Illustrative image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The United States is trying to broker a deal for a humanitarian corridor to run between Israel and the governorate of al-Suwayda in southern Syria to deliver aid to the Druze community there, Axios reported on August 13, citing one U.S. official and two Israeli officials.
Last month, Israel intervened to stop an attack by the forces of Syria’s Islamist-led interim government and loyalist Bedouin tribes on the Druze in al-Suwayda. Israel justifies its intervention by its historic ties to its own Druze community. The battle ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
More than 1,600 people were reportedly killed during the battle, including over 400 Druze civilians executed by government forces and Bedouins.
Druze fighters maintained control over al-Suwayda city along with much of its eastern and southern countryside. However, government forces is still holding most of the northern and western countryside of the governorate.
Since the start of the ceasefire, the government kept al-Suwayda under siege, allowing the entry of limited amounts of humanitarian aid every day.
Amid the battle, the Israelis wanted to deliver aid to the Druze in al-Suwayda through Jordan, but the Jordanians refused. Instead, the Israeli military air dropped humanitarian aid, according to AXIOS.
The U.S.-based news website said that an Israeli-Syrian agreement on a humanitarian corridor could “help repair relations and potentially rebuild momentum behind the U.S push for more steps towards the potential future normalization of relations.”
Such a corridor could also help “improve the situation in al-Suwayda, where the situation has remained volatile despite a ceasefire,” the website added.
It also noted that the Syrian government expressed concerns to the U.S. that Druze fighters could use such a corridor to smuggle weapons.
According to AXIOS, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack is expected to meet in Paris next week with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to try to reach an agreement.
Following the fall of the Assad regime last December, Israel captured the buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights. The new corridor will further expand Israel’s influence in southern Syria under the gesture of delivering humanitarian aid.
The corridor could in theory grant the Israeli military the freedom of movement in vast parts of the governorates of al-Qunitra and Daraa. Israel earlier this year demanded the complete demilitarization of the region.
This comes at a time when Israel is not hiding its expansionist ambitions. On February 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told i24 that he feels he is on a “historic and spiritual mission,” and that he is “very” attached to the vision of a Greater Israel.
While the Syrian government is clearly still betting on U.S. help to broker some sort of an agreement with Israel, it is reported to be exploring other options.
A recent report by Kommersant revealed that the government is interested in restoring Russian military police patrols in southern Syria to curtail Israeli military operations there. This could stop Israel’s project in its tracks. However, Russia will not likely offer any help without a full agreement on its military presence in Syria.
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how many times has the usa said they “only need a small piece of land ” that turns out to be 100,s of square miles ? greater israel in the making -i am astounded at the naivety of the syrian government .
soon the whole world will see that jahweh is the god of israel and that he is with israel. from the euphrates to the nile, israel comes out of exile.
deuteronomy -7:16 says it all and after 1000,s of years nothing has changed yahweh the evil “god ” still being worshiped.
the word play “a humanitarian corridor” every lie the talmudic zio bots issue is total hypocrisy . gaza humanitarian ? is another shining example . but most israelis have traded the ability of free thinking for mass cult indoctrination . a terrible transition