Tel Aviv Hints at Expanding Operations to Include Syrian Territory

In light of the Israeli military escalation in Lebanon and following the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last Friday, attention is focused on Syria to anticipate the fate of Hezbollah elements who were involved in the Syrian conflict alongside Syrian regime forces.

Despite Hezbollah's dominance among Iran-backed armed groups scattered across various parts of Syria, its presence there has become fraught with danger, especially after the elimination of the Secretary-General who had close ties with Maher al-Assad, the commander of the Fourth Division in the army and brother of the Syrian regime's president.

Commenting on this matter, an American researcher specializing in Iranian affairs stated that Syrian territory is of utmost importance to Israel. Tel Aviv will not be content with operations in southern Lebanon alone, as it could penetrate Syrian territory if it senses a direct threat from there.

Nicholas Heras, a senior security researcher at the American Newlines Institute, told Al Arabiya.net that Hezbollah and Iran are positioned in Syria, throughout the country, where Syrian regime forces are deployed. Therefore, Nasrallah's assassination has enormous implications for Syria, even if they are not apparent at the moment.

He also pointed out that Syrian territory is central to Iran's strategy of pressuring Israel, asserting that the Israelis will not limit their operations to southern Lebanon if the Israeli army deems it necessary to destroy the Syrian regime's capabilities to weaken Iran and defeat Hezbollah, hinting at the possibility of expanding Israeli military operations to include Syrian territory.

It's worth noting that Hezbollah has already begun evacuating some of its headquarters in central Syria, such as Palmyra, where it handed over its main center to other pro-Iranian factions after withdrawing its elements to Lebanon to reinforce its front in the south of the country, according to informed Syrian sources told Al Arabiya.net.

The sources denied that the motive behind sending Iran-backed fighters to Syria is to support Hezbollah, emphasizing that the goal is to fill any void after their withdrawal to Lebanon.

They added that the party summoned a number of its advisors and senior leaders to Lebanon following the assassination of its leader and the targeting of their headquarters inside Syrian territory, including a villa owned by Maher al-Assad. They also denied that the Syrian regime president's brother was targeted in an Israeli raid the day before yesterday.

In a related context, researcher and strategic expert Aaron Stein, president of the American Foreign Policy Research Institute, confirmed to Al Arabiya.net that there are no immediate repercussions on Syria following Nasrallah's assassination. He believed that Hezbollah's commitment would remain, especially since Syrian regime forces control their areas by force, and there is nothing left for the party to accomplish on the fronts.

It's noteworthy that with Hezbollah withdrawing some of its fighters, Syrian regime authorities have taken measures to limit the movements of Iran-backed armed groups in the country. The General Intelligence Division in Damascus issued a decision to close four Iranian "recruitment offices" in Aleppo and its countryside last Saturday.

Israel carried out the assassination operation of Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, last Friday through violent raids targeting a party headquarters in the southern suburb of the capital Beirut, which has sharply inflamed the situation in Lebanon and warned of the possibility of a full-scale war breaking out.

Levant-Al Arabiya