Israel has supplied weapons to Syrian rebels – IDF chief Eisenkot
Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has, for the first time, acknowledged that Israel provided weaponry to Syrian rebel groups in the Golan Heights during the country’s seven-year civil war.
Before ending his tenure as Chief of Staff this week, Eisenkot said to the British Sunday Times that Israel had indeed supplied light weapons to the rebel groups along the border citing it was “for self-defense.”
Israel’s support for these opposition groups has been reported for years, and the acknowledgement by Eisenkot in the Sunday Times appears to be part of a larger movement within the Israeli military and defense establishment to be more open about the IDF’s activities against Iran in Syria.
As the outgoing Army Chief conducts departing interviews with Israeli and international outlets, more previously classified information about the IDF’s fight against Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria has emerged.
Moreover, the acknowledgment of Israel’s support for rebel groups in Syria is highly irregular, as Israeli officials repeatedly declared for years that the country was not getting involved in Syria’s internal fighting, which is now evidently contradicted by Eisenkot’s remarks.
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Last September, Foreign Policy magazine reported that Israel had covertly provided arms and funds to at least 12 Syrian rebel groups to prevent Iran-backed forces and Islamic State jihadists from setting up shop along the border.
Although it has never commented on military aid to the rebels, Israel last year revealed the scope of its humanitarian assistance in Syria, including treating chronically ill children, building clinics, and supplying food, medicines, and clothes to war-ravaged villages across the border.
The acknowledgment by Eisenkot sheds light on Israel’s involvement in the conflict and its efforts in combating Iranian presence in Syria.