{"id":25695,"date":"2023-10-29T12:45:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syndicationbureau.com\/?p=25695"},"modified":"2023-10-31T16:57:29","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T12:57:29","slug":"gaza-israel-war-is-syria-a-pawn-in-irans-war-with-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syndicationbureau.com\/gaza-israel-war-is-syria-a-pawn-in-irans-war-with-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza-Israel War:\u00a0Is Syria a Pawn in\u00a0Iran\u2019s War with Israel?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Fallout from Hamas\u2019 October 7 attack on Israel continues to spread, with violence in the West Bank and southern Lebanon adding to the tinder box already lit in Gaza. Now, a fourth front in Israel\u2019s war is at risk of igniting in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian regime doesn\u2019t have the resources, or the desire, to attack Israel head on. But the presence of multiple Iranian-backed forces inside the country, including Hezbollah and the Iraqi popular mobilization militias<\/a>, opens the door for others to strike on its behalf. This likelihood will only increase as hostilities on the other fronts continue to escalate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, the Syrian government’s official response<\/a> to Israel\u2019s retaliatory strikes on Gaza has been statements of condemnation and to work with regional and international stakeholders<\/a> to deescalate the situation. And yet, Syria’s frontlines with Israel have been busy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On October 10, mortar rounds were launched from Syria<\/a> toward the Golan Heights, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israel responded with artillery fire into Syria<\/a>. Two days later, Israel conducted simultaneous strikes<\/a> on airports in Damascus and Aleppo, rendering both inoperable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources suggest that in addition to disrupting Iranian weapons supply routes<\/a>, Israel\u2019s operations, which coincided with the planned visit of an Iranian foreign official to Syria, may have been a warning to Iran to avoid using its proxies to strike Israeli territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But if that was the intent, the message wasn\u2019t received. Another missile attack, launched from Syria on October 14, provoked a second Israeli missile barrage on Aleppo\u2019s airport<\/a> just as it had resumed operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No group has claimed responsibility for the strikes on Israel, and they\u2019ve received no mention by the Syrian state news agency. Nevertheless, sources indicate<\/a> that both attacks were carried out by a Palestinian group affiliated with Hezbollah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the limited scope of these operations, it\u2019s likely they were designed more as political statements than efforts to cripple Israeli capabilities. While the Syrian regime may be reluctant to engage directly with Israel<\/a>, Iran\u2019s proxies can strike at any time. This message is significant: in areas where non-Syrian militias operate, it is Tehran \u2013 not Damascus \u2013 that calls the shots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another objective may be to keep Israeli forces stationed along the Syrian border occupied and unable to engage in Gaza. To that end, the frequency of these attacks may increase as the fighting in Gaza intensifies. Limited strikes also give Iran and its proxies a means to back the Palestinian resistance without becoming entangled in a wider conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Limited strikes won\u2019t necessarily stay contained to targeting Israel. Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, among other Iranian-backed militias, have recently threatened to target American assets<\/a> in the region, including bases inside Syria, if the US intervenes in the Hamas-Israel war, or if Israel expands the battleground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For its part, Israel wants to demonstrate its readiness to engage on multiple fronts and to respond beyond its borders if provoked. By firing on targets inside Syria, Israel seeks to remind Iran that the ongoing conflict in Gaza hasn\u2019t hampered its ability<\/a> to disrupt the movements of Tehran\u2019s militias. <\/p>\n\n\n\n