The decision on withdrawal of US troops from Syria is regarded a geopolitical defeat for the Zionist regime because Tel Aviv had planned accomplishment of its political and military goals in Syria and the formulation of arbitrary equations by relying on US support. If the decision by Trump to pull out forces from Syria is fulfilled the political scheme of the Zionist regime will face defeat. Of course, neither the United States nor Israel has succeeded in advancing their political and military agenda in Syria.

The prime minister of the Zionist regime reacted to the decision by Trump to pull out troops from Syria. At the same time, lacking from Netanyahu’s statement was any praise for the decision, which is a reflection of real concern from Israel’s perspective over how the American exit will affect the regional balance of power.

Experts say the Zionist regime’s concern over Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from Syria reflects the threats that Tel Aviv faced in 2018. First, it is necessary to briefly mention what threats the Zionist regime faced in 2018:

A) Strengthening of the Resistance Axis, especially in Syria and Lebanon, has caused big concern among the Zionist regime officials. The statements by the prime minister and other officials of this regime confirm this claim.

B) Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of Research Division in Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence, said: “if especially the [U.S.] forces in the south are going to leave the area, it would mean that the [Bashar] Assad forces and the Iranians will have full control over Syria…” He said this would mean the completion of a land corridor from Tehran to Beirut and there’s not going to be anything in between to stop them.

Israeli Minister of Transport and Road Safety Yisrael Katz said in an interview that Israel has always been able to defend its own security, but the US troop pullout from Syria will create a more critical security situation in Syria, making it easier for Iran to access Syria through the land.

C) The Zionist regime considers the victory of Assad’s government in the war against ISIS and the full control of the Syrian government over the entire country a defeat for Israel in its efforts as well as another threat against itself. In this regard, Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the Zionist Army research department, said the withdrawal of US forces from Syria would mean the complete victory of Assad forces and the full control of the Assad government all over Syria.

In other words, the victory of the Assad government will cause the Syrian front in the south to be at the center of attention, and a stronger presence of the Syrian army in this region is a new strategic threat from the viewpoint of the Zionist regime authorities.

D) Israel considers the strengthening of Russia’s strategic position in Syria after the possible withdrawal of the United States among other strategic threats since in the event of a US pullout from Syria, the Zionist regime’s power to exert pressure on Russia to respect the interests of Tel Aviv in Syria will further decline.

Russia, for its part, which has emerged as a bitter competitor to the United States in the region, will be “very satisfied” by Trump’s decision, Kuperwasser noted, and “will have a more free hand to control what’s going on in Syria.”

E) Israel considers the strengthening of Turkey to confront the Kurds as well as undermine the positions of the Syrian Kurds another strategic threat. Zionist regime officials do not want to weaken the positions of the Syrian Kurds, because they believe that the Kurds can be a barrier against the strengthening and advancement of Turkey.

Zionist Regime’s Escalating Concern over US Withdrawal from Syria

Without a doubt, the withdrawal of American troops from Syria will add to the concern of the Zionist regime. According to Middle East affairs experts and analysts, the US military pullout will create a gap in the eastern and northern regions of Syria, and actors involved in the developments in Syria will try to fill this vacuum.

It is noted that Israel’s concern is not due to the strengthening of the positions of the Kurds or ISIS insurgent group, but this concern is rooted in boosting the influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Syria, in particular, and in the Middle East in general, as well as the strengthening of the Resistance Axis. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper says in an analysis that the US decision to withdraw from Syria is a victory for Iran and a defeat for Israel. This again shows the depth of the Zionist regime’s concern about the new developments in the Syrian field. On the other hand, the claims of Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations Danny Danon to the effect that what worries Israel is the presence of Iran in Syria is another example of the Zionist regime’s concern about the growing influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Tel Aviv is worried that the implementation of Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria would result in overlooking the interests of the regime. In addition, Zionist regime authorities have implicitly and explicitly called for the disintegration of Syria in an attempt to prevent the restoration of a strong role for Syria in the regional equations.

Potential Opportunities for the Resistance Front

With the actual withdrawal of US troops from Syria, an opportunity will be provided to consolidate the achievements of the Resistance front in Syria in a more appropriate context. In addition, the vacuum caused by this decision of Trump can be exploited by this front. On the other hand, there will be an opportunity for a show of power by the Resistance in the region. It will provide an opportunity to stabilize the balance of power in favor of the Resistance.

In the meantime, due to the reliance of the Zionist regime on Trump’s support for Tel Aviv in the Syrian equation, the withdrawal of American troops from Syria will further expose Israel’s weakness and will provide the conditions for the Palestinian front to fight this regime.

To sum it up, the geopolitical achievements of the Resistance in Syria and the region and the strengthening of the government of Bashar Assad, as well as the statements made by Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, about the ability to attack the Occupied Territories have increased the Israeli security concerns and provided an opportunity to confront the adventures of the Zionist regime.

Zionist Regime’s Future Plan

The end of the year developments of 2018 in Syria and the Middle East have generated new equations that have made the Zionist regime authorities more worried. Undoubtedly, Tel Aviv will take action to deal with the difficult conditions of the year 2019. The most important plans of the Zionist regime seem to include the following:

A) Strengthening and mobilizing the remaining elements of ISIS and keeping the flames of the war raging in Syria.

Recently, a think tank affiliated to the Israeli terrorism intelligence and espionage apparatus has released a report on the developments in Syria, which emphasizes that stability in Syria and the end of the crisis in the country would require withdrawal of the US from Syria and the provision of an opportunity for the Resistance Axis to increase pressure on the Palestinian front. The report points out that the Zionist regime is deeply concerned about the end of the conflict in Syria, as the focus of the Resistance will then be directed toward supporting Palestinian groups. In such a situation, the Zionist regime authorities would prefer to keep the flames of the conflict raging in Syria by rearming the elements of ISIS. It should also be noted that ISIS and other terrorist elements in Syria have already served to advance the interests of the Zionist regime.

B) Continued Efforts to Get Closer to Arab Countries

According to regional analysts, one of the advantages of the war in Syria for the Zionist regime was to provide appropriate grounds for the proximity of this regime with the Arab countries supporting the terrorist elements in the region. In this regard, and given the consolidation of the legitimate government of Bashar Assad and of the Syrian power basis, one of the plans of the Zionist regime in the coming year will be to get closer to the Arab states and create a new alignment in the region.

C) Efforts to Prevent Growing Influence of IRI

Confronting the expansion of Iran’s influence in the region will be another step by the Zionist regime in the year ahead. Examples of this are claims by the Zionist regime officials, including Gadi Eisenkot, chief of the General Staff of the Defense Forces, who recently said in a speech that the regime will soon become a member of a very broad coalition that will aim to prevent what he called Shiite hegemony in Syria and the formation of a Shiite crescent.

D) Undermine Closer Iran-Russia Cooperation on Syria

Officials of the Zionist regime consider closer cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia, especially on Syria, a significant factor in boosting the position of Iran. Thus, efforts have always been made to create a gap in this interaction, and in the coming year, this trend will continue to intensify. The adoption of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Tel Aviv by the Zionist regime, especially the many trips of its prime minister to Moscow and meeting with the Russian president, indicate that Israel is afraid of strengthening of relations between Tehran and Moscow. The continuation of such measures will be on the agenda of the Zionist regime in the New Year.

E) Support for Terrorist Groups to Create Instability in IRI

The geopolitical achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Syria, in particular, and in the Middle East region in general, have been the source of great concern among the authorities of the Zionist regime. In order to prevent the expansion of Iran’s influence in Syria and the region, Israel will seek to create insecurity on Iran’s border areas with the support of terrorist groups and elements in the year ahead. Although Israel has followed this policy in the previous years, it will pursue this task with more planning and intensity.