Israel on high alert: Fears rise over Syrian chemical weapons

Israeli authorities are concerned about the possibility of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal being taken over by rebels or pro-Iranian militias. Such a situation could pose a serious threat to Israel's security. The "Haaretz" portal reports that the Israeli army is considering the possibility of a pre-emptive strike if the threat becomes real.

An unexpected offensive by Syrian rebels has raised concerns in Israeli military circles. Israeli intelligence indicates that the position of President Bashar al-Assad is weakening, which Iran is exploiting by sending tens of thousands of fighters to Syria with the support of Russia. Currently, there are approximately 40,000 members of Iranian military groups in Syria.

After a truce with Hezbollah, the Israeli army regularly conducts attacks on the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari emphasized in an interview with Sky News that Israel monitors the situation in Syria and has identified weapons shipments sent by Iran. "Syria belongs to the Syrians," Hagari emphasized, adding that Israel will take action to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah.

An international investigation by the OPCW revealed that Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons at least three times, including sarin and chlorine. These attacks occurred, among others, in 2017 on the city of Ltamenah. The BBC reports that from 2013 to 2018, Assad used chemical weapons at least 106 times. In the Ghouta attack, between 355 and 1,821 people were killed. Israeli officials fear that in the event of the collapse of the al-Assad regime, international terrorist organizations could take control of areas near the Israeli border, posing a new threat to the country.