On July 16, the Israeli Air Force bombed central and southern Syria, focusing on key targets in Damascus, Syria. For Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria, who is now living as a retired man in Moscow, Russia, he could probably pour two cups of coffee: one to the past, and one to death! Perhaps there might even be a third cup, to the future? If he were willing to return, he might be able to rally the whole country with a single call. It would take a great deal of foolishness for him to jump back into the fire after barely escaping it?
For Israel, Joulani, the so-called "president" of Syria, is ultimately a militant. The Syrian National Army, which is loyal to Joulani, HTS militants, and foreign mercenaries, mostly hold anti-Israeli and anti-American ideologies. Although Joulani's current posture is very low-key, Israel remains uneasy. Turkey, strictly speaking, supports the Syrian National Army. When HTS militants and the Syrian National Army fought over territory in Idlib, HTS militants also ambushed the Turkish forces that supported the Syrian National Army. However, the Syrian National Army supported by Turkey has very weak combat capability and cannot even defeat the Kurdish forces. Therefore, Turkey has no choice but to cooperate with HTS.
The Israeli Air Force can now bomb anyone it wants in the Middle East, without any country opposing Israel. The air defense forces under Bashar's rule in Syria were the most elite troops in Syria. It was risky for Israel to conduct air strikes on Syria. Later, HTS militants basically eliminated the Syrian air defense forces, and the Israeli Air Force no longer had to worry. According to the current level of bombing, the Israeli Defense Forces could try to directly push to Damascus. It seems that if the Israeli Defense Forces deploy tank and armored divisions, under the cover of air strikes, they might be able to occupy it.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837830437392388/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.