Will Israel Invade Syria? Amid Rocket Attack Fears, Israeli …
Posted By admin on August 22, 2015
The Israeli army has begun preparing for a possible ground invasion of Syria, Israel's Channel 2 news reported Sunday. The Israeli military began large division-scale training in the occupied Golan Heights over the weekend, preparing for how Israel would react if attacked by rocket fire from Islamic State group militants in Syria.
The group also known as ISIShas taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria as Syria has been devastated by acivil war between PresidentBashar Assad's regime and various rebel groups. The group is trying to establish a theocratic Sunni Islamic caliphate across the region.
Exercises in the GolanHeights, occupied byIsrael since 1967, in preparation for a possible ISIS attackalso includedefenseagainst chemical weapons, given ISIS'reported stockpile of chemical weapons. Israeli defense officials have said the odds of a chemical attack by ISIS on Israel are very low, though they want to be prepared for anything.
A Kurdish fighter in position near the Iraq-Syria border in 2013. Kurdish fighters have been a large presence in the fight against ISIS, and recent reports state that they may have been attacked with mustard gas, fueling fears that ISIS has chemical weapons. AFP/Getty Images
New reportsof chemical attacks by ISIS began appearing Thursday afterKurdish fighters returning from an artillery barrage in thevillage of Sultan Abdullah, south of Mosul, Iraq, showed symptoms consistent with the use of mustard gas. The chemical, made infamous inWorld War I, is a blisteragent that works by liquefying the skin.
Israel has been targeting ISIS through airstrikes acrossthe Syrian border since April. The offensive being prepared in the Golan would be the first Israeli ground invasion in the fight against ISIS.
Israeli military officials said that whilethe border area is relatively quiet, that could change very quickly and they want to be prepared for all possibilities. Israeli authorities estimate that near the demarcation line with Syria in the Golan Heightsthere are hundreds of militants ofHezbollah, a U.S.-designated terror group that is allied with the Assad regime andIran.
Excerpt from:
Will Israel Invade Syria? Amid Rocket Attack Fears, Israeli ...
Comments