By Yanki Farber
In an unusual strike near Beirut in Lebanon, the IDF eliminated last Thursday Qassem al-Husseini, a Lebanese operative in Iran’s Quds Force. This evening (Monday), it was reported on the main edition of Kan 11 that al-Husseini had, in recent months, directed from Lebanon and on behalf of Iran, operations in southern Syria against Israel, including the activity of terror cells.
Today, Israel announced that for the second time in the past week, IDF forces in southern Syria stopped cells that tried to act against Israel on behalf of Iran from Syrian territory.
Roi Kais notes on Kan 11 that this indicates that even after the fall of the Assad regime and the establishment of the new government of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Iran is still not giving up its foothold in Syria and is even trying to use neighboring Lebanon to return to the country through the back door.
Meanwhile, the regime in Damascus, which is hostile to Iran, announced today that it had arrested dozens of wanted individuals near the Syria-Iraq border, including Syrians who were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Behind the scenes, a possible process toward establishing peace between Israel and Syria continues to progress, and according to a source familiar with the details who spoke with Kan 11, from the perspective of the Syrian regime, the first stage in establishing relations is the achievement of a security agreement that will be based on the 1974 separation of forces agreement, and under which Israel would withdraw from the territories it has entered in the south of the country.
According to the source, it would be possible to change some clauses from the original agreement, such as placing American forces instead of UN forces. The second stage, in the more distant future, is supposed, according to him, to be based on the first stage and include the establishment of diplomatic relations, but this would require a comprehensive deal and broad discussion.
In conclusion, the Syrian source made clear that the main demand of the regime in Damascus at this time is the Israeli withdrawal from southern Syria, and that otherwise, it will not be possible to advance in the talks.
