Thirteen years ago, Syria’s public squares ignited in flames of unrest. But after over a decade of withstanding a foreign-backed war aimed at overthrowing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was thwarted by the interventions of Iran, Russia, Hezbollah, and myriad other Syrian and non-Syrian forces, his government collapsed in a matter of just 11 days.
Assad fled in secrecy, leaving behind a crumbling Syrian Arab Republic and informing almost no one of his plans to abandon the sinking ship.
Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in alliance with other opposition militant factions, swiftly seized control of the country. The head of the UN-designated terrorist organization, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, also known as Ahmad al-Sharaa, declared himself an unelected president, forming a “salvation government” to guide the country through a transitional phase. Standing beside and behind him is Turkiye, which is determined to exert a strategic and pervasive influence over the direction of the new Syria.
Amid this monumental reshaping of West Asia’s political map, Israel seized the opportunity to act. Through the Biblically-named ‘Operation Bashan Arrow,’ the occupation state launched a strategic campaign against the remnants of the Syrian military, which had all but abandoned its positions. Nonstop airstrikes targeting Syria’s critical infrastructure marked the start of deeper Israeli involvement in the Syrian arena.
Israel’s military intervention was the culmination of years of preparation. In 2018, Israel had attempted to create a buffer zone in southern Syria, only to be thwarted by Syrian and allied forces who reclaimed the disengagement zone and the surrounding western mountains separating the border with neighboring Lebanon.
But with the Syrian state now in shambles, Tel Aviv saw a rare and irreplaceable opportunity to go for the jugular. Years of anticipation and strategic planning materialized in a swift campaign aimed at neutralizing perceived threats and securing long-term advantages.
The ‘Battle between wars’
The collapse of Syria into chaos after 2011, marked by the arrival of foreign jihadists and the proliferation of armed extremist factions, provided Israel with the conditions to secure its strategic interests quietly.
The first notable Israeli strike on Syrian territory occurred in Jamraya in early 2013. This marked the beginning of what Israel referred to as the “battle between wars,” a calculated effort to achieve multiple long-term goals.
One of Tel Aviv’s central priorities during this campaign was to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons from Iran via Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, as they could tip the balance of power in the region.
Another critical goal was to obstruct Iran and its allied resistance forces from establishing permanent bases and logistics hubs within Syria, which Israel viewed as direct threats to its security.
A further objective involved weakening Syria’s military infrastructure to prevent it from rebuilding its strategic capabilities, reemerging as a regional power, and establishing a buffer zone adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Dismantling Syria strike by strike
Although Israel’s broader ambitions were not realized, its tactical gains during the intervening years were significant. Frequent airstrikes degraded the capabilities of resistance forces, and Israel leveraged Syria’s internal challenges – its economic collapse, societal disarray, and the Syrian military’s overstretched resources – to establish its dominance. These operations set the stage for the larger-scale assault that followed Assad’s fall.
The collapse of the Syrian government marked the beginning of Israel’s most expansive military campaign in the region. Under the banner of ‘Bashan Arrow,’ Israel launched an unrelenting series of attacks against the Syrian state and its defenses.
Over 500 airstrikes targeted critical infrastructure, including military bases, radar systems, air force installations, intelligence headquarters, and scientific research facilities. Even the capital, Damascus, was not spared.
The aerial bombardments were accompanied by a ground incursion focused on border areas near Lebanon. Israeli forces advanced into the southwestern countryside of Damascus, targeting the strategic peaks of Mount Hermon.
Last week, those heights were declared “recaptured” by Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, 51 years after Tel Aviv’s initial loss, in an operation that dismantled years of fortifications built by the Syrian military and its allies in the Axis of Resistance.
US support and near-regional silence
Israel’s actions were met with muted responses on the global stage. Arab states issued routine condemnations that carried little weight, raising suspicions of tacit approval or alignment with Israel’s normalization agenda – even if that was not their intent.
In a statement, the Arab League conveyed “its full condemnation of Israel, the occupying power, for its illegal attempts to exploit Syria’s internal developments, whether through seizing additional lands in the Golan Heights or declaring the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void.”
Saudi Arabia slammed Israel’s actions in the Golan Heights, warning that they would “ruin Syria’s chances of restoring security,” while the UAE “strongly” condemned the expanding occupation and reaffirmed its “commitment to the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Syrian state.”
Western responses were similarly restrained, with European states offering cautious disapproval. In contrast, the US provided unequivocal support. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan framed Israel’s actions as a legitimate exercise of its right to self-defense.
This endorsement coincided with a visit to Israel by General Michael Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, signifying the operational coordination between Washington and Tel Aviv. US forces also carried out over 70 airstrikes in Syria during this period, ostensibly targeting ISIS but likely focused on degrading Syria’s military capabilities.
Israel’s strategic goals in Syria
Several strategic objectives drove Israel’s campaign in Syria – all aimed at securing its dominance and neutralizing potential threats. One of its primary goals was the elimination of any remaining Syrian military forces and critical installations capable of challenging the occupation state. Another focus was on preventing Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weapons via Syrian territory.
Such arms transfers were viewed as a significant threat to Israel’s security calculus. Israel also sought to dismantle the presence of Iranian advisors and resistance factions, which had used Syria as a logistical and operational hub.
Securing territories in southern Syria was equally vital, as Israel aims to establish buffer zones that would protect its northern borders and safeguard strategic sites like Mount Hermon. Beyond immediate military concerns, Tel Aviv views the newly occupied territories as potential leverage in future negotiations.
By maintaining control over these areas, Israel hopes to enforce favorable terms in any future peace talks and secure international recognition of its sovereignty over the Golan Heights. At the same time, Israel seeks to mitigate threats from extremist opposition factions in Syria, some of which openly espouse jihadist ideologies hostile to Israel.
While these efforts have yielded significant short-term gains, Israel’s long-term security remains uncertain. The new Syrian leadership under the HTS-appointed interim government is ideologically – at least, on paper – opposed to Israel and closely aligned with Turkiye.
Turkish leaders, emboldened by Assad’s fall, have asserted their influence in the region, signaling a potential strategic rivalry with Israel.
Regional repercussions
Israel’s actions in Syria have had far-reaching implications for West Asia. Neighboring Arab states, particularly Jordan and Egypt, find themselves in increasingly precarious positions. The rise of extremist Islamist movements aligned with Ankara, coupled with Israel’s expanding influence, has left these normalizer nations grappling with security concerns and diminished regional clout.
At the same time, Israel’s moves have deepened divisions within the Arab world. Normalization efforts with Israel by certain Arab states have further fractured alliances, leaving the region disunited in its response to the Syrian crisis.
In the end, the greatest casualties of this geopolitical reshuffling are the Arab peoples themselves – left weakened, fragmented, and increasingly sidelined in a rapidly changing regional order.
