Israel is pressuring the United States to ensure Syria remains weak and fragmented, including by allowing Russia to maintain its military bases there to counter Turkey’s growing influence in the country, Reuters first reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials, alarmed by the Sunni Islamist rulers now in power in Syria with Ankara’s backing, have conveyed to Washington that they pose a threat to Israel’s borders, according to the sources.
Concern: Syria becoming a base for Hamas
The lobbying efforts indicate a coordinated Israeli campaign to influence U.S. policy at a critical juncture for Syria, as the Islamists who ousted Bashar Assad seek to stabilize the fractured country and persuade Washington to lift crippling sanctions.
“Israel’s biggest fear is that Turkey will intervene to protect the new Islamist regime in Syria, which would then become a base for Hamas and other militants,” said Aron Lund, a fellow at the U.S.-based Century International research institute and a Middle East analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI).
It remains unclear to what extent President Donald Trump’s administration is considering adopting Israel’s proposals, the sources told Reuters.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday called for more “realistic expectations” in Europe regarding the new Syrian government, which he described as “a terrorist group from Idlib [Province].”
Speaking at a press conference with E.U. officials in Brussels during a meeting of the Association Council, responsible for the European bloc’s relationship with Israel, Sa’ar said, “I hear talks of regime transition in Syria. This is ridiculous.”
The government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda terrorist known also as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, “is a jihadist Islamist terror group from Idlib, that took Damascus by force,” he said.
“We are all happy that Assad is out. But we must have realistic expectations,” said Sa’ar. “The Islamists speak softly. Just check how Iran spoke in 1979,” he added. “But everyone knows who al-Sharaa is. Not only are they [Syria’s new government] not inclusive, they are exacting vengeance on Alawites. They are harming the Kurds. We will not compromise the security on our border. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are acting in Syria to create another front against Israel there.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that “Israel will not tolerate the presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or any other force affiliated with the new regime in southern Syria and demands that the area be demilitarized.”
Following Assad’s ouster, Israel has conducted extensive airstrikes on Syrian military bases and deployed forces to the U.N.-monitored demilitarized zone inside Syria.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
