IDF Chief concerned over instability in Golan Heights

During a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Israel Defense Forces chief Benny Gantz said conflicts in Syria will lead to more activity along Israel-Syria border and requested expansion of defense budget.         

Gantz also mentioned to the Knesset committee members that the IDF is distressed over the passage of military equipment from Syria to Hezbollah. “This subject distresses us now as much as ever, especially if the Syrian government falls apart. We see a great deal of Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in events taking place in Syria. Instability developing in the Golan Heights is becoming worse and worse because of the conflicts in Syria, including in areas bordering Israel. They have yet to reach the level of destructive actions, but it is yet within reach,” said Gantz.        

According to Gantz, every development on the ground in Syria is a loss for Israel. “If Assad falls, indeed there will be a crack in the radical axis, although it will create instability in Syria,” explained Gantz. “If Assad remains in power, he will be weak, and still be in the same, unstable place. There is a price for instability in the region, and I think we will pay it in the form of more activity along the border between Israel and Syria, and smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah,” added Gantz.