The Israeli army announced on September 12 that it had conducted special operations in recent months, leading to the arrest of cells linked to the Iranian Quds Force in Syria, allegedly planning “terrorist operations” against the State of Israel.
The army’s Arab spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said that the cells operated under the supervision of Quds Force Unit 840. He said that the cell’s most important leader was Hussein Mahmoud Ali Kabir, a lieutenant colonel in the Syrian army, who commanded an operational group, four of whose members were arrested. Two operatives, Zaidan al-Tawil and Muhammad al-Karyan, were also arrested between March and April, in addition to the dismantling of other cells linked to Lebanese citizens Qassem Salah al-Husseini and Muhammad Shuaib, killed last month in Lebanon.
The army statement indicated that Husseini and Shuaib were among the most prominent figures involved in arms smuggling from Iran to the West Bank and the northern front. He emphasized that some of those arrested were unaware of the true group they worked for, having been recruited through bribery and without revealing Unit 840’s objectives.
The Israeli military stated that these operations are part of a series of measures adopted by Israel since the outbreak of the war, including the fight against the smuggling of advanced Iranian weapons and the attack on Syrian army camps in the east of the country used by Unit 840. The military claimed that the Quds Force is exploiting the plight of Lebanese and Syrians to recruit them through deception and bribery and carry out life-threatening attacks.
The IDF continues its incursions into Syrian territory in the south of the country, the last of which occurred on September 11. Damascus has repeatedly condemned Israel’s continued violations of its sovereignty, affirming its commitment to the 1974 Separation Agreement between the two sides and its rejection of any form of aggression and incursion into its territory.
Complicating the Syria-Israel situation is a statement by Hannan Gefen, former commander of Israel’s Intelligence Unit 8200, who told i24 News: “Tom Barrack will apparently be the tragic figure in the Syrian scenario, and serious events will soon unfold in Syria.”
He confirmed that a change will occur in Syria due to events in SDF-controlled areas or on the coast, where the forces are not under the control of the Syrian government. This will lead to a shift in perception of the government and a cessation of aid.
He added that Barrack, a businessman close to Trump, does not listen to intelligence officials who have greater knowledge of the Middle East.
Finally, according to Arab sources, the Israelis informed al-Jawlani’s government, in what they considered a final decision, “that all areas within ten kilometers south of Damascus, extending to the borders with the Golan Heights and Jordan and up to Sweida, must be free of any Syrian military presence.”
The Syrian government has neither confirmed nor denied the news.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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