Israel’s defense establishment is increasingly concerned about developments in Syria and the processes Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is leading as he seeks to rebuild the country, a senior defense official told Walla on Tuesday. The official said Sharaa remains deeply rooted in the ideology of his past as an extremist jihadist leader while simultaneously operating in a “super sophisticated” manner to advance his regime’s interests with the US, moderate Sunni Arab states, Europe, and other countries. “He knows how to speak to every audience and every person separately and adapt himself to the situation,” the senior official said.
Addressing Sharaa’s broader objective, he added that the Syrian president “Is working to expand the international legitimacy of his regime in order to distance himself from his past image and prepare the ground for countries and major corporations to invest in Syria, similar to Bashar Assad at the beginning of his rule. Therefore, stability in the country is critical for him.”
At the same time, the defense establishment’s concern stems primarily from Sharaa’s persistent efforts to rearm. The Syrian president wants to rehabilitate military bases and acquire weapons systems that could restrict the IDF’s freedom of operation, particularly that of the Israel Air Force. Among other things, he continues to allow elements hostile to Israel to establish themselves in Syrian territory under the banner of “cooperation” and “advising.”
For Sharaa, the issue goes beyond acquiring and deploying air-defense systems that could challenge Israeli aircraft. One of the developments causing the greatest concern is the effort to rebuild Syria’s ground forces in formations including companies, battalions, and brigades, with the next stage expected to include the establishment of divisions. (Ed note: Scary stuff. Always keep one eye on the state of Syria.) (Read More)
