WSJ revelation: Israel is directly aiding Syrian rebels

Israel has been secretly helping Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights for years to maintain a buffer zone of friendly forces and suppress the forces of the Islamic State terrorist organization and those allied with Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. Support is essential and direct, the report said, and includes money, food, fuel and medical supplies, making several armed groups and large sections of the civilian population dependent on Israel's aid. The American paper bases its claims on information provided by several pro-rebels and those close to Israel's thinking. The sources said Israel's secret dealings with the rebels began in 2013. in XNUMX while Israel's Defense Minister was Moshe Ya'alon and that they have continued to this day to keep pro-Iranian organizations such as Hezbollah away from the border. The same sources say that a special unit of the Israeli army is in charge of overseeing the relief operation and that Israel is reviewing the situation in time to allocate a specific budget for the effort. Fighters in Syria told the Wall Street Journal that the main group cooperating with Israel is Fursan al-Julan (Knights of the Golan) and that it receives about $5.000 a month, has no support from other Western countries and is not affiliated with the Free Syrian Army. "Israel stood by our side in a heroic way. We would not have survived without Israel's help," the group's spokesman, Moatasem al-Golani, told the American newspaper. He said that cooperation began with wounded fighters who reached the Israeli border and begged for help from Israeli soldiers who spoke Arabic. The wounded were transferred to Israel for treatment, thus opening a secret channel. The mentioned group has about 400 fighters and is closely allied with four other groups on the Syrian side of the border with Israel, all of which allegedly receive some help from Israel. Unlike the Golan Knights, some groups benefit from Western support and are linked to some degree with the Free Syrian Army, the report said. And while Israel's medical aid to wounded Syrians arriving at the border has been known since the start of Syria's civil war, the new information, detailing Israel's support for the rebels, could increase tensions with the Syrian government and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Israel and Syria have technically been at war for decades and Israeli airstrikes have targeted forces in Syria on multiple occasions. The main goal was the delivery of weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is fighting on the side of the Syrian president's forces, and waged war against the Israeli army for more than a month in the summer of 2006. years. One source confirmed to the US paper that the money was crossing the border into Syria, but said it was allegedly being used for humanitarian purposes. The rebels denied this, explaining that the funds were used for salaries and the purchase of ammunition. The Israeli military declined to comment on the rebel claims, but the Wall Street Journal writes that Israel is committed to securing its borders and preventing the establishment of terrorist groups and hostile forces while providing humanitarian aid to Syrians living in the border area.