Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone. In this video, we're going [00:01] to turn our attention to Syria. What's [00:04] going on there? There've been a number [00:05] of incidents there [00:07] at the end of last week. There were a [00:08] number of incidents that were not widely [00:10] reported, but are quite significant. [00:13] And that's what we're going to do in [00:15] this video. We're going to talk about [00:16] what's been going on in in Syria in the [00:19] buffer zone, the security zone that [00:21] Israel has established there. And we'll [00:23] understand that it is actually a very [00:25] tense and fragile situation. It's not as [00:28] stable and quiet as we tend to think. [00:30] So, let's just get right into this [00:31] story. [00:33] So, um [00:35] we'll just read from Alma. Alma is a [00:37] research and education center. It's a [00:38] think tank that focuses a lot on the [00:40] Israeli north. [00:41] But, this was also reported in Times of [00:43] Israel and on and on Israeli TV in a few [00:46] places I saw it. [00:48] So, this the title of this piece is from [00:50] Khader to the Yarmouk Basin. Two [00:52] incidents highlight the complex security [00:55] security reality in southern Syria. [00:59] Over the past 24 hours, this was written [01:01] this was written at the beginning of the [01:03] week. [01:04] Uh over the past 24 hours, two unusual [01:07] incidents were reported in southern [01:09] Syria. Once again, illustrating the [01:12] evolving security challenge facing [01:14] Israel along the Syrian border. [01:17] On the morning of June 28th, [01:20] I the IDF eliminated two armed [01:23] operatives near Khader, [01:25] close to the buffer zone in the Syrian [01:27] Golan. [01:29] Their identities and organizational [01:31] affiliation remain unknown. [01:34] In our assessment, several possibilities [01:36] exist regarding their affiliation. They [01:38] may have been local Syrian operatives, [01:41] Syrians or Palestinians acting on behalf [01:44] of Iran, Hezbollah, [01:46] or Palestinian terrorist organizations. [01:49] Uh meaning Hamas or Palestinian Islamic [01:51] Jihad or one of the others. [01:53] Or alternatively, operatives who entered [01:55] the area from Lebanon, possibly [01:57] Palestinians. [01:59] And it was it was reported on Israeli [02:02] uh on some Israeli news outlets that [02:04] they were Iran-backed. [02:06] But, that has not really been confirmed [02:08] by anybody. And [02:10] I have to take that with a bit of a a [02:11] grain of salt. We don't know who backed [02:13] them. In our assessment, their presence [02:15] in this area and their elimination [02:18] indicate an intention to carry out [02:20] terrorist activity against Israel, [02:23] whether [02:24] through an infiltration into Israeli [02:26] communities, attacks on IDF forces using [02:28] gunfire or explosive devices, or [02:31] preparations for future attacks through [02:33] intelligence collection and [02:34] infrastructure development. [02:37] So, let's take a look at a map and see [02:39] where this took place. Okay, so [02:43] here is a map of the area. So, here on [02:46] the on the left side, [02:48] you see this is northern Israel. Here's [02:50] the This is the Golan Heights. Here's [02:52] Lebanon up up top and Syria to the [02:54] right. And the [02:56] the area here, the gray area here, this [02:59] is the buffer zone. [03:00] Okay, this grayed area is the is the [03:03] buffer zone that Israel has established. [03:06] And you see there's this little point [03:08] there. [03:09] And that brings us to [03:12] uh to uh [03:13] you know, to this picture here on the [03:16] right, [03:17] where [03:18] you can see that this little red dot, [03:22] you see where my cursor is here, [03:24] this little red dot here, that is [03:26] Khader. That's where this first incident [03:28] took place. And you notice that the [03:29] Israeli buffer zone has like a little [03:31] carve out in it for this town. [03:34] So, let me explain what this town is. [03:36] Khader is a Druze village. [03:40] But, the area where it is, [03:43] most of the Druze do not live up in this [03:45] area. Most The main Druze area is [03:48] further down here. [03:50] Okay, it's further south and to the [03:52] east. [03:53] Khader is a Druze village. There are [03:55] still some Druze villages up there, but [03:57] the area around it is is mostly Sunni [04:00] Muslims, but it's a Druze village. [04:03] And Israel um [04:06] didn't want to take the Druze village [04:09] into the buffer zone. [04:11] So, they built the buffer zone around [04:13] the Druze village, but Khader is a place [04:15] where Israel also set up um [04:17] like a medical facility to treat injured [04:20] Druze [04:22] over the course of the last year. So, [04:24] Israel's been pretty active there, and [04:26] the Druze are very friendly population [04:27] to Israel. The residents of Khader [04:29] actually asked Israel to take them in [04:31] and annex their town, which Israel did [04:34] not do. [04:35] Uh but this terrorist infiltration, if [04:38] that's what it was, or this altercation [04:39] that we're reporting on here, happened [04:41] in Khader. So, obviously they weren't [04:43] Druze, they were people who came from [04:45] elsewhere. [04:47] Okay, we'll talk about that more in a [04:48] bit. I'm going to give you my uh when I [04:50] when I finish going through some of [04:51] these stories, I'll talk to you about [04:52] what I think is actually [04:54] going on here. [04:57] Later that day, in the evening and night [05:01] of June 28th, [05:05] according to local reports, incidents [05:07] occurred in the town of Abdeen in the [05:10] Yarmouk Basin near the [05:11] Israel-Jordan-Syria tri-border area. [05:15] According to reports, local residents [05:17] blocked roads, threw stones, and even [05:20] opened machine gun fire at IDF forces, [05:23] which responded with artillery fire and [05:25] helicopter strikes. [05:27] Abdeen is not a random location. It lies [05:30] in an especially sensitive area near the [05:33] tri-border region that previously served [05:35] as a stronghold for ISIS's affiliate in [05:38] the Yarmouk Basin. [05:40] Even after the fall of the Assad regime, [05:42] the area had remained unstable. A [05:45] combination of local armed groups, [05:47] legacy terrorist infrastructure, [05:49] smuggling networks, and the interests of [05:51] the Iranian-led axis continues to make [05:54] it a particularly problematic region. [05:57] Let me So, let me explain this one. So, [06:00] this spot is in the lower right box. [06:04] Okay? So, on the on the left side, you [06:06] see the lower red box. That's the area [06:10] of the second incident of Abdeen. So, [06:11] it's further south. [06:13] And it's right by the tri-border area [06:15] because we have the Jordanian border, [06:18] Syrian border, the Israeli border. This [06:19] The three countries all kind of meet [06:21] there. And you have Abdeen. Now, Abdeen [06:23] is not a Druze village. It's a It's a [06:27] Sunni town, but it's in a predominantly [06:30] Druze area. Cuz the One of the main [06:32] purposes of the Israeli buffer zone [06:34] here, besides protecting [06:35] Israel, is also to provide some [06:38] protection for the Druze. But, the Druze [06:40] don't live in entirely Druze areas. [06:43] There are some [06:44] some Muslim groups there. And as you [06:46] heard as I mentioned [06:48] as I just read to you, [06:50] uh this uh [06:52] Yeah, here you can see Abdeen here. We [06:55] We will blow it up on the screen. [06:57] Right? You see Abdeen? [06:59] So, it's right near the buffer zone. So, [07:00] these are So, you have Haroun and [07:03] Abdeen. These are the two places where [07:05] these incidents took place. Let's finish [07:07] the piece. Southern Syria, particularly [07:09] the Yarmouk Basin, [07:11] and its tribe and the tri-border area [07:13] serves as a potential platform for [07:15] terrorist activity against both Israel [07:17] and Jordan, directly through the Syrian [07:19] border, and indirectly through weapon [07:21] smuggling routes into Jordan and onward [07:24] to Judea and Samaria. The region [07:26] contains numerous local terrorist cells [07:28] operating across dozens of villages [07:31] supported by Iran, Hezbollah, and the [07:33] Palestinian terror organizations. The [07:35] Yarmouk Basin has already witnessed [07:37] attacks against IDF forces, including [07:40] the shooting incident near [07:42] Qawiya on March [07:45] March 25th, 2025, over a year ago, [07:47] located very close to Abdeen. The [07:49] incidents in Qader and Abdeen in Qader [07:52] and Abdeen underscore that the IDF's [07:54] presence and the operations and [07:56] operations in the buffer zone are not [07:58] merely tactical responses to isolated [08:00] events. Rather, they are part of a [08:02] broader preventative effect aimed at [08:04] pushing threats away from the border, [08:06] disrupting terrorist networks, and [08:08] preventing the reestablishment of [08:09] terrorist infrastructure in southern [08:11] Syria. That punchline is huge. [08:14] Okay, so again, we have the buffer zone [08:15] here. We have these two incidents. [08:18] They're both [08:19] in the first incident, Qader, is coming [08:21] right out of a Druze village, although [08:22] the the the attackers were almost [08:25] certain, I mean, certainly not Druze. [08:27] Um but remember, it's a Druze village [08:29] that's in a predominantly Sunni area. [08:31] And then we have a Sunni village down [08:33] here, and that's where these two [08:35] incidents take place. [08:37] Now, it's being reported It's not being [08:40] Here's how it's being reported in [08:41] general media. Agence France-Presse [08:44] uh did the main reporting that [08:45] everyone's been working off of, and this [08:47] is from uh the Defense Post, which is uh [08:51] a Washington-based [08:52] defense and security outlet. Kind of [08:55] neutral generally in their reporting. [08:56] Syria's foreign ministry on Monday [08:58] condemned Israeli incursions and [09:01] bombardment in the country's south a day [09:03] after violence near the Israel-occupied [09:05] Golan Heights that state media and [09:08] locals said caused residents to briefly [09:10] flee. Tensions rose on the [09:13] on Sunday in the village of Abdeen in [09:16] the Yarmouk Basin area in the southern [09:17] province of of Daraa after Israeli [09:20] forces advanced into the area with angry [09:23] residents trying to block the road with [09:25] stones to stop the patrol. State media [09:28] and local official and Israeli forces [09:30] later responded with artillery fire, [09:32] prompting residents to flee nearby [09:34] villages is You see, it's a very [09:35] different view of the incident. Views it [09:37] as like Israel Israeli incursion, which [09:41] it may very well have been. [09:42] See, Israel's trying to prevent the [09:45] the creation of a new South Lebanon [09:47] on the border with Syria. Syria's [09:50] foreign ministry in a statement [09:51] condemned the Israeli attacks [09:53] represented by incursions into Syrian [09:55] territory in Quneitra and Daraa [09:57] provinces, and the targeting of the [09:59] region with artillery shelling. [10:02] Slamming a blatant violation of Syrian [10:04] sovereignty and territorial integrity. [10:07] After the December 2024 overthrow of [10:09] Syria's long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, [10:11] Israel sent troops into the UN patrolled [10:14] buffer zone that for decades separated [10:16] Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan, [10:19] occupying what it now calls a security [10:21] zone in southern Syria. It has also [10:23] carried out repeated incursions deeper [10:25] into Syrian territory, as well as [10:27] bombings, and says it wants a [10:29] demilitarized zone in the country's [10:31] south. [10:36] Uh Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz [10:38] said this month that his country planned [10:40] to keep troops in Syria for an unlimited [10:43] period. [10:45] For an unlimited period. [10:47] Despite persistent tensions, Israel and [10:49] Syria's new authorities have held [10:50] several rounds of direct talks and have [10:53] agreed to establish an [10:54] intelligence-sharing mechanism as they [10:56] edge towards a security arrangement. And [10:58] And then we have Al Jazeera's coverage, [11:00] which was which was very similar to the [11:03] coverage we just saw, but they included [11:05] the Turkish reaction. So, we're going to [11:07] jump down to that. [11:10] Turkey, which is considered close to the [11:12] current Syrian government, condemned [11:13] Israel's latest attacks on Monday. [11:15] Quote, "We strongly condemn the Israeli [11:17] attacks on Quneitra and Daraa, [11:20] which violate the territorial integrity, [11:22] unity, and sovereignty of Syria. These [11:24] attacks, which trample on the lives and [11:27] property of the Syrian people and make [11:29] life for civilians in the region [11:30] increasingly difficult, constitute a [11:32] flagrant violation of international law, [11:34] the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. And [11:36] it's interesting to note that Daraa [11:38] is a Sunni Muslim village that is in a [11:42] Druze area. [11:43] Uh we reiterate our call to the [11:45] international community to fulfill its [11:47] obligations and put an end to these [11:48] attacks, it added. Okay. Why am I [11:50] focusing on the Sunni-Shiite [11:53] issue in all of this? Well, [11:55] here's what I think is actually [11:57] happening. [11:58] Um [12:00] you see where the buffer zone is. [12:03] You see the way it's structured. [12:06] There's also the problem of weapon [12:08] smuggling, weapons getting into Syria. [12:10] There's all kinds of ways that weapons [12:12] can get into Syria. Israel does not [12:14] control the Turkish-Syrian border. It [12:16] does not control the Iraqi-Syrian [12:18] border. It has no way to control those. [12:20] There's lots of ways for weapons to get [12:22] into Syria. Once they get into Syria, [12:24] they make their way down south. You have [12:26] this this this border area where Syria, [12:29] Jordan, and Israel meet. [12:30] Get the weapons into Jordan. There's [12:32] ways to and then smuggling them across [12:34] into Judea and Samaria. This has become [12:36] a a serious problem. [12:39] And in addition, [12:40] you have [12:42] um [12:43] these [12:44] you have these these incidents here that [12:46] signal [12:48] that Israel is trying to make sure that [12:50] what we that what happened in Lebanon [12:52] over the course of the last few decades, [12:53] what happened in Lebanon [12:56] where a terrorist infrastructure got got [12:59] built [13:00] along our northern border [13:05] under the under the guise of being [13:08] villages. Not under the guise. Look, you [13:10] have villages there. But if these Sunni [13:12] villages [13:14] along the border start to become the [13:16] Arab village the Muslim villages along [13:18] the border start to become like the [13:19] Shiite villages in southern Lebanon [13:22] where the line between civilian in [13:25] combat, the line between terrorist [13:27] organization and civilian and civilians [13:30] is is blurred or non-existent. Meaning, [13:33] if the Sunni towns along this border, [13:35] and part of this is a formerly [13:36] ISIS-controlled area, if this becomes a [13:39] terrorist infrastructure there, if it [13:42] gets built, then we just have Lebanon [13:44] all over again in the Syrian border. And [13:46] Israel is not going to allow that to [13:47] happen. At the same time, Israel's also [13:49] trying to protect the Druze. And you see [13:52] what's happening here is that [13:54] these attacks are being made on Israel [13:56] out of Druze areas, and a Muslim town in [13:59] a Druze in a predominantly Druze area [14:01] down here, and coming out of a Druze [14:04] village up here in in Haroun. So, I I [14:09] think that's what we're seeing here. [14:10] Israel's trying to prevent that. That [14:12] requires being proactive. That requires [14:15] going beyond the buffer zone. If we see [14:17] threats that are being put together. [14:18] Now, once we go beyond the buffer zone, [14:20] and once we become we become proactive, [14:23] that opens us up that opens Israel up to [14:25] all kinds of criticism. Oh, Israel's [14:27] attacking. Israel's going beyond the [14:28] buffer zone. Israel's Israel's [14:30] expanding. Israel is you know, is [14:33] is carrying out all sorts of strikes [14:35] that are unprovoked because it's [14:36] unprovoked because no one shot yet [14:38] because we see terrorists who are [14:40] organizing. Israel is simply not going [14:41] to allow this terrorist infrastructure [14:44] to get entrenched. And if you pull back [14:46] the camera even more and think about the [14:47] broad picture, this is what we've been [14:49] worried about ever since the Assad [14:51] regime fell, and Ahmad al-Shara or [14:55] al-Julani, whatever you want to call [14:56] him, this this former ISIS guy took over [14:59] Syria, who's and he's actually [15:02] a [15:03] a protectorate of Turkey. He's really [15:05] Turkey's guy, Erdogan's guy. And we know [15:08] that Erdogan's been talking about [15:09] marching on Jerusalem and destroying [15:10] Israel. [15:14] It could be that the play for Erdogan [15:17] is not to worry so much about Lebanon. [15:18] He's actually been pretty quiet on the [15:20] Lebanon issue, and a lot of people have [15:21] been worried maybe he's going to take [15:22] over Hezbollah. My good friend Dr. David [15:24] Wurmser has said this in a few of the [15:26] conversations I've had with him on [15:29] on the Israel 365 news channel. [15:31] Dr. Wurmser has said that he suspects [15:34] that [15:36] that if the Iranian regime falls that [15:37] Erdogan is going to try to kind of take [15:39] over the patronage of Hezbollah. That [15:42] could be, but I think there's a [15:43] different play going on here, which is [15:45] bringing down more weapons, more [15:47] militias, more little incursions, more [15:50] pecking away at the Israelis along along [15:54] this border here, along this buffer [15:56] zone. [15:57] And this is something to watch to see if [15:58] there will be more incidents like this [16:00] because it's [16:02] they're setting they're trying to set up [16:03] a lose-lose for Israel where they're [16:05] going to [16:06] they're going to start, you know, moving [16:07] men in and moving weapons in and trying [16:09] to carry out little attacks by people [16:12] who it's not even clear what their [16:13] affiliation was. So, there's always [16:14] plausible deniability. [16:16] Trying to get entrenched, build weapons [16:18] depots, all of the things that Hezbollah [16:21] did in southern Lebanon. If they try to [16:23] do that here, Israel is going to be [16:25] proactive. And that's where the [16:27] lose-lose comes in. Israel has to be [16:29] proactive to not let this get [16:30] entrenched, but when Israel is [16:32] proactive, meaning that they go and they [16:34] act outside of the buffer zone and they [16:36] act before they're attacked, then Israel [16:39] gets painted as the aggressor. So, this [16:42] is this is a tense situation in Syria. [16:44] Don't think for a moment that the Syrian [16:47] theater is is is quiet and calm. It is [16:50] not at all. [16:52] We still have an ongoing war going on on [16:55] that front. All right. That's what I [16:57] wanted to share today. Not a very long [16:58] one, but I think very important just to, [17:00] you know, to level set and know where we [17:02] stand on Syria and be aware of the [17:03] situation. And we'll come back to it. [17:05] We'll see we'll see how things develop [17:07] there. All right. Thanks for watching. [17:09] God bless.
