An emergency meeting of Israel's security cabinet, chaired by Benjamin Netanyahu, painted a complex picture of the strategic implications of the advance of rebel forces in Syria. Israeli intelligence services presented a detailed assessment of the situation there, revealing both major opportunities and risks for Israel's security. According to intelligence presented at this meeting, Iranian infrastructure in Syria has been severely affected and has fallen into rebel hands. Hezbollah finds itself forced to redeploy significant resources to support the Assad regime, which could increase the chances of maintaining calm on Israel's northern border.
Russia is escalating its involvement in the crisis, investing considerable resources to preserve the Assad regime. Moscow is putting pressure on Turkey in particular to curb the rebels and has dispatched high-ranking generals to direct military operations. Iran, for its part, continues to send forces to support the Syrian regime.
A major concern emerges regarding the risk of seeing the strategic capabilities of the Syrian regime fall into the hands of the rebels. Israeli security services are particularly concerned about the fate of strategic weapons stockpiles, particularly remnants of chemical weapons. “The collapse of the Syrian regime could create chaos,” intelligence officials warned political leaders. This situation could lead to the emergence of new military threats against Israel.
Israeli security services also anticipate that the Syrian regime could reopen its doors to significant Iranian forces, the majority of whom had left the country in recent years. This situation requires close coordination between Israel and the United States, particularly with the American Central Command, in the face of the rapidly evolving situation on the ground.
