IDF: "High-Ranking Syrian Officers Ordered the Chemical Attack in Idlib"
According to a senior IDF officer, the Sarin gas attack in Idlib had been authorized by senior officers in the Assad regime, possibly with the full personal knowledge of President Bashar al-Assad
Or Heller
| 20/04/2017
About two and a half weeks after the murderous attack in Idlib, in which more than 100 Syrian civilians were killed by weapons containing Sarin gas, a senior IDF officer reported yesterday, at a press briefing, that the attack had been authorized by senior officers in the Assad regime, possibly with the full personal knowledge of President Assad himself – according to the Israeli intelligence picture of the attack. The senior officer drew a status picture of the latest developments in Syria, according to which Assad has gained renewed confidence in the last few months, having recaptured territories in western Syria, which led him, quite uncharacteristically, to launch anti-aircraft missiles in the direction of Israel in a failed attempt to intercept Israeli fighter aircraft that were attacking a shipment of advanced arms from on the way from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Additionally, the Israeli officer noted that Israel was urging the UN to redeploy UNDOF (the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) in the Syrian Golan Heights. "We told them we would vouch for the safety of the UN observers. Most of them had departed or were driven out by Islamists in the last few years, but recently they have been redeploying in the buffer zone in the central part of the Golan Heights as well as in the northern part, and will hopefully deploy in the southern part of the Golan Heights later on. In our view, this is important for the implementation of the armistice agreement signed in 1974. Redeploying UNDOF on the Golan Heights is an objective we set. Right now the situation is at a stalemate, and the status quo regarding an arrangement is maintained as is, even in the Syrian villages on the Golan Heights."
The officer noted further that the IDF's policy of preventing the smuggling of advanced arms from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon will remain in effect, the anti-aircraft missile incident a month ago notwithstanding. Regarding the Sarin gas attack, the officer said: "Our utilitarian position is that wherever the superpowers are operating and assuming responsibility we should not intervene, but we should assemble and present an intelligence picture and continue to provide humanitarian aid to wounded Syrians on the Golan Heights.
In the past, Assad had possessed some 1200 tons of chemical warfare agents fitted to missiles, artillery shells and airborne munitions, and most of this arsenal was destroyed. What he has now are just a few remaining tons of chemical warfare agents. The attack using Sarin gas reflects frustration and distress on Assad's part, as well as the fact that neither Hezbollah nor the Russians or even the Iranians, are eager to stage a ground maneuver in Syria. In Mosul, for example, there are 56,000 coalition warfighters and intelligence coverage opposite 5,000 ISIS operatives, and progress is still very slow over there. I cannot see how they can reach an overbalance or an arrangement in Syria, and a possible solution will be the establishment of an ethnic-based federation or confederation, as was the case in the Balkans."
The officer noted further that the coordination mechanism the IDF had established with Russia has been adopted by other countries operating in Syria, like Jordan, Turkey and the USA opposite the Russians. This mechanism includes reciprocal visits in Israel and Moscow, once every two months, by the heads of the operations divisions of both militaries. Additionally, the Americans had personally briefed the IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkott, and the Prime Minister's Secretary for Military Affairs, Brigadier-General Eliezer Toledano two hours before their retaliatory attack against Assad's military.
Who Killed Mustafa Badreddine?
Regarding the mysterious targeted killing of Hezbollah Chief of Staff Mustafa Badreddine last May, the IDF officer noted that Nasrallah's organization has not appointed a replacement since then. The officer referred to a news story aired by the Al-Arabiya network recently regarding the alleged assassination of Badreddine. "Their story was very accurate. It was a highly significant event that reflects the crisis and the difficult questions that have arisen within Hezbollah, as Badreddine was eliminated just minutes after leaving a meeting with Qasem Soleimani, Head of the Quds Force – a division of the Iranian Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution operating outside of Iran. Badreddine was an independent and highly powerful commander. His elimination created command and control issues within the organization. Nasrallah has a good strategic understanding but no knowledge in the actual command of military forces. Iran, for its part, has lost its hegemony in Syria, which was replaced by a Russian hegemony."
On the Way to the Next War in the South?
The senior IDF officer also referred to the developments in the southern region, stating that Iran continues to provide support to Hamas on the scope of US$ 60-70 million per year, most of which is being invested in military empowerment rather than in civil aid: "In our estimate, the project of erecting the new obstacle system against the tunnels will not lead Hamas to escalate the situation. The recent appointment of Yahya Sinwar, a highly extreme individual, as Head of Hamas has created a new reality that practically eliminated the separation between the civilian leadership and the military leadership within Hamas."
Against this background, the IDF officer pointed to a worrisome trend regarding Palestinian terrorism: out of seven Israelis murdered in terrorist attacks since the beginning of this year; six were killed by terrorists carrying 'Blue' (Israeli) identity cards, compared to 50% Israeli terrorist murderers last year. The officer noted that the carefully thought-out IDF policy implemented in the West Bank has blocked the surge of terrorist attacks: "Anyone calling for the mandatory killing of every terrorist is wrong – if we had adhered to this principle, we would have faced the third Intifada by now."
Regarding the preparedness of the IDF for the next war, the senior officer stated that for the first time since the year 2000, the IDF regular ground maneuvering forces, like the Golani, Paratroopers, and Givati infantry brigades, will once again adopt an activity routine where 50% of their time will be devoted to training and 50% to operational employment, as of next year. Over the years, the regular brigades devoted most of their time to routine security operations in the various sectors. "We will fill the routine security gaps by using reservist forces. The IDF is currently at an all-time high, since their establishment, regarding another aspect – the scope of precision guided munition inventories," said the senior IDF officer.
According to a senior IDF officer, the Sarin gas attack in Idlib had been authorized by senior officers in the Assad regime, possibly with the full personal knowledge of President Bashar al-Assad
About two and a half weeks after the murderous attack in Idlib, in which more than 100 Syrian civilians were killed by weapons containing Sarin gas, a senior IDF officer reported yesterday, at a press briefing, that the attack had been authorized by senior officers in the Assad regime, possibly with the full personal knowledge of President Assad himself – according to the Israeli intelligence picture of the attack. The senior officer drew a status picture of the latest developments in Syria, according to which Assad has gained renewed confidence in the last few months, having recaptured territories in western Syria, which led him, quite uncharacteristically, to launch anti-aircraft missiles in the direction of Israel in a failed attempt to intercept Israeli fighter aircraft that were attacking a shipment of advanced arms from on the way from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Additionally, the Israeli officer noted that Israel was urging the UN to redeploy UNDOF (the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) in the Syrian Golan Heights. "We told them we would vouch for the safety of the UN observers. Most of them had departed or were driven out by Islamists in the last few years, but recently they have been redeploying in the buffer zone in the central part of the Golan Heights as well as in the northern part, and will hopefully deploy in the southern part of the Golan Heights later on. In our view, this is important for the implementation of the armistice agreement signed in 1974. Redeploying UNDOF on the Golan Heights is an objective we set. Right now the situation is at a stalemate, and the status quo regarding an arrangement is maintained as is, even in the Syrian villages on the Golan Heights."
The officer noted further that the IDF's policy of preventing the smuggling of advanced arms from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon will remain in effect, the anti-aircraft missile incident a month ago notwithstanding. Regarding the Sarin gas attack, the officer said: "Our utilitarian position is that wherever the superpowers are operating and assuming responsibility we should not intervene, but we should assemble and present an intelligence picture and continue to provide humanitarian aid to wounded Syrians on the Golan Heights.
In the past, Assad had possessed some 1200 tons of chemical warfare agents fitted to missiles, artillery shells and airborne munitions, and most of this arsenal was destroyed. What he has now are just a few remaining tons of chemical warfare agents. The attack using Sarin gas reflects frustration and distress on Assad's part, as well as the fact that neither Hezbollah nor the Russians or even the Iranians, are eager to stage a ground maneuver in Syria. In Mosul, for example, there are 56,000 coalition warfighters and intelligence coverage opposite 5,000 ISIS operatives, and progress is still very slow over there. I cannot see how they can reach an overbalance or an arrangement in Syria, and a possible solution will be the establishment of an ethnic-based federation or confederation, as was the case in the Balkans."
The officer noted further that the coordination mechanism the IDF had established with Russia has been adopted by other countries operating in Syria, like Jordan, Turkey and the USA opposite the Russians. This mechanism includes reciprocal visits in Israel and Moscow, once every two months, by the heads of the operations divisions of both militaries. Additionally, the Americans had personally briefed the IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkott, and the Prime Minister's Secretary for Military Affairs, Brigadier-General Eliezer Toledano two hours before their retaliatory attack against Assad's military.
Who Killed Mustafa Badreddine?
Regarding the mysterious targeted killing of Hezbollah Chief of Staff Mustafa Badreddine last May, the IDF officer noted that Nasrallah's organization has not appointed a replacement since then. The officer referred to a news story aired by the Al-Arabiya network recently regarding the alleged assassination of Badreddine. "Their story was very accurate. It was a highly significant event that reflects the crisis and the difficult questions that have arisen within Hezbollah, as Badreddine was eliminated just minutes after leaving a meeting with Qasem Soleimani, Head of the Quds Force – a division of the Iranian Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution operating outside of Iran. Badreddine was an independent and highly powerful commander. His elimination created command and control issues within the organization. Nasrallah has a good strategic understanding but no knowledge in the actual command of military forces. Iran, for its part, has lost its hegemony in Syria, which was replaced by a Russian hegemony."
On the Way to the Next War in the South?
The senior IDF officer also referred to the developments in the southern region, stating that Iran continues to provide support to Hamas on the scope of US$ 60-70 million per year, most of which is being invested in military empowerment rather than in civil aid: "In our estimate, the project of erecting the new obstacle system against the tunnels will not lead Hamas to escalate the situation. The recent appointment of Yahya Sinwar, a highly extreme individual, as Head of Hamas has created a new reality that practically eliminated the separation between the civilian leadership and the military leadership within Hamas."
Against this background, the IDF officer pointed to a worrisome trend regarding Palestinian terrorism: out of seven Israelis murdered in terrorist attacks since the beginning of this year; six were killed by terrorists carrying 'Blue' (Israeli) identity cards, compared to 50% Israeli terrorist murderers last year. The officer noted that the carefully thought-out IDF policy implemented in the West Bank has blocked the surge of terrorist attacks: "Anyone calling for the mandatory killing of every terrorist is wrong – if we had adhered to this principle, we would have faced the third Intifada by now."
Regarding the preparedness of the IDF for the next war, the senior officer stated that for the first time since the year 2000, the IDF regular ground maneuvering forces, like the Golani, Paratroopers, and Givati infantry brigades, will once again adopt an activity routine where 50% of their time will be devoted to training and 50% to operational employment, as of next year. Over the years, the regular brigades devoted most of their time to routine security operations in the various sectors. "We will fill the routine security gaps by using reservist forces. The IDF is currently at an all-time high, since their establishment, regarding another aspect – the scope of precision guided munition inventories," said the senior IDF officer.
