Top IDF officer: Terrorist threat in Syria could be directed at Israel
Speaking at Bar-Ilan University, GOC Command chief says Israel is waging a daily and indirect war with Iran through its proxies in the region.
The wreckage of a bus carrying officers and soldiers after an explosion on a road in Aleppo May 28, 2012.
Photo by Reuters
The
deterioration of Syria's central regime could lead to a growing
terrorist threat against Israel, a top Israel Defense Forces official
said on Wednesday, adding that Israel was fighting a daily and indirect
war with Iran through its proxies in the region.
Speaking at Bar-Ilan University, GOC Northern Command chief Yair Golan
said that it was his estimation that the "terrorist threat from Syria in
Israel was taking shape. Will it happen as soon as tomorrow? Probably
not. Is it something we must prepare for? I think so."
"It isn't hard to imagine a reality in which al-Qaida elements
currently in Syria and actively working against the Syrian regime would
at some point start working against us," Golan added, saying the vacuum
created in Syria could turn the country into an operational base for
Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah.
Golan also reiterated concerns voiced in the past as to the future of
Syria's reported stockpile of weapons of mass destruction amid civil
unrest in the country.
"Syria has a substantial and powerful arsenal, some of which is very
advanced, from surface-to-air missiles, sea-to-surface missiles, to
chemical weapons. What will happen to that arsenal? What will be the
fate of this stockpile in a failing country, with a lack of an effective
regime?" Golan asked.
The IDF official also spoke at length about the current position of
Hezbollah, saying the militant group was split between three
"personalities": as an authentic voice for Shi'ite Lebanon and protector
for the country; as a force in the fight against Israel; and as an
extension of Iran's Islamic revolution.
"Today Hezbollah is in an awkward position. The resistance [against
Israel] has a heavy price, as was evident in 2006. With all of our
dissatisfaction from the IDF's operative level during the Second Lebanon
War, the strategic achievement is significant. We have been enjoying
quiet unlike any we have experienced since 1968."
However, Golan, added, that achievement was not the "end of the line.
In the meantime, [Hezbollah] is building its power to an unprecedented
level for a terror or guerilla group."
Referring to Israel's standoff with Iran, Golan said that Israel was "indirectly waging a daily war with Iran."
"It doesn't matter if it's through [Islamic] Jihad in Gaza or Hezbollah
in Lebanon. Iran is here, and its negative influence is significant. It
isn't a question of 'maybe.' Its influence in Syria too is
discernable."
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