the international criminal called his actions. he's a lawyer, adamant to acquit 10 fights, a case of plus the lines between victim and pad to try to on questions whether the i c. c is but a new form of colonialism. we are talking about. maybe judges will belong to the industrialized gloves, theater of violence, witness on alex's era, as the assad government falls, israel seizes more territory is serious to go on heights that moves tears up. a 15 year old agreement is really far. right. ministers say they are countries, borders should expand further to damascus. so what are israel funds in syria? this is insightfully the

hello and welcome to the program. i'm telling you, navigate on with the eyes of the world on damascus. as we said, government falls, israel's attention has been on southern syria, is really tanks crossed into syria, seizing more territory alongside the occupied goal on heights, tearing up a 50 year old international agreement designating the area a buffer zone. and is really war. planes have been busy in syria to bombing damascus with is really military warning. syrian civilians in southern villages to stay in doors far right is really politicians have for some time been openly discussing, extending israel's borders. they say that ancient scripture dean syrian territory including the capital to be part of the greater israel. so are these theories a far right fantasy or an indication that israel in tends to expands in syria? what are is those plans on? will it safe to exploit the turmoil in syria?

we'll get to where i guess in a moment, but 1st this report by katya lopez. what a on shortly after serious president for charlotte saws removal from power is really tanks rolled into syrian control areas. and the golden heights of buffer zone with villagers warned to stay indoors is rarely prime minister. benjamin netanyahu says the move is temporary to ensure a security, as the war rages in casa, and fighting and loving on. this collapse is a direct result of our forceful action against cuz by law, in the wrong positives, main supporters that set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this germany added suppression. some analysts say israel may see serious political transition as an opportunity to expand its territory into the country to align with some israel's, for right minister, there's a lot of smart, rich has and recent,

most talked about what he describes as a strategy for a greater israel one backed by others on the far right of israel's political establishment. it seeks to invoke the bible and torah to justify expanding israel's territory across the parts of the middle east, including extending israel's borders to damascus, as he explained and a tv documentary by the french or to channel. i want a jewish state. what does that mean? a jewish state, it's very complex, it's a country run according to the values of the jewish people. these are all suffering the extends from the sea to the jordan does. and that would you go on to conquer the other side of the georgia? absolutely, but slowly, a great religious eldest used to say that the future of jerusalem was to extend as far as damascus. it's too early to know how serious main opposition, leader, of whom hospital gilani we work with other rebels groups. and ultimately, how they will address israel n around, but he's given an indication of his thinking on this victory, my brothers is

a new chapter in our history. this is a tonic points for the region. how many dangers of we avoid a $500.00 serial. if it's a rainy emissions spreading sectarianism and corruption throughout the country. shortly after opposition fighters took damascus media, and israel reported the country's forces, bummed, weapons depot, and southern syria and damascus to prevent adversaries from taking them. the new leadership in syria is now under scrutiny to see who it builds. lions, that's what you know for empower, liberated the syrians. yeah, it was the syrians themselves and it's in syrians hands to determine how the future looks like with homeless weekends and gaza and has the line loading on. some analysts say israel is intent on advancing further into syria to reshape the dynamics along the border. capielo, pennsylvania, which is 0 for insight story. the okay,

let's analyze the situation with our guest. joining us from durham and the u. k. is robert dice, pin folders, electro and international peace and security at durham university. i'm the author of the book, understanding territorial withdrawal is really occupations and exits and tell of eve. akiva elder is a political analyst and veteran journalist. and there's a box morocco summit. that was the, is a syria research or, and policy analyst. and the non resident fellow f, b to heavy instances for a middle east policy. thanks for your time with us on inside story. robert guys penfold by renouncing by israel renouncing the 1974 disagreement plan that important international agreement between israel and syria. what does this tell you about israel's plans and syria? well, these ready perspective is we made this agreement with the country or regime no longer exists the sod received brands and it wasn't made with the shower of the side. it was made with a sod spa, the heads of the sides,

and now we're seeing israel basically trying to maximize and it's at so called security, but also projected interest inside syria. so we have seen israel take that both assignment that is a just short of 250 square kilometers. so it's not a huge amount of to have a tree. what be interesting to here is how much this is coordinated with un forces . it's unlikely the un would've allow this to take place, but lately there is a around a 1000 un troops is within the buffers, which and they felt very vulnerable. likely indeed to have been some attacks against un peacekeepers as of late. so this is very much israel acting unilaterally to maximize that security. does this believe that taking territory equal security? now, once you actually scratch the surface, that's not true. you know, look at the go on heinz. the go on heights is supposed to be a bulk is owed to protect the rest of israel. so now what is what it's doing is

basically all you mean it needs a book was open to protect its book is own protecting the rest of his route. and you have to wonder, where does all this and you know what point do is i don't think as best bet to those small pictures, messianic ideological views all shed by many is right. these but he's the finance minister. he has the year of the prime minister. this is a prime minister. the used to be committed to upholding stuff his clothes. he gets a mass empowering golf, but it has blessed the 11th. that's no longer the case. nothing. you know, who is the regions biggest revision notice revisionist at the moment, is committed to reshaping the region. the order in favor of is running a favor of his own administration, and we're going to come back to what's the top of the screen. okay, we're going to come back to some of the comments that you made, but let me just bring it. i keep it from tel aviv. how is this being seen in israel and do you think in your opinion and keep an older that israel is here, effectively declaring war on syria, by tearing off disagreements? i think this is what is too busy now was uh, a few other issues. uh,

does it have nice today is that uh the time you know is about to uh, testify tomorrow is uh trial for corruption whether it will happen or not. uh the other thing is god, the caps is um, silly. uh, the tribes. this is where the instability in syria is helping the time, you know, to the invalid, the country of these ladies property and the political services. from there we have problems of these, right? we have lived for many years. where is julia on that goal on where it is uh, the support office blocks iran. and i think that today is where as from uh, the townhouse view is where it is, is in much better position. now that is quoting points against you on

uh and uh, if uh, is there a way to stay for a few days or months on the syrian how long is the time y'all's popularity? it will help him to convince the public opinion that this is not the time to uh, that he should spend more time. what is uh the uh, in the cabinet and uh, leaving the front d as in garza and celia. um and uh, i don't think that uh what the rage is uh serious about what he said. and uh the uh he just scratching the threshold from the boat to a smart ridge. so uh, with all due respect to what that is, the statements in berries where i can tell you that is what is going to be up to by the max. talk you buy them, ask them, ask those oh, the serious even the syrian,

i don't own miles. okay, let's bring in some of that. what would a, what do you think about this and are these moves into syria? sun might, in your opinion, temporary as nothing yahoo seem to say, i mean, do you, do you believe him when he says that and also how do you explain the a parent violation of siri and sovereignty? an occupation of moorland. as we've seen over the past few days with a parent, impunity we're seeing is really tanks right yesterday advancing in the summer and government of and i did, i find are jewelry. and of course, israel has regularly been striking syria for the past weeks, months, and even years. so these aggressions in themselves are not new. but what we're seeing now is that is there and was trying to seize a strategic opportunity to make use of the power that you, that has been left by default of decided machine noting that uh the establish

him was a weak regime. and so it was in a way easier to deal with because it was predictable for israel. so we might also think about how is rope receives, perhaps the formation of a new government in syria, especially if it is one that is democratically elected and how it might position itself. and so by already trying to stretch the legally occupied zones in the golan heights by trying to use similar arguments to further extend a buffer zone into another buffer. so we were seeing sort of israel trying to put out perhaps any possible moves from the, the syrian side. and it is trying to next on these areas of syria trying to bomb a lot of sites, both military but also civilian. and this is important because we're now seeing in damascus, there's a lot of here, obviously as there is an attempt to re,

for him and to transition. and these obstacles are obviously further hampering to any possible civilian democratic transition in syria because they're creating users of how perhaps it might be perceived in the outside. and how, perhaps israel, by further attempt to subvert this transition that the steering people have been waiting for for so long. okay, roberts, are these, these advances that we're seeing these advances or that we're seeing these, the aims at establishing a buffer zone to secure the occupied goal on heights and to occupy further syrian territory? what sort of who, who is the message that the vanessa, the whole government sending a message to who uh by uh, by making these things. well i think the nets and yahoo government just feels like it can. i don't think it's necessarily sending a message. it just feels like it could do this at the moment. this is not the nets and yahoo government. as i was saying before, pre october,

the 7th 2023. that was connected to the status quotes. and actually i think that daniel, who quite liked the cypress e, big impact, what's because it had some want to make a talk to it happen to dress. they didn't get on at all. but it felt like it could, the, to the side received this out to redeem was too weak to be a strategic threat to israel. but at the same time, it was strong enough to keep its board a well policed and safe thought is no longer the case. which is why israel feels like and it should advance. i don't think if this, if this, the read revolution that happened in a vacuum is wrong with it, but violence because it would have felt like it couldn't. but this is a very different israel. these were always things, but this isn't as well as occupying dogs or isn't israel that's occupied fox 11 and isn't israel to, is now moving to occupied pulse of syria. and so the decision making is completely different from how it was before this recent regional conflict ration, as has been mentioned, is what is also striking sites throughout syria to stop at primarily,

probably just the weapons and the regime falling into the hands of revel groups or basically just getting ready to go on the black market, but it's not just as ro here as well as all sorts of other regional plans. you have 30 oki by northern syria. you have a us presence in southern and eastern syria. there are all sorts of external powers and players with this thing is in the syrian part, which unfortunately means i'm quite pessimistic about the syrian people being able to peacefully determine their own future as they have a sovereign right to. to keep you. 2 seems to be somewhat dismissive of the comments that were that were made by best on the smart trips when he sides. that the jewish state shouldn't compass all, not only palestinian territories, but neighboring arab territories, like the syrian capital, damascus, jordan lab, and on egypt, syria, iraq. i'll just elaborate on why you don't think this idea will gain traction in israel and how much support does it have amongst the right wing

politicians though like best on a sponsor with himself? i agree with was what would uh, when he said that is right, it's doing what it's doing because it can. but uh the question is, well is way to be able to do what smoke treat shop is firing. um, once the trunk was a goal, but now the international arena is very chaotic. and danielle is, as i said before, in a very probably magic situation in his personal lives, in his political life. and he's events on this looked rich, but uh, we know that i've seen that uh president trump wants is to get involved in a regional out of war,

not the ukraine and not in syria. what he was about to do is to bring together. busy is read and saw your ravia and maybe p as well as a, there are as writers who don't like smoke rage, they see an opportunity here to, uh, uh, facilitate kind of a regional piece, quoting you on that last is foxes. and what do we need? these are not our now after we scored so many points when he's with the to come us, if you just as by law and now aside, who was actually offering a military base for you on. so there was an opportunity now for expanding disclosures, and i hope someone a waste for julie trump's. yes, that's maybe uh what he was dreaming about was about the normal piece. price is around the corner now, but i keep

a trump was the one of course we recognize that it is really onyx ation of the occupied golden heights during his 1st 1st term. so to what extent are politicians in israel relying? i hear what you're saying about uh their, their support. they're looking for trump supports when it comes to iran. but to what extent are they rely on his support to sort of redraw the map of the region, which is something we've heard them speak off before? i think that so we see a different drums now. uh, i don't think that the key is inspiring for a service to him as president when he was recognizing jews and then was attracted to the official air. and these very sovereignty on the go on high few was are still having it is my running for president for the time. but now i think that he is free or that he doesn't need his a jewish find this. he doesn't need a joys voice. he has a, you know,

his son in law as the special emissary, boy is what we generally live a nice. so i, well maybe it's a wishful thinking, but we may see a difference. the trump policy in the middle east. we still don't know if he has a policy, you know, he is candidate for the national intelligence to handle the pages. right. um said that uh i said it is a very nice guy and there was never a tim. so attacks on civilians on the civilians in syria, so we really don't know what is going to happen in january. but i think that there is a great opportunity for us. i have to forget about the smoke but just kind of dreams and to get down. drill business and okay, try to reach out to uh, realize, let me, let me, uh, bring in, uh, somebody once again, uh,

talk to somebody about the opposition in syria, the new administration, and how it's is going to deal with these uh, what we're currently seeing. these expansionist plans off is ro inside syrian territory. i think the power dynamics currently are quite complex and there's a huge need to sort of re, for him to, to spend. and i'd to try to ensure that there is a so i think tradition of power within syria. this is obviously very much complicated by id is really aggression because it forces the continuation of our image. and we're seeing sort of huge fragmentation as well within the groups that have thoughts on to a couple of the region because a lot of these groups have not been ideologically aligned. they've sort right, valid key, tried to work together in order to advance militarily. but now we're probably going to see a lot more christ within this unity. and so how to respond to, to uh,

as well as the impression now, while there are lots of urgent priorities in syria, as is quite complicated for associate, that he needs been released from presents the inability to logistically reach out to those. i didn't need to provide stability to restore public services. so there's a lot of segmentation on the governance level of the law office in summer while the opposition man, as busy as you're saying dealing with sort of the internal issues as a result of the fall of damascus and so on and so forth. and do you think that israel is going to use that to its advantage and to continue to secure what it calls these buffer zones inside syria? and i think it might continue to do so, especially since there is but we need to contextualize the forces and the abilities that the opposition has. because it does not have the russian air force that the south region used to have. it does not have room support as of yet, so it is

a significantly more diminished version of our, the syrian army that we're seeing. i was able to serve, make advances on the ground. it is much more unlikely to respond at the moment to, to israel because it does not have the capacities to do so. i so is ro is probably going to seize that in order to continue making advances, which is why it is important to be reminded of the khalidi of that move and the need to protect are serious sovereignty or even at the international community's level. roberts, what do you think about about this and the way that the opposition of the new administration is going to deal with this going forward and should they be doing something about it right now? well, i think they frankly have bigger fish to fry at the moment. uh, always being an ideal will they be wanting to do something about it is not exactly a great way to start a new one administration by giving up large parts of your territory to foreign powers. but i also think that's just the reality of syria at that moment,

as i sites turnkey is occupying a significant amount of syrian territory in the north, its proxy groups all stretching out there. you have the codes in the east to have been defective all tournaments for a long time. now you have the us presence in the south, and now you have, this is really present as well. but we still need to see what this new regime is. serial will look like we don't know whether it will be a democracy. we don't know what, who will be leading, and we've heard about the new prime minister, but that's as far as we've got so far, we know they'll be some sort of transition. but we don't know what syria will look like, not just internally in terms of its constitution, but also geographically by the end of this. because yes, you can have lines on the ma up. but for a very long time. now those lines on the maps of not correspondents, you actually do controls watch in siri, who's in charge. the sound regime is gone, but even the ad is more recent high. it was that many controlling around 2 thirds to 75 percent of syrian territory. so the summary of it he is having,

occupying forces in syria is nothing new, and i doubt it's going to be just israel, and i doubt it's going to end any time soon. okay. but on that point, robert, and by expanding that buffer zone, as israel coles, it's, i mean, how likely is it then it makes any negotiations over the return of syrian territory more difficult in the future because of course, be occupied, go on. heights will then be surrounded on both sides by areas with significant is really influence. well, a key, but we'll be able to talk about this back to the myself, but one of the key things the settlement movement in his route powered sizes is something called facts on the grounds, basically as changing realities on the ground, regardless of what international or foreign powers say, so there is kind of a strategic utilities not point in taking another buff. is that because i say that it goes to asians, they become just about the go like heights. the is ralph. he plays on on excell defacto onyx, but they become a bat is real saying okay,

we can leave the buffers. i would, if you liked us, have the go on the heights or most of the game on high. so it is a power grab or long drive and that strategic sense, the question is, is israel stains? there's been plenty of times in the past, wherever all has occupied for entire drake. if it needs very quickly, that's not the game changing. the question is, how long this occupation last i wouldn't listen to statements by israel's leaders as anything indicative bad israel. for example, in 1995 created a security zone and so the 11 and taking at 11 seventies territory south of the tani river, the defense minister at the time, she won't perez, so it will be the only the flux, winter lebanon. and his role didn't leave for the 15 years. all right, so the truth would have time will tell is the long and show a will have to say whether it's ralph really does demonstrate any intent to the, even if it doesn't, it could be that for a very long time. okay, but do you want to weigh in on us? so yeah, actually um, i have to remind you

a drawing and the view is that uh in 2007 is while strong the, uh, uh, syrian nuclear reactor. and this is buried into the message that it's not about the buffer zone. if celia had the nuclear facility, then usually a bomb the today we were in the different ball. okay. so in the model was when you have terrorism and is what, what is very worried about the disability, the risk that the rebels would take over the chemical chemical weapons that the silvia accumulated. so a buffer zone is yesterday's use and i think that is well needs to build a new policy. and that the g as always is the palestinian

problem. do a few patients and once it's ready would realize this, everything is possible. okay, some uh, final words uh to you, you were talking about this a while ago about the sort of vacuum that's been created now, and we know there were russian troops that were stationed in that sort of border area where they were a guarantor, so to speak, of the subs government's security, but since moscow of bands and these positions, what sort of vacuum has that created in that area? has created a vacuum that opposition groups have been trying to show. but those trying to retain control over the territories that the opposition has managed to again and trying to further continue advance obvious means that militarily, there is a lot of fragmentation and there are lots of other opposing groups, right? the art of buying for a territorial control in serious there's

a lot of presentation, there's a lot of difficulties and trying to retain a protect our strategic sites, which is again why as well as making advances now as x years sort of past for a new military as emerging in syria, i'm sort of trying to see which positions i need it to be kept and protected. but again, these not training developments are the operating themselves interaction. they're also operating against the backdrop of trying to ensure a transition. and just reminding also that for a lot of serious, this is a very waiting period because they also do not know what their future is would be made of. and so trying to reconcile both these nutritionists with political shirts, with attempts to obviously ensure that mentoring acres and is going to be quite complicated and definitely something to,

to keep an eye on. we'll leave it there. thank you so much. so my guess for joining us, robert guys penfold, i keep a elder and said much i will do. thank you so much. thank you for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website out to 0 talk. com for further discussion goes to our facebook page, starts facebook dot com, forward slash a inside story. during the conversation on x or handle is, is your insight stories for myself and the whole team here in delphi, thanks for watching by the, of the war on dogs. on the future of the middle east, if we are not going to take the opportunity to create the polishing and state today situation, we get worse in the region to model award winning or set them up. these has speaks to french from the prime minister, dominique to the time. it is the indifference eighties,

that issue money to that is shooting via judy i, b, b, and on out of his era. viewing the combination of violent wars and the heavy rain, creating a respiratory for more suffering for palestinians asking questions. what are the challenges in helping girls that are seeing this within these conflict, we're pushing for the action. a lot of the rates are really, really they, we've done this in an in depth coverage. so, you know, i'll just say it was teens on the ground. when you closer to the heart of the story . all through a decade of honoring individuals and institutions working in translation between arabic and faulty. how the world language is shay come. odd award for translation and international understanding is hosting. it's 10 towards during the day on the 10th of december of 2024 in doha,

tom shay come on the award for translation and international understanding from the arabic language to mankind. the or hello. i'm jessica washington in doha. the top stories on how to 0 in syria, multiple explosions, have targeted domestic is a day off. the opposition forces to go with the capital leading to the collapse of the outside regime is rarely on the radio is reporting. israel has carried out large scale strikes across syria targeting strategic military infrastructure. that's a serious new administration is aiming to turn the page on 50 years of dictatorship and build. what it says will be.