Orientalist expressed doubts about Israel's readiness to withdraw from Syria

The situation in Syria will remain unstable for a long time, it is unlikely that Israel will actually withdraw from there. On the contrary, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will certainly occupy more border territories. Sergei Balmasov, an expert of the Middle East Institute and an expert of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs, shared this opinion in a conversation with Izvestia on December 9.

Earlier in the day, the media reported that the Israeli army entered the territory controlled by the neighboring state for the first time since 1973 as part of the operation in the buffer zone on the border with Syria. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the move was temporary and motivated by the defense of the Jewish state.

"There is such a phrase: there is nothing temporary that is not permanent. In Syria, this instability is now serious and permanent. <...> Under this pretext, Israel is likely to occupy more extended territories along the border," Balmasov commented.

He noted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's departure from office was only a pretext for Israel's troops to enter Syria - in fact, the process started earlier, from August-September. In addition, there had long been work by Israeli intelligence services deep inside the neighboring state.

"Israeli intelligence services have been working in Syria since the Arab-Israeli wars. They have dramatically increased their presence and attention to the country since the beginning of the rebellion against Assad in 2011. Especially in the southern regions, especially among the Druze, a confessional minority," the expert added.

Thus, the current political situation in Syria has become favorable for Israel in the context of territorial expansion, he summarized.

Arab Spring 2.0: armed opposition in Syria claims control of Damascus

The country's prime minister has signaled his readiness to hand over power to the new leadership

On the eve of the national coalition of revolutionary and opposition forces in Syria announced the work on the formation of a transitional government body. In turn, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said that most of the ministers of the Syrian government remain in Damascus, and he himself is ready to cooperate with any elected leadership.

Against this backdrop, the IDF announced the deployment of forces along the Syrian border to ensure the safety of communities in the Golan Heights and Israeli citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the demarcation agreement with Syria has been terminated due to the withdrawal of Syrian troops. Later it was reported that the Israeli military took control of Mount Hermon.

The situation in Syria escalated as a result of a major attack by armed formations in Aleppo and Idlib, which began on November 28 and led to the Syrian army's retaliation against the militants.