The Israeli government has long
been one of the boldest and most proactive in the world. Surrounded by
countries that are ideologically their opposites, and frequently opposed to the
very existence of the Israel state, it is easy to understand their tension.
Their most recent military activity, however, has fallen under a different sort
of scrutiny than the usual. On Wednesday, January 30th, Israeli
fighter jets roared over Syrian airspace and launched rockets at a target. What
exactly that target was is now a subject of international debate with Syria
claiming it was a research facility and Israel (backed by the United States) claiming
it was a shipment of ground to air missiles headed for the Syrian backed terror
organization Hezbollah.
But why
should anybody else care what exactly the target was? And what do the people on
the ground believe? This will be explored in the following series of articles concerning
the impacts of the Israeli Strike.
With Assad feeling extraordinary
pressure as the Syrian Free army makes increased progress, it does not seem so
far-fetched that Assad would welcome even a violent diversion. He has made
calls to the people to rally against Israel, and to put down their
anti-government arms. Whether or not this is true, the situation has also
revealed much about the Syrian position. Their response has been a protest
against the “Zionist – US collaboration”, with promises of support from Iran
and Hezbollah. They, Russia and the Arab League are calling it an unprovoked
attack and a violation of both Syrian sovereignty and the 1971 disengagement
between the two powers (though this has been violated on both sides repeatedly).
It does not seem likely, however, at the moment, that there will be a violent
reaction to the strike, even with its allies.
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