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| How Israeli covert activities in Syria seek to thwart its new government | |
| 2025-12-24 | |
Text: How Israeli covert activities in Syria seek to thwart its new government Israel is suspicious of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a longtime Islamist militant, and has provided weapons, intelligence and cash to militiamen at odds with his rule. By Gerry Shih, Ari Flanzraich, Adam Chamseddine and Ilan Ben Zion Under the cover of darkness, the helicopters from Israel began to arrive in southern Syria on Dec. 17, 2024, nine days after the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad. Packed alongside pallets of humanitarian aid were 500 rifles, ammunition and body armor — all discreetly airdropped by Israel to arm a Druze militia called the Military Council, according to two former Israeli officials directly involved in the effort.... Sharaa continues even now to have extremist fighters in the ranks of his supporters.... An increasingly dominant force in the Middle East, Israel has been seeking to shape developments in Syria by supporting allied Druze militiamen as part of an effort to weaken the country’s national cohesion, current and former Israeli officials said, and thus complicate Sharaa’s efforts to unify the country after its long civil war. The flow of weapons peaked in April, after Syrian Druze fighters clashed with Islamist gunmen aligned with Sharaa. And it ebbed in August after Israel pivoted to negotiating with Sharaa and doubts emerged among Israeli officials about the reliability of the Syrian Druze separatists and the feasibility of their aims. But Israel continues to carry out airdrops of nonlethal military equipment such as body armor and medical supplies to Syrian Druze fighters, effectively undermining Sharaa’s ability to centralize power, according to Druze leaders in Syria and a former Israeli official. Israelis are also providing monthly payments between $100 to $200 to about 3,000 Druze militiamen, two Druze officials said, further demonstrating that it continues to maintain a counterweight to the central Syrian government.... The Israel government’s overarching strategy since the fall of Assad has been ensuring that a regime with the capability to threaten Israel does not emerge on its northeastern border, and officials believe Washington is naive when it accepts Shaara’s insistence he has given up his extremist views.... Israel also says it remains committed to the Druze,.. More at the link
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| Posted by:badanov |