Israel's Incursion into Syria and the al-Rafid Area in al-Qunaytra: Interview

Continuing with my series on Israel’s incursion into Syrian territory since the downfall of Assad’s regime, I present an interview conducted yesterday with a person from the al-Qunaytra locality of al-Rafid, which is located right on the border with the Golan Heights. I also interviewed this person back in October regarding the situation in the area when Israel and Hezbollah were at war.

One of the most important insights here is that Israel is really not winning local friends through its actions. This very much contrasts with any good will generated by the ‘Good Neighbour’ policy of the earlier years of the war in Syria, where medical treatment was provided to Syrians and an insurgent-held zone along the border was given some limited support to constitute a ‘buffer zone’ to keep the Iranians and Hezbollah away from the border with the Golan Heights.

Q: Is there any new development in al-Rafid?

A: There is nothing in al-Rafid, but it is expected the Israeli army will enter. Today they entered the Tapline road and the surround military outposts. They also cut the road between al-Mu‘allaqa and Sayda of the Jowlan. They entered al-Asbah yesterday and withdrew.