ALBAWABA - Israel has increased its intelligence operations in the area and targeted important military sites in southern Syria as part of an extended security plan in reaction to Turkey's rising influence in the country.
The Israeli military and intelligence organization Shin Bet has increased monitoring activities in what they refer to as a "new Middle East," influenced by changing power dynamics in Syria and Lebanon, according to a report by Maariv.
Israel's two main strategic objectives, according to the report, are to maintain uncontested air superiority over Syrian skies—specifically, by preventing the deployment of sophisticated air defense systems like the Russian-made S-400—and to create an 80-kilometer buffer zone east of its borders free of foreign military forces.
Israeli airstrikes recently damaged the T-4 and Palmyra airbases, which are seen to be essential to Ankara's objective of developing aircraft capabilities within Syria, in order to obstruct Turkish military ambitions. Additionally, these operations aim to stop Turkey from controlling Syrian airspace, which would restrict Israeli airspace.
As snow melts and access routes open, smuggling between Syria and Lebanon, particularly in the Mount Hermon area, has surged, further complicating the situation. To combat this danger, the Israeli military has increased its presence across the Golan Heights.
Maariv also disclosed that Shin Bet has established a dedicated team to keep an eye on the whereabouts of ex-Palestinian detainees who were freed after the overthrow of the Assad government. One of them, a Hezbollah agent, was apparently killed in a recent Israeli bombing for allegedly organizing a joint operation with Syrian and Lebanese Hamas fighters.
The intensifying conflict highlights Israel's determination to protect its northern flank while averting Turkish aspirations in Syria.
