What is Israel doing in Syria, and why?

Description

Syria's around 25-million-strong population is widely varied, with multiple ethnicities and religions, some of which are still divided by years of dictatorship and civil war. Different foreign interests are promoting those divisions to further their own agendas, Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, told DW.

"We've seen the Russians pushing narratives against HTS, trying to 'protect' Christians over Christmas. We've seen the Iranians saying they're the 'protectors of the Shia' in Syria and Israel is doing the same thing by saying we're here to 'defend' the Druze," the analyst argued.

The last thing Israel wants is, "an inclusive government in Syria that can potentially stabilize the country to an extent that they would have the capabilities to fight back against Israel," Krieg argues.

Period	4 Mar 2025
Held at	Deutsche Welle, Germany