Israel reportedly lobbied US to keep Russian military bases in Syria to weaken new regime’s threat

The State of Israel is lobbying the United States to allow Russia to keep its military bases in Syria, Reuters reported on Friday. 

The report claims that Israel is trying to keep Syria weak and decentralized, in order to oppose the growing Turkish influence on the new government. 

Israel has been attempting to influence the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration toward Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime late last year. 

American sources told Reuters that Israel tried to persuade the United States to support continued Russian control of the military bases in Tartus and Khmeimim during meetings in Washington, D.C., and in Israel in February. 

Israel also conveyed its position on the issue to several senior U.S. officials in a “white paper.”

The naval port in Tartus and the airbase in Khmeimim were the largest Russian military bases in Syria during the Assad regime. Today, they are the only two bases in Syria still under Russian control, although most of the equipment and personnel were evacuated following the flight of al-Assad from Syria.

Israel also destroyed some Russian equipment to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants, both before and after they announced control over the country. 

On Sunday, Reuters reported that Russia and the new Syrian regime are involved in negotiations over the fate of the two bases. The government of the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Shara’a is reportedly willing to allow Russia to keep the bases in exchange for diplomatic backing and financial compensation from Russia. 

In January, the Trump administration announced that it planned to withdraw its forces from Syria, which caused some concern in Israel. 

Israeli leaders, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Defense Minister Israel Katz, have publicly expressed significant doubts about the new Syrian government, despite statements from al-Shara’a that claim the government does not want a conflict with Israel. 

Israel is concerned about the establishment of connections between the new regime, whose members are jihadist Muslims, and Hamas, or other Palestinian terror organizations. Israeli security officials were also disturbed by recent reports that the U.S. shared intelligence with the new administration in the period before Assad's fall. 

Beyond the threat of cooperation between the new Syrian government and Hamas, Sa’ar and Katz have expressly warned about Turkish influence on Syria. 

Middle East expert Dr. Eddy Cohen  spoke with Channel 14’s “Israel Morning” program, warning that the Syrian government is “preparing for war against us.” 

Referring to al-Shara’a by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, Cohen stated, “Jolani wants Syria to be united. He doesn't want to divide or divide, he doesn't want to give the Druze a state or autonomy, he doesn't want Israel to have a part in southern Syria. He wants to liberate southern Syria and he wants to liberate the Golan – those are his ambitions.” 

Cohen also referenced statements made by senior Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) officials during the final stages of their campaign against Assad’s forces, in which they declared their intention to advance toward Jerusalem next.

"They are preparing for war against us,” Cohen remarked. “So that the security establishment won't say, 'We didn't hear, we were surprised,' and all kinds of concepts. The Syrians are referring to that day when they can come and conquer Israel, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, they claim, and help the Palestinians.” 

Israeli officials are concerned about the possible deployment of Turkish forces into Syria, especially given the harsh stance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan towards Israel over the years.

Several weeks ago, Reuters reported that Erdoğan and al-Shara’a discussed an agreement under which Turkey would establish military bases in Syria and assist in training the Syrian military.

Last year, Erdoğan called for an Islamic alliance against Israel. 

“The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries,” the Turkish president said in September. 

He has also called for an alliance between Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria to cooperate against repeated Israeli airstrikes in Syrian territory during the Assad regime. 

Last month, Sa’ar expressed concerns that Turkey is supporting efforts by Iran to move funds to Hezbollah and that Islamist groups in Syria were creating another front against Israel with financial support from Turkey. 

Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a clear warning to the new Syrian government, demanding that the area south of Damascus be a demilitarized zone. 

“We demand full demilitarization of southern Syria from the forces of the new regime. Also, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria,” Netanyahu said during a speech at the graduation ceremony for new IDF combat officers. 

Over the weekend, Netanyahu instructed the IDF to “prepare to defend” the Druze-majority city of Jaramana, located on the outskirts of Damascus, following reports that it was under attack by regime forces. 

“We will not allow the extreme Islamic regime in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be struck by us,” Defense Minister Katz said.