{"id":39112,"date":"2025-08-04T11:40:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T11:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?p=39112"},"modified":"2025-08-05T08:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T08:34:04","slug":"israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Syria undergoes profound transformations following the collapse of the Baathist regime, the issue of relations with Israel has resurfaced as one of the most complex and sensitive files on the table. From secret negotiations in the past to a new approach of conditional normalization, the \u201cIsraeli factor\u201d appears more influential than ever. With a pragmatic policy now focusing on conditional engagement and greater independence from Iranian influence, speculations are mounting over the future of the Golan Heights and how a potential thaw with Israel might reshape regional stability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Political activist Sadr al-Din Al-Yafi believes that Syria was once at the forefront of Arab rejection of the Israeli state. However, he identifies a turning point in 1967, when Hafez al-Assad, then Minister of Defense, ordered what he called a \u201ctactical withdrawal\u201d from the Golan Heights, an act Yafi sees as the most disastrous military and political setback for the Arab world, with consequences that persist to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Al-Yafi, that period laid the groundwork for a new phase of covert engagement between Syria and Israel, rooted in dependency and backchannel communications. He points to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement following the October War, what he calls a \u201cwar of manoeuvring\u201d, as the gateway that allowed Assad to occupy Lebanon politically and militarily.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Israel Investing in Post-Baath Syria<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking to <\/span><b>+963<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Al-Yafi asserts that Israel has capitalized on the fall of the Syrian regime by launching airstrikes that have disabled up to 90% of Syria\u2019s military hardware, establishing a de facto buffer zone, and extending its operational presence within Syrian territory. He also accuses Israel of supporting separatism efforts by aligning with local actors in Suwayda, aiming to redraw Syria\u2019s geography and establish new understandings as detrimental as those under the previous regime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Al-Yafi further argues that Israel\u2019s evolving policy reflects regional shifts and international pressures. While past coordination focused on Baathist rulers, Tel Aviv is now reportedly reaching out to emerging Islamist forces, concerned that a broad-based, nationally legitimate Syrian leadership could endanger its strategic interests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He warns that Israel is actively exploiting the regime\u2019s collapse to enforce new dynamics through military pressure and regional bargaining. Unless such actions are checked by the U.S. and key global actors, he cautions, Israel&#8217;s manoeuvres could destabilize both Syria and the wider region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding the Abraham Accords, Al-Yafi notes that Syria is currently uninterested in joining, due both to popular opposition and the political risks of such a move without careful, long-term planning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Read also: <a href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/03\/08\/2025\/turkeys-role-in-syria-from-hafez-al-assad-to-ahmad-al-sharaa\/#\">Turkey\u2019s Role in Syria: From Hafez al-Assad to Ahmad al-Sharaa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Between Conflict Legacies and Risky Rapprochements<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast to Al-Yafi\u2019s perspective, political researcher Ali Thabet offers a broader historical reading. He sees Israeli Syrian relations as structurally embedded in Syria\u2019s state formation since the early 20th century, intertwined with colonial projects like Sykes\u2013Picot and the Balfour Declaration. He argues that the 1949 coup led by Husni al-Za\u2019im, shortly after the armistice with Israel, was backed externally and formed the early blueprint for regional power alignments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thabet tells <\/span><b>+963<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the 1974 disengagement agreement has served as a cornerstone in Syrian Israeli relations, keeping the Golan front largely quiet despite regional upheavals. He describes a long-running &#8220;peace track&#8221; that began with the U.S. invasion of Iraq and sought to bring Syria into the fold of treaties like Camp David and Wadi Araba, yet the unresolved Golan issue remains the central obstacle to any breakthrough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thabet warns that today\u2019s political climate is dangerously unstable, especially with the backers of Syria\u2019s transitional government proving too weak to withstand Israeli pressure. He says Israel sees this moment as an opportunity to neutralize Syria as a regional force, aiming to replicate the Lebanese or Palestinian models: militarily defanged, politically penetrable, and strategically passive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also criticizes the American approach, calling Trump\u2019s policy transactional, leveraging Gulf wealth while using Turkey to maintain influence. The U.S., he argues, views the region solely through an Israeli lens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, Israeli media outlets reported a meeting between Syria\u2019s transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa and Israeli officials in Baku, Azerbaijan. Syrian newspaper <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Al-Watan<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> quickly dismissed the claims, asserting that Al-Sharaa had not participated in any such talks. According to the report, Damascus is currently focused on ensuring Israeli compliance with the 1974 disengagement agreement, and normalization is not on the official agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Secret Ties, Unspoken Agreements<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human rights activist Sulayman al-Kafiri highlights what he sees as a stark contrast between public Arab hostility toward Israel and the quiet normalization efforts of their governments. He believes that much of what has unfolded over the past five decades results from international agendas and undisclosed agreements between Israel and Arab capitals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Al-Kafiri, while the fall of the Baathist regime should have reset relations, the current Syrian authority, installed with international approval, appears to be operating under the same paradigm. He suggests that public statements often mask private coordination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking to <\/span><b>+963<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Al-Kafiri claims Israel had a hand in the Baathist regime\u2019s downfall and that a new roadmap for Syria was drafted in advance, including provisions for future ties with Tel Aviv. He alleges that Israel maintains informal communication channels with the transitional government, confirming that Syria\u2019s current rulers do not operate independently of Israeli influence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He further argues that President Ahmad al-Sharaa\u2019s key role is to represent the Sunni religious majority, which comprises roughly 80% of Syria\u2019s population. For Israel, he says, signing agreements with such a figure may be more reassuring than with representatives of minority factions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Al-Kafiri concludes by stating that the roadmap followed by Al-Sharaa and his government is not merely reactive, but the result of prior agreements. These include Syria joining the Abraham Accords in exchange for sanctions relief and transforming the country\u2019s south into a demilitarized zone. He points to the so-called &#8220;Abraham Route&#8221;, from Quneitra through Suwayda to al-Tanf, as a key component of this strategy, one that ultimately paved the way for Al-Sharaa\u2019s rise to power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Syria undergoes profound transformations following the collapse of the Baathist regime, the issue of relations with Israel has resurfaced as one of the most complex and sensitive files on the table. From secret negotiations in the past to a new approach of conditional normalization, the \u201cIsraeli factor\u201d appears more influential than ever. With a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":39115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"0","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"g:i a d\/m\/Y","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"5","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"The Israeli Factor: From Under-the-Table Deals with Baathists to Conditional Outreach to Islamists"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,19],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[425],"class_list":["post-39112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities - 963+<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"963+\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rose Hilal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rose Hilal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rose Hilal\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c720694f82b584bf5d6e2e4b21a8002e\"},\"headline\":\"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1006,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinions\",\"Slider\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/\",\"name\":\"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities - 963+\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":375},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/04\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"963+\",\"description\":\"A diverse political, economic, cultural, and social website.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627\",\"alternateName\":\"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/963mediaAr\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/963mediaAr\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/963media.ar\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/t.me\\\/ar963media\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c720694f82b584bf5d6e2e4b21a8002e\",\"name\":\"Rose Hilal\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/11111-3.jpge6b1bfe63871cbc9ab56e8d1b1906715\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/11111-3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/11111-3.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Rose Hilal\"},\"description\":\"Syrian newspaper\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/rosehilal\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities - 963+","description":"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities","og_description":"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.","og_url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/","og_site_name":"963+","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr","article_published_time":"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":375,"url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rose Hilal","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@963mediaAr","twitter_site":"@963mediaAr","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rose Hilal","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/"},"author":{"name":"Rose Hilal","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c720694f82b584bf5d6e2e4b21a8002e"},"headline":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities","datePublished":"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/"},"wordCount":1006,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg","articleSection":["Opinions","Slider"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/","name":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities - 963+","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-04T11:40:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-05T08:34:04+00:00","description":"As Syria redefines its future, Israel emerges as a key player, shifting from covert deals with Baathists to conditional outreach toward Islamists.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b7513783-8f4c-44bf-a00f-91fd08a764f2-750x375-1.jpg","width":750,"height":375},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/04\/08\/2025\/israels-role-in-syria-past-shadows-and-present-realities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Israel\u2019s Role in Syria: Past Shadows and Present Realities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/","name":"963+","description":"A diverse political, economic, cultural, and social website.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization","name":"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627","alternateName":"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg","width":960,"height":960,"caption":"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr","https:\/\/x.com\/963mediaAr","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/963media.ar\/","https:\/\/t.me\/ar963media"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c720694f82b584bf5d6e2e4b21a8002e","name":"Rose Hilal","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/11111-3.jpge6b1bfe63871cbc9ab56e8d1b1906715","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/11111-3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/11111-3.jpg","caption":"Rose Hilal"},"description":"Syrian newspaper","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/author\/rosehilal\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":425,"user_id":131,"is_guest":0,"slug":"rosehilal","display_name":"Rose Hilal","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/11111-3.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/11111-3.jpg"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Rose","last_name":"Hilal","job_title":"Syrian newspaper","description":"Syrian newspaper"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39114,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39112\/revisions\/39114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39112"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=39112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}