| As Syria implodes, Israel braces for terror along Golan Heights border |
IDF’s Division 36 Commander: If Syria descends to lawlessness and instability, it would serve as a breeding ground for terrorist organizations to set up and operate in the area • IDF prepares units training in the Golan Heights for rapid deployment to crisis points in case of emergency.
Photo credit: AP
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Israeli troops take up positions along the damaged border fence between Israel and Syria after Syrian demonstrations in May 2011.
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Photo credit: AP
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Division 36 Commander Brig. Gen. Tamir Haiman warned on Thursday of possible terrorist attacks in the Golan Heights originating in Syria.
„The developments across the border increase the potential for terror attacks. It is our obligation to lay a foundation [of defense] and prepare our forces,” Haiman said.
Officials in the Israel Defense Forces have voiced concern that the Syrian regime’s diminishing power provides an opportunity for members of the global jihad to perpetrate terrorist attacks on the Golan Heights. A similar scenario has already proven to be true in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, in which after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster the region fell to lawlessness and since has served as a staging ground for multiple infiltrations and terrorist attacks in Israel.
According to Haiman, the division’s working assumption is that a terrorist attack can emanate from the Syrian border without any prior intelligence. „It is very possible that the Syrian side could descend into instability and lawlessness,” he said. „That kind of environment serves as a beacon for terrorist organizations to setup and operate in the area. Even if things are quiet now, we must prepare for the worst case scenario.”
The IDF speculates that currently the most tangible threat is an infiltration and terror attack by operatives from the global jihad. At this stage however it is believed that their primary target is the Syrian regime and not Israel.
Over the past year, Division 36 has already made some improvements to its defense network; 9 kilometers (5.4 miles) of new fencing has already been built in the Golan Heights, near the border town of Majdal Shams and the Syrian village of Quneitra. The construction of the new border fence came on the heels of the 2011 Nakba Day protests, in which dozens of pro-Palestinian activists stormed and breached the Israel-Syria border fence.
The IDF is also preparing forces for rapid deployment, so that units currently training in the Golan Heights can be shuttled to a possible crisis zone within hours.
