sighted narrative of the reason why a front on the borders of Syria with the occupied territories is not not opened, and a deeper and more precise, and strategic look at them can reveal their falsehood and bias.
There is no doubt that war is considered by the Syrian government from various aspects, and actually the threats and opportunities of this war in Syrian security vicinity do not allow Damascus to stay indifferent, neutral, and without strategy in this regard especially that Palestinian resistance has always been a strategic partner for Syria in creating a balance of power with Israel and in the regional groupings they are both part of the Axis of Resistance and this grouping has had a vital role in ending Syrian crisis and return of the calm to the country and enhancement of its military capabilities and political position.
Another issue that makes war important for Syria is the possibility of war spillover and also the American military presence on the Syrian soil. Actually, these two matters make Syria fully involved in the conflict and of a decisive role and a major supportive force for the Palestinian resistance in the war.
Opening Golan front Israel’s nightmare
With a little bit of reflection on the course of developments of war over the past 70 days, we conclude that the occupied Golan Heights have experienced more unstable security conditions than before as there have been border tensions between the Syrian army and the Israeli forces stationed there.
In the latest case, the Israeli army announced on Monday evening that it intercepted a missile launched from Syria and activated the attack alarm systems in the open areas of the Golan Heights. On December 14, Israeli news sources reported that 2 rockets were fired from Syrian territory into uninhabited areas in the town of Keshet in Golan.
With the repeat of such incidents, a question presents itself: Which of the two sides is more concerned about instability of Golan and even its sliding into a Syrian-Israeli military confrontation?
The answer to this question is not so difficult because the Israelis have been holding the strategic Golan Heights and its fertile and water-rich lands and constructing settlements for years, ignoring the resolutions of the UN Security Council and international laws. The Israelis also use this occupied part of Syria as a strategic defense line against their long-time enemy Damascus. So, upsetting the shaky political and security balance and breaking the decades-long Israeli entrenchment, which even caused the US under Donald Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan, are the tactical goals of Syria for final retaking of the occupied region. Additionally, crisis spillover to Golan will distract part of Israeli strength from Gaza as the case was on the northern front where Hezbollah is present.
US expulsion from Syria the fatal blow to Israeli security
Since the beginning of the military operations of the Israeli regime in Gaza, the attacks of the resistance groups on the American military bases in Syria and Iraq have intensified, and sometimes with the military response of the US to the resistance forces, the war in Gaza has actually led to an growing confrontation between Axis of Resistance forces and the American forces. The US military presence, which poses a major threat to Syrian territorial integrity and the return of full stability to Syria and provides support to Israeli disruption of full opening of Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon corridor, is completely interwoven with the Israeli interests.
Still, the pressure on the US with attacks on the American bases in Syria is part of a campaign of pressure the Resistance camp is following to press Washington to rein in the licentious Israeli war in Gaza. Certainly, the regime is not able to continue the war in Gaza without diplomatic, military, and financial support of the US, and it would have been defeated in less than two years if it was not for the American support. So, Damascus’ definite cooperation and coordination with the actions of the resistance groups in the attack on American bases is the part Damascus does to back Hamas.
Calculated play with enemy traps
Although the Syrian government, as it was said, voiced its full support for Hamas and considers the current war to be linked to its security interests, Damascus and its partners in the Axis of Resistance are aware of the conspiracies that seek to drag Syria into a new war.
As a result of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, the structure of the security and intelligence system of the Israeli regime completely collapsed, and the Israeli attempt to rebuild the security-defense equations based on maintaining military superiority over the Gaza resistance through an extensive ground operation in this enclave has so far gone nowhere. While making no gains, Tel Aviv is now under massive external pressure to end its indiscriminate attacks on Gaza. That is why many analysts believe that Israel is impatiently attempting to involve the US directly in Gaza war.
The Syrian government was engaged in a devastating civil war with international terrorists supported by Western-Arab-Israeli camp for a decade, and many of the country’s economic infrastructures were destroyed in the war, and a large population was internally and externally displaced. This makes reconstruction and facilitation of return of refugees top priorities for Damascus. Maintaining crippling anti-Syrian sanctions by the West and repeatedly bombing Syrian ground corridors and airports amid Damascus-Arab reconciliation process show that the US and Israel are seeking to block Syrian return to peace and stability, and after failure of 10-year terrorism war project, they invest in economic pressures to sow division between people and the government.
On the opposite side, the Resistance camp’s command room by determining the form of Syrian role in the distribution of duties in Gaza war has shown that it has read the Israeli plans and has chosen a smart way to use the Syrian front to Gaza advantage.
Rai Al-Yaum editor-in-chief Abdel Bari Atwan recently cited his personal conversation with a senior Syrian official, revealing that Syria is ready to engage in any war and is waiting modern arms and other military support from friendly countries.
Finally, it may useful to mention this point that before Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, opponents were criticizing Hamas and its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades for not talking actions in response to the Israeli atrocities in the West Bank. However, after the operation, it became clear that the resistance group was planning for three years for a historic attack that changed all the equations, humiliated the Israeli regime, and wreaked its credibility, security, and stability.
