Political sources in Tel Aviv revealed that Washington stopped Israel from striking the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, as well as a plan to drag Damascus into the war against Hezbollah.
Israel radio said that the American administration stopped Israel from bombing the crossing shortly after Tel Aviv had threatened to attack it over the weekend.
Israel had bombed an area close to the crossing, claiming Hezbollah was using it for “military” purposes.
Israel radio reported that the US had asked Tel Aviv to refrain from attacking the crossing for “political reasons” and to leave the issue to Syrian security officials who are working on behalf of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
It quoted an informed source as saying that the Damascus government had told the Americans that it was working against Hezbollah and that it had thwarted in recent days attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
Other sources revealed that Israel wants Syria to become involved in the war against Hezbollah, despite the previous past experience when Israel allowed the Syrian army to enter Lebanon 1976 under the pretext of restoring peace when the country was in civil war. The military intervention led to years of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, straining relations between Beirut and Damascus.
The sources told Israel’s Maariv that Israel is convinced that Lebanon has failed in confronting Hezbollah and American and western powers have lost faith in the Lebanese state. So, Israel has turned to the new Syrian authorities to “handle security responsibilities in Lebanon,” they said.
The US believes that the Lebanese government has not met the least of its commitments in disarming Hezbollah, while the army is incapable - or unwilling - to really confront the Iran-backed party, the sources continued.
Washington believes that it has no real partner in Lebanon and that no state and military authority has the power to disarm Hezbollah, they added.
Observers believe that the only two parties capable of and willing to fight Hezbollah are Israel and the new Syrian authorities led by Sharaa.
Israeli sources said Tel Aviv and Damascus have this common goal even if they are not allied with each other. The Syrian authorities view Hezbollah as an enemy, making it a convenient partner in achieving interests in Lebanon.
Tel Aviv believes that it can eventually reach understandings with Damascus whereby the Israeli military can control southern Lebanon and Syrian army controls the north and they can both work against Hezbollah.
“This appears to be the least of evils amid the current impasse,” said the observers.
Tel Aviv is trying to convince Washington of its position, explaining that it would not be waging war against the Lebanese state or imposing hegemony over it. Rather, it would be acting to remove the Hezbollah threat and impose a new reality in Lebanon.
Israel wants the US to relay these messages to Syria.
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had in the 1970s held indirect talks between late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad's regime and Israel on Damascus sending troops to Lebanon with the aim to break the alliance between Lebanese leftists and the PLO.
The regime sent its forces in 1976, but over the years it became obvious that Assad sought to impose Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. In the ensuing years, he acted against Israeli invasions of Lebanon in 1978 and 1982.
The current Israeli government is hoping to avoid similar failures in Lebanon by reaching understandings with the current Syrian authorities.
