The interference by Israel in the civil war in Syria may have outcomes that Israel may not want – or, on the other hand, perhaps they do. Either way, they’re taking a risk that could draw in Israeli citizens as casualties.
By attacking Syria with air strikes on weapons which the Israelis say were bound for Syria’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, and doing so while flying in Lebanese airspace, Israel is clearly deliberately provoking both Hezbollah and Syria.
If Israel attacks Syria again and Syria decides to retaliate then a whole new war front will open up which could possibly be a game-changer for the region.
At the moment, as vicious as the civil war is, it is still little more than an extremely violent sectarian squabble. However, while the two sides despise each other, the reality is that both sides hate Israel even more. While there are many foreign fighters now siding with the rebels in Syria, the vast majority of fighters on both sides are Syrian and, regardless of their allegiances in the civil war, they have not forgotten that the Golan Heights were taken from then by the Israelis.
Apparently, Bashir al-Assad has already given the go-ahead to Hezbollah to attack Israel in the Golan Heights if Israel attacks Syria again. Palestinian’s in Lebanon and Syria would also join Hezbollah forces in fighting Israel to win back the Golan Heights. Since most Palestinians are Sunni and Hezbollah are Shia then the divide between the two maybe bridged to fight the common enemy allowing fighters of both sides in Syria to call a truce to fight Israel.
This, of course, will lead to all-out war between Israel and all of it enemies that are at its borders which could lead to many civilian deaths on both sides. It would quickly escalate to draw in other enemies beyond its borders, including Iran, with the possibility of jihadists of all persuasions getting the call and flocking to fight Israel. This, in turn will lead to the US coming to Israel’s aid.
Who knows where it will go from there.
No comments:
Post a Comment