There is no peace in the Middle East, while the Israeli-Palestinian issue is being defined, the Syrian arena has heated up with many foreign protagonists: the United States, Israel and Turkey on one side; Iran, Russia and Syria on the other.
Israel is continuing to pursue its objectives and therefore the Iranian containment and the Syrian arena is an excellent opportunity to silence Iran. The reason is simple: Hezbollah’s weapons given by Iran arrive via Syria and therefore if Hezbollah’s alliance with Syria is stopped, overthrowing the Assad regime also stops the flow of weapons and Iran loses one of its most important pawns in the Middle East and consequently its appeal in the region.
And precisely in order to stop the flow of weapons to Hezbollah, on the night of December 6, the IDF attacked Hezbollah’s weapons smuggling routes from Syria to Lebanon.
In a post Alma Research & Education Center – Israel’s Security Challenges on the Northern Border, it is stated: “A notable attack was carried out at the Al-Arida crossing. The crossing is located between the village of Arida in the Akkar district of northern Lebanon and the Syrian district of Tartus.”
And further: “This crossing serves to pass goods, focusing on goods from Syrian ports in northwestern Syria (Tartus/Baniyas/Latakia) and the Lebanese port of Tripoli. Before the start of the Syrian civil war, the crossing was also used for tourist traffic between the two countries. During the civil war, it served as a transit point for Syrian refugees entering Lebanon.”
According to Alma Center, “The location of this crossing is optimal for the transfer of weapons, military equipment and even Iranian oil arriving via the Iranian corridor sea route (with an emphasis on the port of Baniyas). From there, it is transferred south via land routes on the M1 and 2 highways into Lebanon via the crossing.”
And concludes: “The crossing can also serve as an alternative route if the weapons are coming from the Homs area (via the M1 lateral highway from east to west) and cannot be transported through the area of Al-Qusayr or one of the other northern crossings. The northern crossings could gain renewed importance in the near future, depending on the success of the rebel advance southward toward Homs. As a result, Iran and Hezbollah will likely accelerate the transfer of weapons to Lebanon to prevent them from falling into rebel hands.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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