‘Prepared for All Scenarios’: Israel Quietly Monitors Syrian Upheaval

Latest Developments

• Golan On Alert: The IDF said on December 6 that it was beefing up air and ground forces in the Golan Heights “following developments in the internal conflict in Syria” and was “prepared for all scenarios, offensive and defensive alike.” Sirens sounded in the Israeli villages of Kfar Yuval, Maayan Baruch, and Kfar Szold in the Golan foothills, warning of a “suspicious aerial target,” but were soon ruled a false alarm by the IDF.

• Druze Spies Arrested: A father and son from the Golan village of Mas’ade were arrested in November on suspicion of spying for Iran, the Israel Police and Shin Bet announced on December 7 after a gag order on the case was lifted and the two were indicted. They are accused of gathering information about IDF “troops, tank movements, equipment, and other details” in the Golan Heights and passing it to a handler from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force who was doubling as a Damascus-based journalist with the Iranian television station al-Alam.

• Aleppo Weaponry Reported Bombed: Citing unspecified Syrian reports, Israel’s Army Radio said the IDF may have carried out a bombing sortie on December 5 against advanced weaponry near Aleppo to prevent it from falling into rebel hands. There was no confirmation or denial of this from the IDF, though it said there had been overnight airstrikes against smuggling routes in regime-controlled areas of Syria’s border with Lebanon to prevent arms trafficking to Hezbollah.

• Netanyahu Convenes Security Cabinet: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled security cabinet meetings on December 7 and 8 to discuss what officials said would be mainly about the Syria crisis. On December 1, during an inspection of new IDF conscripts, Netanyahu said, “We are constantly monitoring what is happening in Syria. We are determined both to protect the State of Israel’s vital interests and to preserve the achievements of the war.”

FDD Expert Response

“The rebel advances in Syria have stunned the world and lengthened Israel’s already long list of worries. Jerusalem’s public reticence about this is wise given the usual conspiracy-mongering by Assad fans about alleged Israeli involvement in efforts to topple the dictator. The truth is far more complex. As when the Syrian civil war erupted more than a decade ago, the Jewish state is content to stay on the fence, seeing enemies on all sides but striking any attempts by Iran to move weapons and fighters into Syria or Lebanon to threaten Israel.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“Despite its agreement in 2013 to export its chemical weapons to Russia for destruction, Damascus is widely believed to have some of this lethal arsenal. For any of that to fall into jihadist hands would be a red line for the Israelis — and should be for other world powers, too.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel is preparing for various scenarios that may develop in Syria, sending additional military forces to the Golan as the situation changes rapidly. This is important to make sure that any groups in Syria will not use the vacuum in power left by the retreating Assad regime forces to try to attack Israel or draw Israel into a conflict. In the past, Iran used Syria to threaten Israel, and pro-Iranian militias continue to threaten Israel from Syrian territory.” — Seth J. Frantzman, Adjunct Fellow