Syria and the Israel-Hezbollah Escalation

With the recent escalation in the exchange of strikes between Israel and Hezbollah, questions have been raised as to what role, if any, Syria is playing or will play in the events. Some observers have noted a generally muted response from the Syrian government to the recent escalation and have even suggested that the Syrian government has somehow ‘betrayed’ Hezbollah, which has deployed fighters to Syria to support the Syrian government, with thousands killed and wounded as a result.

While this sort of comment might superficially seem to be an amusing insight, it is mistaken with regards to Syria’s role in the broader ‘axis of resistance’ and the general approach towards managing the borders with Israel. Even prior to the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, the borders with the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights were generally kept quiet because the Syrian government knew it did not have the ability to undertake an active military confrontation with Israel.