Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin: Focus.
In the context of the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, the position of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is surprising in the Arab world. He has almost completely withdrawn from the events, without giving any significant comments. Only after the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did Assad express his condolences, but that was the end of his reaction. This was reported by israelinfo.
Non-interference in the situation
The situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, but the active engineering work of the Israeli forces (IDF) on the border between the Golan Heights and the demilitarised zone did not force Assad to break his silence. According to Reuters, the Israeli military has demined the area, moved the fence and is digging new fortifications, indicating possible operations against Hezbollah.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fourth division of the Syrian army, under the command of President Maher al-Assad’s brother, has taken measures to avoid new Israeli strikes, traditionally targeting headquarters and concentrations of pro-Iranian militants. The division’s leadership has issued orders not to transfer weapons and to avoid deploying Hezbollah and Iranian militias in their headquarters for fear of Israeli attacks.
Conflict avoidance strategy
Carolyn Rose, an analyst at the US-based New Lines Institute, said in an interview with the Qatari newspaper Al Arabiya that Assad’s silence indicates his desire to avoid a direct conflict with Israel. The Syrian security forces and army are not ready for a prolonged defensive or offensive campaign against Israeli forces. Several analysts emphasise that Syria currently has other priorities – overcoming the internal crisis and the threat of terrorism, which remain serious problems for the country.
Russian troop withdrawal and the changing situation
In addition, Al Jazeera reports that the Russian military has left the Tal al-Hara observation post in southern Syria. According to the source, this withdrawal was the result of an agreement with the Israelis to prevent clashes. On Tuesday, the Syrian army command ordered its paramilitary forces to leave the southern region of Quneitra in the Golan within 24 hours.
Iraqi armed groups have also been instructed to avoid direct clashes with Israeli troops, which indicates the desire of all parties to reduce tensions in the region.
Thus, Bashar al-Assad’s distancing himself from the conflict in Lebanon may be due to both a desire to avoid new threats to Syria and a lack of opportunities for active action in the face of the internal crisis. The events in the region require caution on the part of all participants, as further escalations could lead to unpredictable consequences for security in general.
