The Situation Along the Syrian Side of the Golan: Interview

Amid Israel’s major escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, there have been reports of Israeli activity along the borders between the Golan Heights and Syria, specifically in the form of de-mining and expansion of fortifications. More generally of course, there has also been concern about the question of Hezbollah’s presence in the area and potential opening of a war front along the Golan Heights-Syria border

Although I have previously explained why I believe the talk of a war front along this border region to be overblown, I thought it worthwhile to conduct an interview with a local source on the Syrian side of the Golan border region: specifically, a person whom I have known for many years and who resides in the locality of al-Rafid in al-Qunaytra province. The interview touches on local perceptions about the possibility of a war on this front, information about the general situation in the area including the question of the Hezbollah area, and the killing of Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar and perceptions of the war in Gaza. The interview was conducted on the evening of 18 October 2024 and is slightly edited and condensed for clarity. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.