Syria's Assad regime had covert communications with Israel: papers
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Middle East: Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, a set of leaked documents surfaced claiming that the regime had a covert channel of communication with Israel. Though the documents were not verified, they bear the official Syrian Arab Republic letterheads and intelligence branch stamps, The New Arab reported.
Photographs of the said documents were widely shared on the internet by several journalists and pan-Arab Arabic language media outlets. These documents contrast the popular belief that the Assad government was a steadfast opponent of Israel. The documents suggest the Assad regime’s alleged complicity in Israel's operations in Iran.
One among the documents is a letter that warns Syria and demands it restrict the flow of Iranian and Hezbollah into it.
The New Arab reports that an Israel operative of the codename “Moses” communicated with former Syrian Defence Minister Lt Gen Ali Mahmoud Abbas. Moses allegedly warned Abbas about Hamas' activities and their implications. The leaked documents also suggest that the communication was forwarded to former National Security Bureau head Ali Mamlouk.
An April 2023 message stated that Hamas launched rockets from Golan Heights and demanded Syria stop such preparations or face severe consequences. Israel also warned that if Syria continues to cooperate with Iran, it could face retaliatory actions.
The leaked documents further suggested that the Assad regime received intelligence and actively cooperated with Israel in the latter’s attacks on Iranian positions in Syrian territories on 7th May 2023.
A letter among the documents said that Syria supporting Hezbollah’s air defence capabilities was an act against Israel and served’s Hezbollah’s interests. But it will cause harm to Syria’s military, Israel warned.
When the wider belief was Assad’s government backed the resistance in the region against Israel, the documents exposed that his government was sharing intelligence with Israel and facilitating military operations against Iran and its allies.
