Israel at War with Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Washington and Israel seek regime change. Both countries want pro-Western puppet governance replacing Syrian sovereign independence.

Throughout Obama's war, launched in March 2011, Trump escalating it, Israel supplied weapons and munitions to ISIS, al-Nusra and other terrorist fighters. 

It treats their wounded in Israeli hospitals. It terror-bombs Syrian targets at its discretion. Its aim is weakening Assad's government. The ultimate aim of America and Israel is ousting it.

Israel's latest aggression occurred overnight Thursday, one of its many flagrant breaches of international law. 

Letters sent by Syria's Foreign Ministry to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council president Matthew Rycroft said four Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace through Lebanese territory at 2:40 AM Friday morning. They targeted a military site in the eastern countryside of Homs province.

"As part of its right to defend the sanctity of its territory, the Syrian air defense responded to this aggression and shot down one of the planes while the rest of them were forced to flee," Syria's Foreign Ministry said.

"The Israeli aggression this morning comes as a new Israeli attempt to boost the collapsed morale of terrorist groups after they were defeated recently by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in many areas."

Israel fabricates pretexts to justify lawlessness. It wants regional hegemony along with America, sovereign independent Syria and Iran eliminated as Middle East rivals, Hezbollah's ability to resist ended.

Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli ambassador Gary Koren over the IDF's latest aggression, the first time Moscow wanted clarifications since intervening in Syria in September 2015 at the behest of its government.

Russia is going all-out trying for diplomatic conflict resolution. Intermittent Israeli aggression at aims to undermine it.

Israel uses Hezbollah's involvement in Syria as a pretext to launch attacks. "When we identify attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah and we have intelligence and it is operationally feasible, we act to prevent it," Netanyahu ranted.

"That's how it was yesterday and that's how we shall continue to act. We are fully determined and the evidence of that it that we are acting. Everybody must take that into account - everybody."

Transportation minister Yisrael Katz added "(w)e will not let Syria become a dangerous hub of Hezbollah activity."

Fact: Israel faces no threat from Syria, Hezbollah, Iran or any other country. Its claims otherwise are fabricated - used as pretexts for aggressive acts at its discretion, flagrantly violating international law, prolonging conflict, delaying or preventing resolution, wanting endless regional wars continued to advance its imperial aims.

Following his March 9 meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said he "stressed (Israel's) strong opposition to Iran or its proxies establishing themselves in Syria. We see that Iran is trying to establish a naval base in Syria."

"This has serious implications for Israeli security. I told Putin this would threaten stability and hurt the possibility of achieving a political settlement in Syria."

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports, claiming Moscow OK'd Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, saying "(i)t has nothing to do with reality. It hasn't been discussed, and there is no talk about it."

Former Israeli national security council head Yaakov Amidror said alleged weapons convoys to Hezbollah remain a "red line." Israel will continue attacking them.

A state of war existed between Syria and Israel since establishment of the Jewish state, notably since the IDF seized Golan in June 1967.

Israel considers Syria an enemy. For the most part, it prohibits its citizens from traveling there. Syria never recognized Israel. Its citizens are denied entry. Both countries never had diplomatic relations.

Cross-border movement is extremely limited. Golan Druze villages on both sides of the ceasefire line engage in limited produce trade.

Numerous cross-border incidents instigated by Israel occurred since Obama launched war in March 2011. 

Despite Syrian military successes since Russia's September 2015 involvement, regional flashpoint conditions remain, threatening escalated wars, not resolving them.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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