Extreme Muslim militant groups, which are affiliated to the Islamic State, opened a major offensive in the tri-nation border of Israel, Syria and Jordan, attacking various rebel factions and have managed to take control of four villages, in addition to the strategic southwestern suburb of the city of Dara’a, located just a few kilometers off the border of Jordan.
Syrian sources told TV7 that the Islamic State-affiliates started their attack on rebel-groups a few weeks ago, after ‘Syrian opposition groups’ attempted to storm a government-held district of Daraa, a bid that brought about Russian intervention, with Moscow carrying out a wave of airstrikes against rebel-held positions in the area – a move that repelled the opposition’s attack.
The Syrian sources stressed that the rebels’ vulnerability following the Russian attack opened a window of opportunity, which the Islamic State-affiliates have not failed to seize. Israel and Jordan are both watching events in the area closely, as the prospect of the Islamic State gaining more control in the area is worrying to both countries.
IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, addressed Israel’s Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, during which he said that that by spring, the fight for control of the Syrian Golan will begin anew. Eisenkot emphasized that Israel’s interest is to maintain order on the other side of its border, and that all foreign forces, government and rebels alike would leave the area and that the United Nations would assume its role, under the UNDOF mission which is tasked with maintaining a decades long ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
IDF Chief of Staff Eizenkot responded to threats levelled by the Iranian backed Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, saying the threats against Israel come while his organization is undergoing a deep in crisis. The IDF chief repeated past military assessments that while Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian civil war allowed its fighters to gain significant operational experience, it sparked a crisis in the terror group affecting both its finances and its fighters’ morale. General Eizenkot added that at present, he does not see willingness among Israel’s enemies both on the northern and southern fronts to initiate a military campaign against Israel.