07/09/2018 ‘Israel gave arms to Syr ian rebels’

‘Israel gave arms to Syrian rebels’

The Jerusalem Post · 7 set. 2018 · • Jerusalem Post Staff

Israel report edly armed and funded at least 12 rebel groups in southern Syria to prevent
Iranian-sponsored insurgents a liated with Islamic State from becoming embedded near
the Golan, according to a report in Foreign Policy magazine.
Testimonies from more than 20 commanders in Foreign Policy noted that Israel supplied
the weapons and cash to rebel groups throughout “Operation Good Neighbor” –
launched in 2016 and shut down in July once the Assad regime regained control of the
Syrian side of the Golan Heights – to keep troops belonging to Hezbollah and Iran away
from the border of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
On Monday, the IDF maintained its position
the IDF did not interfere in the Syrian Civil War.
In addition to allocat ing funds for Syrian insurgents to purchase arms on the Syrian black
market, Israel report edly paid $75 monthly per soldier, according to testimonies from
journalists and rebel ghters in Syria.
Through Operation Good Neighbor, the Israeli military provided more than 1,524 tons of
food, 250 tons of clothes, 947,520 liters of fuel, 21 generators, 24,900 palettes of medical
equipment and medicine.
Reports rst surfaced of Israel providing arms and cash to rebel groups several years ago.
The regime of Bashar Assad claimed Israel was providing arms to terrorist groups, and
that its forces regularly seized arms and munitions stamped in Hebrew.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Israel had been arming at least seven di erent rebel
groups in Syria’s Golan Heights, including the Fursan al-Joulan rebel group which had
around 400 ghters and was given an estimated $5,000 per month by Israel. “Israel stood
by our side in a heroic way,” the group’s spokesperson, Moatasem al-Golani, told the The
Wall Street Journal in a January 2017 report. “We wouldn’t have survived without Israel’s
assistance.”
Israel has repeat edly warned against Iran’s entrenchment in Syria, has stressed that the
country cannot serve as an Iranian forward operat ing base, and warned against Damascus
becoming a way station for arms smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
While Israel’s military had been carrying out operation against Iranian targets in Syria for
several years, it’s extent only became public after an IAF F-16 was downed by Syrian air
defenses in February.
On Monday, the military announced that in the past year and half alone, Israel has carried
out 200 strikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.
Last year former Israel Air Force head Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Eshel stated that the IAF car-
ried out 100 airs trikes in Syria over the past ve years.
The Syrian army, backed by Russian airpower and Iranian Shi’ite militia ghters, has re-
captured large swathes of territory formerly held by rebels, and is now believed to have
control over 70% of the war-torn country.

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07/09/2018 ‘Israel gave arms to Syr ian rebels’

While Syrian troops have once again been deployed to the border with Israel, in order to
prevent an escalation between the two enemy countries, Russian military police have
been deployed along the Golan Heights border along with UN Peacekeepers. •

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