Why did Netanyahu confirm Israeli attack in Syria?

On Feb. 11, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks struck command posts belonging to the Syrian army close to the Israeli border in the Quneitra area. This was an unusual strike. Usually, Israel employs its air force to attack Iranian targets in the Syrian space. This time, due to the short ranges involved, tanks — not planes — fired directly on the Syrian positions, causing damage to the infrastructure and evidently harming the people manning the positions. On the same day, Syria disseminated information about two Iranians who were killed in the attack, but later reports were amended to list the wounded — not dead — victims. According to other reports, Israeli planes also participated in the attack. The IDF refused to comment on this event and returned to its old ambiguity policy that had long since characterized Israeli activity in Syria before the recent swashbuckling and ostentatious policy led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But the ambiguity policy survived less than 24 hours. On the night of Feb. 13, Netanyahu flew to Poland and, facing cameras in the airport, took responsibility for the assault. He said, “We are operating every day, including yesterday, against Iran and against its attempts to entrench itself in the area. I can tell you unequivocally that the economic pressure is being felt and that we can see the economic crisis affecting also Iran’s attempts against us. We can see cuts of budgets, cuts of forces, withdrawal of forces, and we can see this in all arenas around the world without exception. We see it in Syria, we see it in Lebanon, we see it also in Gaza and we also see it in very important weaponry systems that Iran is struggling to deploy because of, among other things, financial problems, and first of all because of Israel’s active military resistance.’’

Not everyone in the IDF liked this detailed revelation of the prime minister, but since he is also the defense minister, Netanyahu can impose his will on the IDF. Israeli elections will be held in less than two months on April 9, and Netanyahu — who is now challenged by two former chiefs of staff, Benny Gantz and Moshe Ya’alon, both of the Israel Resilience Party — has a vested interest in continuing to develop his image as “Mr. Security.” This image has come under attack in Gantz’s campaign videos, which inflict pressure on Netanyahu’s weak points, including the monthly payments to Hamas that are carried out by Qatar with Israeli support; powerlessness vis-a-vis the Gazan front; and even the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, which was supported by Netanyahu (then minister at Ariel Sharon’s government) and most of his current ministers. Gantz is using all of these against Netanyahu, and the prime minister sends his answers via IDF activities in Syria. But nothing good can come of this hodgepodge.

The real story is that Israel is continuing its struggle against the growing Iranian-Hezbollah foothold in Syria. Most of this struggle is waged in other fronts such as the Damascus region and other places. But it is also waged in the Syrian Golan, and recently it has intensified. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s dream with Iranian backup is to open a second front against Israel on the Golan Heights fence.