Israel's division strategy over the Druze in Syria and Türkiye's role

Israel has never hidden its discomfort with the transformation Syria has experienced in recent months. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Syria, which re-established diplomatic relations with Western countries, of being a supporter of terrorism. The West's start to develop economic relations with Syria has diminished Tel Aviv's hopes of gaining support from its traditional allies for a new invasion plan. Realizing that they could not implement an all-out occupation policy in Syria as in Lebanon and Gaza, Israeli officials described Damascus as a natural threat and declared that they wanted to create a buffer zone in the regions occupied by the Assad regime when it was overthrown.

The US's failure to support Israel on Syria, under Türkiye's guidance, partially prevented Tel Aviv's plans. On the other hand, the Tel Aviv administration, which seems determined to implement its expansionist policies in the northern lands, has strengthened its support for the separatist Druze groups. Druze separatists, who have become Israel's only trump card in Syria with the integration of the terrorist organization YPG into Damascus, have made successive moves recently.

In the city of Suwayda in southern Syria, armed groups affiliated with Hekmat al-Hijri, the leader of a part of the Druze community, attacked Syrian government forces in some parts of the city on September 1.

According to Anadolu Agency (AA) news, clashes broke out in the region after the attack on internal security units in Mansura, Velga and Tel Hadid villages. 4 internal security officers were injured in the attack. Armed groups also targeted the village of Mansura in the southwestern countryside of Suwayda with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Groups affiliated with the Israeli-backed al-Hijri also blocked students who wanted to go for secondary school and high school exams on August 29.

Attacks on government forces by armed groups affiliated with Israeli-backed Druze leader Hekmat al-Hijri have escalated tensions in the region. Stating that Israel plans to disintegrate Syria and turn it into controllable statelets, Prof. Dr. Ali Fuat Gökçe and Dr. Cihan Günyel evaluated the Tel Aviv administration's Syria policies and Türkiye's role in the region for Hürriyet.com.tr.

The Israeli army has occupied an area of ​​approximately 235 square kilometers since the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria.

CHAOS PLAN IN SYRIA

Prof. Dr. Ali Fuat Gökçe stated that Israel's land forces are weak, but it is trying to be effective in the region with its air force and expansionist ambitions. Gökçe emphasized that the countries in the Middle East do not pose a threat to Israel, on the contrary, Israel is a threat to the countries in the region.

Pointing out that Israel's main strategy is to capture new lands in the region, Gökçe said:

"Even if it is not convincing for us, they have an expansionist policy of their own. They know that they cannot turn this policy into reality by occupying the surrounding areas with their land forces. We saw this in Gaza. The land forces could not achieve the desired success in a flat geography like Gaza. We also saw the same against Hezbollah.

Gökçe stated that because Israel knows that it cannot achieve its expansionist ambitions by using military force, it is trying to turn countries with huge geography and demographic structure, such as Syria and Iraq, into harmless statelets with a divide-divide-rule strategy and said, "Israel wants to use minorities in the region to achieve its ambitions. "In other words, they use ethnic, religious and sectarian differences as a tool," he said.

Stating that Israel is pursuing a policy of disintegration in Syria through the Druze and YPG, Gökçe said, "When the YPG card was deactivated, all they had left was the Druze and Nusayri cards. Israel wants to first destabilize and then divide Syria by using the Druze. They do not want a strong Syria. They do not want to see countries such as Türkiye, Iraq and Egypt alongside a strong Syria. That's why they're trying to play their last trump card and cause chaos against the Druze."

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DRUZE WITH ISRAEL

Dr. Cihan Günyel stated that Israel has acted with the doctrine of strategic depth since the day it was first established. Günyel stated that Israel, which has a narrow strategic depth due to its small geography, wants to fight its enemies in the lands of its enemies, not in its own territory. The expert noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actually continues these policies.

Stating that the occupation of the Golan Heights, the occupied areas in Lebanon and what happened in Syria should be read through Netanyahu's policy of making enemies and finding enemies, Günyel said, "Israel is following an expansionist security policy. It has expanded its occupation area in the Damascus countryside and Dera-Quneitra regions. We should not forget that these are water and hydrocarbon fields." he said.

"ISRAEL'S EYE IS ON ITS NEIGHBORS' LAND"

Noting that Israel, while expanding, produced the consent of its own society through religion with the discourse of "promised lands", Günyel said that Israel coveted the lands of each of the countries around it.

Reminding Haaretz newspaper's statement that "Israel has lost another card" regarding the integration of the YPG, Günyel said, "In order for Syria to remain in a divided structure, Israel had established a plan through the YPG on the one hand and the Druzes on the other. All it had left was the Druzes." he said.

Stating that Israel has begun to lose its sphere of influence in Syria, Günyel stated that Türkiye's terrorism-free zone policy and the USA's acceptance of Ankara's policies limit Israel.

BUFFER ZONE TARGET IN SYRIA

Günyel stated that Israel wants Syria to be an unstable and unsuccessful state and said, "On the other hand, it is trying to follow a policy of encircling Türkiye together with Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean." he said.

Stating that they especially want Suwayda to be a buffer zone, Günyel said, "They are playing a game through Hikmet al-Hicri to make this happen. In one of his last statements, Al-Hicri stated that Suwayda is a whole with Israel. There is a reaction of the Druze against those who try to break away from Syria in Suwayda. However, Israel is trying to become an actor in the region through useful elements such as the al-Hijri group." made his assessment.

Reminding that the Israeli army entered important areas such as the Bantara Dam, Günyel said, "This is a valuable water source for the region. They are following a policy of preventing Damascus from entering Suwayda by creating a buffer zone here. The essence of this issue is ultimately the policy of strategic depth." he said.

"Türkiye'S ROLE IS DETERMINANT"

Gökçe stated that in every society there may be individuals and groups that respond to the benefits provided by intelligence organizations, and that Israel will continue this policy and may find a response among small groups in Syria.

Noting that Türkiye is acting with restraint so that Netanyahu does not use tensions with Ankara as election material, Gökçe said, "Ankara will not respond to provocations in order not to provide material to Netanyahu until the elections. Meanwhile, Turkey is both strengthening Syria's hand and buying time for Damascus." he said.

ANKARA'S 'PATIENCE POLICY'

Emphasizing that Syria should be strengthened politically, Gökçe said, "Its constitution will be prepared, elections will be held, its society will be integrated... Türkiye also wants this. Only then can it stand against Israel." he said.

Stating that Türkiye is following a "policy of patience" towards Israel, Gökçe commented, "Ankara is implementing a 'wait-and-see' policy in order to gain time to strengthen Syria's hand and not give Netanyahu the materials he wants during the election period."

RECONSTRUCTION OF SYRIA AND THE US FACTOR

Günyel stated that Israel will try to change the attitude of the USA in order to prevent the reconstruction of Syria and will try to wear out this process with attacks in the south of Syria. The expert reminded that Israel carried out nearly a thousand air strikes on Syria after the Assad regime was overthrown.

Stating that we see a Syria trying to get back on its feet with the support of Türkiye, Günyel said, "At this stage, Syria is peaceful and states that it does not pose a threat to Israel. The Syrian government is trying to implement a security agreement." he said.

Noting that the reconstruction of Syria will take time, Günyel said that Israel is trying to prevent Damascus from building its military power in this process.

Stating that one of Israel's main wishes is for the Syrian army to remain as a kind of police force using light weapons, Günyel said:

"Syria's possession of air defense systems and radars means it has electronic warfare devices. This means that Israel cannot fly in Syrian airspace as it wishes."

Türkiye-USA-SYRIA AXIS IN THE NEW ERA

Gökçe stated that Türkiye's determined and stable stance was accepted by the USA, willingly or unwillingly. "They withdrew their support for the PKK. There is a Trump who says 'Be reasonable' towards Israel. This policy will continue during the Trump term." he said.

Stating that the USA bases its policy on the survival of Israel, but also has its own interests, Gökçe said, "Turkey has made the USA accept its position as the most stable power in the region. The USA cannot afford to lose Türkiye. Türkiye's strong stance made Israel say 'Be reasonable'." he said.

Günyel stated that it was important for the USA to limit Israel and support Syria and said, "Shortly after the Abu Zuhur attack, the USA removed Syria from the list of countries that support terrorism. This was actually a message to Israel as well." he said.