Ex-IDF chief: UK should have ‘a long-term military presence’ in Syria to stop Iran
Brigadier General Michael Herzog says Britain and the U.S. should keep their forces north of Israel's border even after ISIS is defeated
A former Israeli general has called for the UK to keep its military presence in Syria even after the Islamic State group has been defeated, in order to counter Iran’s influence on Israel’s border.
Brigadier General Michael Herzog, a visiting fellow with Middle East think-tank BICOM, urged both the US and UK to “establish a long-term military presence” to Israel’s north in a new report published this week.
In July this year Russian, American and Jordanian leaders agreed a “de-escalation zone” in southern Syria, an area bordering both Jordan and Israel. However the Israeli government rejected the three states’ agreement, arguing that it “implicitly accepts Iran’s design to fill the post-ISIS void”.
Herzog said Iran wanted to establish a land corridor stretching through Iraq and Syria and up to Lebanon, where its proxy militia Hezbollah is based, “to ultimately turn it into a military and terror front against Israel”.
He said: “Such a situation would amount to the creation of an Iranian sphere of direct influence in the heart of the Middle East and in dangerous proximity to Israel,” said Herzog in his report on southern Syria.
“Israeli planners now believe that in a future war with Hezbollah, Israel could face Syrian and Lebanese theatres as one front guided by a unified military logic.”
Israel’s director of military intelligence recently disclosed that Iran was building a series of underground factories in Lebanon in order to manufacture accurate rockets for Hezbollah, to be used in any future conflict with Israel.
Herzog said all this changing geopolitical scenery meant that Israel had “extended its ‘red lines’ in Syria”. Whereas once the IDF focused only on Hezbollah-bound weapons or Israel’s northern border, now Israeli planes reportedly bomb rocket and chemical weapons factories near Syria’s border with Turkey.
He concluded that the US and UK “should carefully consider if and how their existing military assets on the ground… could be used to block Iran’s plans, rather than withdrawing them following the defeat of ISIS”.
The UK is highly unlikely to extend its military mission in Syria beyond its parliamentary remit, to defeat Islamic State, but US President Donald Trump may be more inclined to extend his troops’ operations in an area now dominated by Russia.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
