Inside story of Israel’s support for Syrian rebels： providing weapons costs $75 per person per month.
Reference message networkReported on September 14th.According to the bimonthly website of Foreign Policy of the United States reported on September 6, more than 20 commanders and ordinary members of at least 12 anti-government armed groups in southern Syria said that Israel has secretly armed and funded these organizations in recent years to prevent the extremist organization "Islamic State" militants from occupying positions near the Israeli border.
According to reports, the military equipment transferred by Israel in July this year included assault rifles, machine guns, mortar launchers and transport vehicles. The Israeli security services transported these weapons through three passes connecting the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with Syria. Israel also uses these checkpoints to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of southern Syria who have suffered from years of civil war.
The picture shows the Israeli armored forces deployed in the Golan Heights.
Syrian rebels and local media said that Israel also paid salaries to rebels (about $75 per person per month) and provided additional funds. The rebels used the money to buy weapons on the Syrian black market.
These payments and the services received by Israel in return have caused the militants to expect that if the troops loyal to the Syrian government try to advance into southern Syria, Israel will intervene.
This summer, when the Syrian government forces supported by Russian air power did so, Israel did not intervene, making the rebels feel betrayed.
Y, a member of the Knights of the Golan, said: "This is a lesson we will never forget about Israel. It doesn’t care about … … These people. It doesn’t care about humans. It only cares about its own interests. "
According to reports, Israel tried to keep its relations with these organizations secret.
According to the report, compared with the amount of weapons and funds provided by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States and other countries involved in this seven-year civil war, the amount provided by Israel is small. Even when Israel’s aid program peaked earlier this year, rebel commanders complained that the aid was not enough.
However, Israel’s assistance is important for several reasons. This marks another way for Israel to try to prevent Iran from consolidating its position in Syria. Israel also launched air strikes against Iranian military bases in Syria and exerted political pressure through Russia.
Israel’s aid also raises questions about the balance of power in Syria when the civil war finally subsided. There is a great possibility that Syria will become a flashpoint of conflict between Israel and Iran when the Iranian army, which helped the Syrian government defeat the rebels, has no intention of withdrawing its troops from Syria.
According to the report, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on this article.
The picture shows an Israeli tank on standby in the Syrian-Israeli border area.
According to reports, since 2013, Israel has provided weapons to anti-government armed groups allied with the Syrian Free Army, including some armed factions operating in Quneitra, Deraa and rural areas in southern Damascus. The weapons transferred at that time were mainly M16 assault rifles made in the United States. Later, most of the weapons provided by Israel to the militants were not American weapons (apparently to cover up the sources of aid), including some guns and ammunition confiscated by Israel in 2009 and transported from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Aid to these organizations remained stable for some time, but it increased significantly last year. Israel has gone from supporting hundreds of fighters to helping anti-government organizations with thousands of members. The increase in aid coincides with a broader change in Israel’s policy toward Syria. After appealing to the United States and Russia, but failing to reach an agreement to allow Iranian-backed militia groups to leave southern Syria, Israel adopted a more aggressive policy. Its air force began to strike deeper into Syria, not only against individual batches of weapons shipped from Iran to Hezbollah, but also against bases all over Iran.
According to the report, two Israeli-backed organizations have been publicly confirmed, including the "Knights of the Golan" organization based in Tahaisheb, the border town of Quneitra, and the "Omar bin khattab" brigade based in Beit Kin, a town near Mount Hermon.
Unlike other foreign forces that support the Syrian opposition, Israel has made little effort to organize and consolidate its aid program. On the contrary, it obviously relies on the relationship established with individual commanders and provides them with assistance directly.
The picture shows the wreckage of an Iranian drone shot down by the Israeli army.
Anti-government militants in southern Syria say these commanders will contact Israeli officials by telephone and occasionally meet them in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. When these commanders change organizations and locations, Israel’s aid will change accordingly. On the other hand, when these commanders are killed or ousted because of internal power struggles, Israel will stop providing assistance to their former factions.
Knights of the Golan is a favorite organization of Israel. Members of the faction said that the organization added hundreds of fighters last year because of increased Israeli funding. It also distributes weapons provided by Israel to other organizations. This makes the organization have great influence in Quneitra and nearby Dar ‘a province.
Israel has also provided fire support to armed groups fighting against local branches of the Islamic State in the Yarmouk Basin. Local armed groups, media reporters and residents said that when the "Islamic State" organization was fighting other anti-government armed forces, the Israeli army launched a drone attack on the commander of the organization and launched a precision missile strike on the personnel, fortifications and vehicles of the organization. When the rebels launched an attack on the Syrian government forces, Israel did not provide similar fire support.
The report commented that due to Israel’s humanitarian and military assistance, many residents in southern Syria gradually regarded it as an ally. Israel promotes its "good neighbor" plan in Arabic, including humanitarian operations in southern Syria and the treatment of some Syrian people in Israeli hospitals.
A few months ago, Y, a militant of the "Knights of the Golan" organization, said: "Israel is the only country that has interests, a little humanity and provides assistance to civilians in the region."
However, as that Syrian government force regained control of more and more Syrian territory with the help of Russian and Iranian army, Israel began to seek other ways to safeguard its interests in the border area.
In July this year, Israeli officials apparently reached an understanding with Russia to allow government troops to return to the western part of Dar ‘a province and Quneitra, which are adjacent to the Golan Heights. According to reports, in exchange, Russia promised not to allow Iranian-backed militia groups to enter within 80 kilometers of the Golan Heights, and would not begin to obstruct Israel from attacking Iranian targets in various parts of Syria.
Even after the Syrian government forces began to launch an offensive against southern Syria, many Syrians in the region still held the hope that Israel would at least prevent the Syrian government from retaking the neighboring province of Quneitra. Thousands of people fled to the area adjacent to the Golan Heights, but Israel did not intervene to protect them.
A local community leader in the western part of Dar ‘a province said that he soon realized that it was a mistake to rely on Israel.
"Believe me, Israel will regret its silence about what happened in southern Syria," he said. People in our town and some neighboring towns have barely reached a reconciliation with the regime, but this reconciliation will affect Israel in the near future. "
According to the report, when the Syrian government forces approached, some anti-government militants contacted their Israeli acquaintances and sought asylum for fear that the government forces would retaliate. Israeli officials responded by allowing a few anti-government commanders and their immediate families to enter Israel on the night of July 22. Others were turned away.
The whereabouts of these commanders and their relatives are still unknown. Syrians say that some people are said to be in Israel and others are in Jordan. A former commander informed his subordinates that he had arrived in Turkey.
As for ordinary combatants, most people choose to stay at home and surrender to the government instead of fleeing to Idlib, the only remaining enclave of anti-government forces. Some have been arrested, apparently for cooperating with Israel, while others have joined pro-government militias or Syrian government forces. (Compile/Yan Fang)
