Syria Strategic Battle: Between Israel's Pretence and Iranian Reality


It seems that the Israeli governmental establishment applies the 'ostrich' perspective as regards the Israeli Syria policy and the Iranian entrenchment in post-war Syria, which is reluctant to see or recognize. They are still insisting that they managed to defeat the Iranian 'project' (by their own definition of this project) in Syria and hold an assessment which concluds that post-war Syria is not a geopolitical field of the Iranian influence. This conclusion is definitely not shared by the vast majority of the Syrian scholars and activists, who have a quite different assessment of the Iranian power and influence in their country Syria.

 These substantially different assessments and conclusions prompt a necessary enquiries to discern this persistent Israeli pretence:

- What is the Israeli governmental understanding of the outstanding comprehensive Iranian power and influence in Syria in the military, governmental, economic and social fields?

- Does Iran have the ability to launch land fires at the Israeli territory from the Syrian south, as it did in April rocket salvo, regardless of the military capacity and scope of the Iranian firepower and the deployment of drones?

- Can there be a negotiated solution of the Syrian crisis without an Iranian role? And can a transitional government be formed in Syria without an Iranian contribution?

- Does Israel have the requisite assets to play a role and hold any influence in the future Syria?

- How did Israel lose its cards and role in neighboring Syria? What were the factors underpinning the Israeli role in the handover of the south Syria to the regime in 2018?

- Does the Israeli governmental establishment have a vision of Israel's long-term regional interests in the Middle East as regards particularly security, economic and energy projects amid regional rivalry by Iran and Turkey and in the reality of the Syrian geographic importance for these rivals and interests? And consequently does it have a strategy to achieve these interests on the Syrian side?

The answers of the previous questions will make it possible and even clear to find out the regional strategic loser of the Syrian war despite any official denial or opposite pretence.

Here is a list of my related articles:

- Israel's Strategy in Syria: From Enabling Iran to Strategic Loss

- Syria in Reality: Iran's Power and Israel's Policy

- Arab Normalization with Syrian Regime: A Victory for Iran or Loss for Arabs?

- Prompting a New Phase in the Middle East: Iran Claims Victory in Syria

- The Changing Middle East: Traditional Israel and Changer Iran

- Iran's Acknowledged Presence in Syria: From Permeation to Imposition

Stay tuned to my Twitter, Middle East Policy Blog, and NeoInternationalism website.

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