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Ever since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has been increasingly propped up by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which remains firmly within the Russian constellation. Although many had thought that Russia would be exiting Syria to consolidate its troop buildup in Ukraine, Russia has actually been escalating its presence in Syria.
Despite recent elections, Hezbollah still controls the Lebanese infrastructure, and parts of Syria have now become sensitive touchstones between Russian, Iranian and US forces, while Hezbollah has threatened to blow up the Israeli Karish maritime gas rigs.
Israel has been conducting what is known as “The War Between the Wars” to reduce the Iranian presence in both Syria and Lebanon and has coordinated with the United States according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.
And of course, the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, now has approximately 150,000 missiles on Israel’s northern border, and Iran has likely recently become a nuclear-threshold state.
Are these all of these rivalling powers on Israel’s northern border too close for comfort? How can Israel prevent an unintended explosion between these rivaling powers on her northern border?
Here to answer these questions and more was Lieutenant- Colonel (res.) Sarit Zehavi of the IDF and the Director of the Alma Research and Education Center.
About the speaker: Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi is the CEO and founder of Alma – a nonprofit and an independent research and education center specialized in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border. Sarit has briefed hundreds of groups and forums, ranging from US Congress members to journalists and visiting VIP groups in Israel and overseas. Sarit scripts numerous position papers and updates focusing on Lebanon, Syria and Israel’s national security challenges. She served for 15 years in the Israeli Defense Forces, specializing in military intelligence. Sarit holds an M.A. in Middle East Studies from Ben-Gurion University. Sarit Zehavi and her husband Yaron are raising their five children in Western Galilee.
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