To those who say nothing in the Middle East ever changes, the most recent diplomatic activity might be a case in point. Aided by aggressive bombing by the Russian air force, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is conducting what amounts to a mopping-up action, neutralizing any remaining rebel strongholds. Neither the United States nor Israel can deny Assad’s victory – albeit atop massive ruins that was once a nation – and neither is trying to. Jerusalem’s concern now is to assume positions that best protect its people and territory. To that end, Israeli officials have made it clear that the 1974 separation of forces agreement that ended the Yom Kippur War remains in effect. That leaves the division of land on the Golan Heights as it is along with distinct borders that are well known to all. What will be new ground is the matter of Iran and its terror proxies. While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has long lobbied for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s help in keeping the Islamic Republic from the Golan Heights, the greater meaning of “Iran” includes its fighting force, the Revolutionary Guard which has tangled with Israel recently, and Hizbullah, the Beirut-based Shiite terror group that provides its own threat along the Lebanese front where it points some 100,000 missiles into the Jewish state. Until new protocols are worked, its back to the future. Once new agreements are in place, how long they will survive is anybody’s guess.
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