Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli scholar specializing in Arab culture and a former military intelligence lieutenant, revealed that he is in regular contact with Syrian opposition factions and that they are open to negotiating a peace agreement with Israel.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, Kedar explained, “I maintain constant communication with the leaders of Syrian opposition groups, and their view is that they no longer regard Israel as an enemy.”
On November 27, 2019, extremists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a UN-designated terrorist organization previously affiliated with Al-Qaeda, launched an offensive against the Aleppo countryside from their base in Idlib Governorate. Within three days, HTS succeeded in seizing large parts of Aleppo City.
Kedar added, “They are prepared to pursue peace with Israel, but only on the condition that they gain control of Syria and Lebanon. The leaders of these opposition factions have conveyed to Israel their intention to establish embassies in both Damascus and Beirut.”
Kedar also remarked, “Currently, we support the Syrian revolutionaries, but what happens in the future is uncertain. These rebels are determined to expel Iranian forces and Hezbollah from Syria, and they deserve our backing. If they align with our interests, we will support them; if not, we will withdraw our support.”
Israel and rebels have a long history of collaboration
Similar overtures had been made by Syrian opposition leaders to Israel during the US-led covert operations aimed at overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad starting in 2011.
In April 2014, prominent Syrian opposition figure Kamal al-Labwani called for collaboration with Israel to remove the Assad regime, describing the ongoing revolution as presenting “a historic opportunity for peace between the nations.”
Al-Labwani, a physician and former political prisoner, expressed his belief in shared interests between the opposition and Israel, stating, “Iran, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaeda are common enemies of both Israel and the Syrian people. It is essential that we join forces against them.”
Despite these appeals, Israel provided direct support to the Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, which was led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former leader of the Islamic State in Iraq. The Nusra Front later rebranded itself as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the same extremist group currently engaging in attacks on Aleppo.
In 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was providing medical treatment to wounded fighters from the Nusra Front, who had been injured in clashes with Syrian government forces.
In 2019, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot publicly acknowledged that Israel had supplied weapons to Syrian opposition groups, including the Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
Just eight days before the HTS assault on Aleppo, Yedioth Ahronoth disclosed that Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, had secretly visited Turkey. There, he met with Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT). According to AFP, HTS militants are directly following orders from Turkish intelligence.
An AFP correspondent based in Idlib Governorate, where HTS operates, reported that opposition sources in contact with Turkish intelligence indicated that Turkey had approved the HTS-led offensive. “The jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies are taking directives from a joint operations command,” the correspondent stated.
