As Iraq’s situation continues to deteriorate threatening its neighbors including Syria. Israel has stepped into the picture by launching several strikes against Syria in retaliation for an attack by an anti-tank missile that killed a teenager according to Israeli officials. It was not confirmed who was exactly behind the attack since the Golan Heights is being contested by both the Syrian government and the rebels. The Associated Press reported:
Israeli warplanes bombed a series of targets inside Syria early Monday, the Israeli military said, in response to a cross-border attack that killed an Israeli teenager the previous day. In all, Israel said it struck nine military targets inside Syria, and “direct hits were confirmed.” The targets were located near the site of Sunday’s violence in the Golan Heights and included a regional military command center and unspecified “launching positions.” There was no immediate response from Syria
In an already intense situation all across the Middle East, Israel has joined its staunchest ally, the United States by attacking Syrian military targets.
In Sunday’s attack, an Israeli civilian vehicle was struck by forces in Syria as it drove in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. A teenage boy was killed and two other people were wounded in the first deadly incident along the volatile Israeli-Syrian front since Syria’s civil war erupted more than three years ago. The Israeli vehicle was delivering water as it was doing contract work for Israel’s Defense Ministry when it was struck
The Report also stated Lt. Col Peter Lerner’s comments following the strikes:
“Yesterday’s attack was an unprovoked act of aggression against Israel, and a direct continuation to recent attacks that occurred in the area,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman. He said the military “will not tolerate any attempt to breach Israel’s sovereignty and will act in order to safeguard the civilians of the state of Israel.”
It was confirmed that 10 Syrian soldiers was killed by the airstrikes as reported by the Times of Israel “At least 10 Syrian soldiers were killed in Israeli overnight air raids on positions near the Israeli-held Golan Heights, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Monday.”
The Jerusalem Post was certain that Israel would retaliate when they published an article before the IDF coordinated the attacks ‘A dangerous escalation by the pro-Assad camp’ when they said ”Should the IDF reach the likely conclusion that combatants from the pro-Assad camp – either the Syrian army itself, Hezbollah, or someone acting on their behalf – is responsible for the firing of an anti-tank missile at an Israeli truck, it is difficult to imagine Israel sitting on the sidelines and failing to act to punish the aggressors and restore its deterrence.” Syria would not escalate any conflict with Israel especially after they went through a horrible civil war with the Free Syrian Army and other Al-Qaeda affiliates backed by the West which did result in over 100,000 deaths. Many parts of Syria are destroyed because of the war and now face a dangerous terrorist organization that has been making headlines called the Islamic State of Israel and Syria (ISIS) on their borders. Why would Syria instigate a war with Israel? It would not make any sense, especially when the Syrian government removed all of their Chemical weapons which satisfied the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) according to RT news:
The last of Syria’s declared chemical weapons have been handed over. “All declared chemical weapons have left Syria,” OPCW Director General Ahmet Üzümcü told reporters at a press conference Monday.
“The last of the remaining chemicals identified for removal from Syria were loaded this afternoon aboard the Danish ship Ark Futura. The ship made its last call at the port of Latakia in what has been a long and patient campaign in support of this international endeavor,” Üzümcü announced
After Israel’s attack, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said “We will not tolerate any infringement of our sovereignty or harm to our soldiers and civilians. We will respond resolutely and powerfully to anyone who acts against us, at any time and place, as we’ve done tonight.”
Israel is trying to cripple Syria’s military capabilities to clear the path for a future US/NATO invasion. The US and its allies have failed to remove President Bashar al-Assad and now Israel is playing its part by destroying Syrian military targets. If Israel continues to launch airstrikes into Syrian territory, would it provoke Syria to respond militarily? Syria is refraining from military action although there are serious tensions between Syria and Israel since the start of the civil war. Iraq is already divided with an increase of Sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia groups which are at an all-time high. Unfortunately Iraq has been destroyed by Washington’s imperial agenda. Syria is now the focus for Western intervention. US President Barack Obama said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost his legitimacy and he has no place in Syria’s future at a meeting with the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) in Washington this past May. US Secretary of State John Kerry also criticized recent elections in Syria where Assad won a landslide victory by calling it a “farce.” The latest attack by the Israeli air force is an attempt to further destabilize Syria. Western policies began the conflict in Syria which has killed 10’s of thousands of innocent people including those based in Israel. Foreign intervention does produce unintended consequences. War is now inevitable.
