Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yisrael Ziv, the former head of the Operations Directorate of the IDF, warned against the internal disintegration of Syria and accused Israel of a serious lack of political strategy.

Speaking in an interview with Radio 103FM, Ziv spoke about the difficult situation in southern Syria, where a bloody conflict is taking place between Druze and Bedouins, and expressed deep shock at the severe harm to the Druze population. “Except for the pretty face that Assad shows to the outside world, inside it’s Somalia,” he said. “It is a country in chaos, out of control. If no one helps to restore order from within, there is no chance for it to be rebuilt.”

He emphasized that the result is not only a collapse of local order but a much broader threat: “It will cause regional instability. It could re-invite the Iranians and all sorts of other players that no one wants to see there. It doesn’t just end with the Druze; it could spread further.”

Ziv emphasized that Israel has a clear moral responsibility. “Israel has a moral obligation to the Druze,” he declared. “I think Israel is acting correctly; it needs to give a clear sense that the blood of the Druze is not cheap. On the other hand, it can and should exert much more pressure. It has ties with the United States and with Saudi Arabia—it should not settle for sanctions or symbolic gestures.”

Ziv compared the situation in Syria to past periods in Lebanon. “Without a reorganization of the army there and without re-indoctrination, it will not work. The same thing is required in Syria as well,” he stated.

He also strongly criticized the lack of political initiative on the part of the Israeli government. “Israel has had opportunities to lead regional processes that could have influenced both Syria and other countries. A regional coalition regulating who is on the good side and who is on the bad side, how to deal with all of these. Instead, Israel operates only according to its narrowest interests.”

According to him, even if a political effort does not guarantee success, it is a basic duty of a responsible country. “Israel has no political effort. There is no strategy, no policy. Even if we tried, there is no guarantee that it would succeed. But right now, even that is not happening.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)