Syrian rebels have made unexpected advances in recent days, taking the city of Aleppo — the country’s second-biggest — and seizing the regime’s weapons, including Russian aircraft and air defense systems, and Iranian-made drones. Israel has said that it has no interest in either side of the fight, which has raged since the Arab Spring of 2011. However, the Times of Israel, citing Ha’aretz, reports that Israel is concerned about the fate of Syria’s chemical weapons facilities: The Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian rebel assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands, Haaretz reports.
The report says that the main concern is that rebels or Iran-backed militias could reach weapons in Syria that pose a significant threat to Israel, such as missiles or chemical weapons.
If such weapons fall into the hands of the rebels or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz. (Read More)