Airstrikes in Damascus: what was Israel's goal?
Israel bombed government buildings in Damascus on Wednesday, intervening in a conflict between Druze and Sunnis in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda that had degenerated into brutal clashes. A ceasefire has since been agreed, after which Syrian government troops withdrew from the Druze stronghold. Commentators assess the situation.
Arrogant and dangerous
Israel's intervention is dangerous not just for the Middle East, but for the whole world, warns De Volkskrant:
“Everything points to Israel aiming for a weakened and divided Syria. This is a dangerous course, for Syria itself, but also for Israel and the rest of the world. A Syria that is plunged into chaos could once again become a hotbed of terrorism. ... With its missile strikes, Israel has thundered like a bull through this china shop and violated international law for the umpteenth time. With its military might and arrogant behaviour, Israel has become a growing source of instability across the Middle East.”
No sign of peace for Syria
Diena sees the power of the Syrian government waning:
“The process, officially labelled as the withdrawal of Syrian government troops from Suwayda, in effect means the defeat and flight of the Islamists from this province. This will result in both a new wave of uprisings against the official government and a dramatic loss of power for interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and the Islamists as a whole. ... In short, nothing is over yet in Syria.”
Little more than the capital left to the president
Erdoğan's role as protector of Ahmed al-Sharaa puts him in a quandary, Avvenire explains:
“Erdoğan believed that al-Julani and his followers could quickly gain control of the country, but he underestimated the internal difficulties. ... Now he's paralysed. He doesn't want to and cannot wage war on Israel, but at the same time he has no idea how to defend 'his' al-Julani, who with every bomb is being demoted from Syrian president to mayor of Damascus. With the north controlled by Turkey, the Golan Heights in the south dominated by Israel through the Druze, and the oil-rich east under the protection of the Americans and their Kurdish protégés, this is precisely what justifies the pessimistic predictions for the country's future.”
A victory in name only
Israel's quest for regional hegemony is nothing more than a dangerous illusion, L’Humanité believes:
“This week the Israeli army continued to bomb Gaza, intervened in southern Syria, attacked Damascus, shelled southern Lebanon and allowed settlers to attack a village in the West Bank. ... This frenetic offensive ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu aims to impose a 'Pax Hebraica' on the Middle East... But the hegemony imposed with fire and sword from Damascus to Gaza and Beirut to Jenin is a victory in name only. ... The government in Tel Aviv may bask in its military triumphs as much as it likes, but they come at an exorbitant political cost.”