Syria has always been an Israeli obsession. Now it has unexpectedly given Netanyahu his coveted image of victory | Aluf Benn
Faced with the devastation in Gaza, Israelis tend to look away. The victories after the fall of Assad are a far easier focus
- Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of Haaretz
Wars are remembered by their iconic images, and finding a triumphal photograph has been a key goal for belligerents striving to leave their mark on history. On 8 December, after fighting ceaselessly for 14 months, Israel finally got its image of victory. It shows three soldiers in full combat gear posing with Israel’s Star of David-and-stripes flag on a mountaintop against the cloudy sky. The IDF’s special forces captured the highest peak of Mount Hermon in Syria, explained the caption, overlooking Damascus and the Golan Heights.
Mere hours after the flight of Syria’s deposed despot, Bashar al-Assad, Israel launched a quick attack to capture the formerly demilitarised zone across the disengagement line that has marked the de facto Israel-Syrian border since 1974, pushing its conquest up to the Hermon peak. The land grab, which met no resistance, was coupled with a massive bombing campaign to destroy the dangerous assets left behind by the ousted regime’s military: jet fighters and helicopters, warships, missile factories and storage facilities, air defence systems, research and development laboratories. All were targeted lest they fall into enemy hands.
Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of Haaretz
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...-
Sectarian violence in Syria has been less intense than feared since Assad's ouster
The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian ruleABC News - 21h -
Ancelotti: Mbappé has adapted, now 'at his best'
Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappé's "period of adaptation has finished" ahead of Real Madrid's last game of 2024 against Sevilla on Sunday.ESPN - 9h -
‘Trump has been explicit about revenge’: Asif Kapadia on his new film about the threat to democracy
The man behind Amy and Senna has turned his attention to ‘techno-authoritarianism’ in the genre-defying 2073. He talks to our journalist – one of the movie’s unlikely stars – about the events that ...The Guardian - 6d -
Joe Burrow says his ‘privacy has been violated’ after robbery reports revealed model at his home
The 28-year-old quarterback’s Ohio home was burglarized on December 9 while he was playing in a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas CowboysYahoo Sports - Dec. 12 -
Syria in maps: Who controls the country now Assad has gone?
A visual guide to the latest developments after Syrian rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad 13 years after the start of the country's civil war.BBC News - Dec. 11 -
Netanyahu is testifying in his corruption trial. He has been dogged by scandal for years
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness stand for the first time in his long-running trial on corruption chargesABC News - Dec. 10 -
Biden has been wrecking his legacy, but he still has time to do the right things | Judith Levine
Biden is a lame duck, free to do what he wishes. He could start by saving a few – or a few thousand – lives. President Joe Biden seems intent on demolishing his legacy.. For months, the Democrats ...The Guardian - Dec. 9 -
Assad’s murderous regime has been toppled – but what will fill the vacuum in Syria? | Simon Tisdall
The challenges ahead are truly daunting for a country torn apart by 13 years of civil war and split between rival factions. For once, use of the word “historic” is justified in describing the ...The Guardian - Dec. 8 -
Why has this happened now?
Yoon Suk Yeol's move was spurred not by external threats but by his own desperate political troubles.BBC News - Dec. 4
More from The Guardian
-
Magdeburg mourns Christmas market dead
The Guardian - 7h -
Ferry capsizes in Congo killing 38 and leaving 100 more missing
The Guardian - 1h -
Oleksandr Usyk wins heavyweight rematch to silence Tyson Fury in Riyadh
The Guardian - 3h -
Trump appoints The Apprentice producer as US special envoy to UK
The Guardian - 5h -
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv strikes Russia in major drone attack 1,000km from frontline
The Guardian - 1h