Syria and Lebanon Will Be 'One Front' If War Erupts Against Israel

October 9, 2017

(AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday that Lebanon and Syria would constitute "one front" against his country if a new war were to break out.

Hezbollah and Israel fought a devastating conflict in 2006, and the Lebanese Shiite group is currently backing President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the Syrian civil war.

Both countries border Israel to its north.

"In the next war in the north of the country, Lebanon will not be the only front," Lieberman said in a speech to soldiers.

"There is now only one front in the north composed of Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah, the Bashar al-Assad regime and all those who help his regime."

Lieberman added that the Lebanese army had lost "its independence by becoming an integral part of Hezbollah, which gives it its orders."

Israeli leaders frequently warn Lebanon that the country's army and civilian infrastructure would be overwhelmingly targeted if Hezbollah attacks from civilian areas.

Hezbollah is also supported by Iran, Israel's arch-enemy which backs Assad in Syria as well.

IDF Prepares Largest Military Drill in Almost 20 Years Along Lebanon Border

IDF is about to hold its largest military exercise in nearly 20 years along border with Lebanon to prepare for an invasion scenario by Hezbollah forces to Israel's northern territories.

April 4, 2017

(YNet News) - The IDF is gearing up to hold its largest military drill in nearly 20 years—a combined arms exercise along its border with Lebanon—at a time of rising tensions with Iran and Hezbollah.

A military official said Monday that the joint exercise, which will begin Tuesday and involve thousands of ground, sea and air force vehicles and personnel, will prepare soldiers for "preserving the current stability in the northern sector."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with IDF regulations, said the drill will run through for 11 days, from Sept. 4th to Sept. 14th.

Among other systems of advanced weaponry, the exercise will incorporate Israel's multi-layered missile defense systems.

Similar to other major IDF exercises in recent years, this imaginary incident also begins with an offensive initiated by the enemy—Hezbollah—against the Galilee Division.

The IDF will respond to the "attack" in three stages: defense measures over the first few days, including counter-attacks and the deployment of defense forces akin to an air strike; an offensive attack as a second stage, with extensive ground maneuvers; and a change of mission statement as the third and last stage, in an aim to push enemy forces back into Lebanon.

"Hezbollah's initial attack" will be expressed as a simulated invasion of dozens of IDF fighters into Israeli territory and infiltration into one of the border communities. Home Front Command forces will practice the evacuation of civilians from threatened communities, as soldiers act the part of civilians in distress.

The southern Galilee will serve as southern Lebanon during the days of the drill, from Route 85 southward.

The IDF emphasized that the exercise was planned for about a year following a directive given by Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot when he took office in 2015, regardless of Iran's attempts to establish itself in Syria.

Israel has voiced growing concerns about Iran's buildup in neighboring Syria and Hezbollah's alleged stockpiling of weapons in southern Lebanon.

The Next War Between Israel and Lebanon Will Be Only a Matter of Time and Will Be More Destructive Than Ever Before

Israel 'readier' for new Hezbollah war

July 12, 2016

BBC News - Some Israelis refer to the war with Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah 10 years ago as a national trauma. Its civilians in the north of the country came under attack and Israel hit back hard, bombing Lebanese towns and infrastructure.

It was a conflict many feel Israel was not prepared for. Thirty-three days after it was triggered by a deadly cross-border attack by Hezbollah, it ended with a ceasefire.

Hezbollah was damaged, but rebuilt over the past decade with the help of Iran and Syria. Israel says the group's firepower is now much greater than before the war.

"Now they have more than 120,000 rockets and missiles," says General Yaakov Amidror, a former national security advisor, now with the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv.

"It's a huge number that you don't find in any country in Europe for example. When you see all these efforts, you ask yourself one question - what for?"

The Israeli military sees Hezbollah as a stronger, more professional fighting force and says it should be treated as an army - and it has had to raise its game.

"The military is such an important issue in Israeli society, there are very high expectations," says defence journalist Amos Harel.

He says in 2006 the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were not equipped for conflict with Hezbollah "because they were so busy fighting the second intifada [Palestinian uprising] in the West Bank and in Gaza. We need our reserves to be more ready and all of this has been done and there's been quite a lot of operational changes."

Hezbollah Leader Warns Israel Against Attacking Lebanon

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations S06E21, Back To Beirut


In 2008 Syria and Lebanon established diplomatic relations. The reason: Iran, Syria’s main ally, is financing Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is playing an increasingly important role in Lebanon. Moreover, Iran brought forward the project of the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon Pipeline. [Source]

"Regarding the May 29 op-ed by Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, “Strategic anti-Semitism in Iran”:

Iran is not anti-Semitic. It is anti-Zionist, and so are some Jewish people. Iran has a seat in parliament for a Jewish Iranian citizen to represent the 25,000-strong Jewish community in Iran. The op-ed conflated hatred of Jews — anti-Semitism — with political opposition to the apartheid-like Jewish identity of Israel, its violent origins and its continuing violent oppression of Palestinians. Many anti-Zionist Jewish supporters of Israel, including me, who seek to find ways to make real peace with the Arabs and Palestinians are thus identified, along with Iran, as “anti-Semites.” The situation demands more than propaganda." - Charles Kestenbaum, Vienna, Vice President of the Middle East & North Africa Consultants Association.

Hezbollah Chief Warns Israel There Will Be 'No Red Lines'

March 21, 2016

AP - The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah has warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, saying it will fight any new war with the Jewish state without any red lines.

In an interview with the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen station Monday, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says the group has a comprehensive list of targets in Israel that includes nuclear reactors and biological research centers it can hit.

"There will be no ceiling, limits or red lines," he said. "We can strike any target we want inside occupied Palestine."

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fought Israel to a draw during a ferocious month-long war in 2006. The border between the two countries has been largely quiet since then.

A Short History of the Alliance Between Syria and Iran

"The strategy for the Iraq war is now making itself known. By using 9/11 as a pretext to invade Afghanistan, Iran is flanked on the east side. By using the Desert Storm protocols and UN Resolution 1441, among others, the excuse to invade and occupy Iraq is brought forward because Saddam is not disarming, we are told. By taking Iraq, the U.S. forces then flank Iran to the West. Having troops stationed in Turkey is a key part of this plan, for then Iran is flanked to the North, which is why so much pressure is being applied to Turkey to allow our troops there. Although we cannot be sure which incidents will be used to bring war with Iran, we can be sure something will transpire to make is necessary to invade Iran, and most likely Syria would be next. Syria is also isolated in all directions. With Israel the main benefactor in the Middle East, this strategy will totally rearrange the Middle Eastern landscape and set the stage for the appointment of the 10 puppet kings of Revelation chapter 17, which have no 'kingdom yet' but will with the beast for 42 months." - Stewart C. Best, March 2003, The Strategy for Taking the Middle East 

Iran and Syria, the ties that bind

October 31, 2015

AFP - Iran's first presence in international talks on Syria underscore a special relationship between the two countries' governments, based in part on a joint adherence to the Shiite branch of Islam.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and top officials of his regime are members of the country's Alawite minority, a Shiite offshoot.

Here is a short history of relations between the two nations since Iran became an Islamic republic.