Syrian Army Boosting Air Defenses In Golan Heights Ahead Of Anticipated Offensive

The Syrian army has reinforced its anti-aircraft defenses in the Golan Heights ahead of an anticipated major offensive to retake rebel-held territory and, thereby, consolidate the Assad regime’s control over the area adjacent to the shared border with Israel. According to reports, the Russian-made Pantsir S1 system has been deployed in order “to renew the air defense system against Israel in the first degree.” Minimal fighting has taken place along the frontier since the brokering last year of a U.S.-Russia-Jordan ceasefire agreement; however, Syrian forces, emboldened by recent gains around the capital Damascus, now have their sights set on re-establishing dominance in the south. It is unclear how the Americans will respond to what effectively would amount to a violation of the truce, with Washington last month having simply warned of “firm and appropriate measures.” Israel, meanwhile, is believed to have agreed to the re-installation of Assad’s forces on the Syrian side of the Golan in return for a guarantee that Iranian-aligned Shiite fighters, including members of Hizbullah, will not partake in the expected assault and be banned from operating in the region in perpetuity. Nevertheless, the move to increase Syrian defenses could pose a problem for the Israeli army, which over the past few months has conducted numerous cross-border aerial missions to strike Iranian assets. Jerusalem has vowed to prevent both Tehran from gaining a permanent military foothold in Syria and the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hizbullah in Lebanon.