WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stressed the importance of a collaborative strategy among Middle East partners, including Israel, to face the growing uncertainties of the Middle East in a speech Thursday night.
“A strong U.S. security relationship with Arab nations, including, particularly with Egypt and Jordan and our partners in the Gulf,” Hagel said, “are not only in American strategic interests, they are also in Israel’s security interests.”
The remarks, at a symposium held by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a non-profit think-tank, come during a time when the U.S. is fighting many battles on the political and security front: the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, the recent back-to-back airstrikes by Israel on Syrian military targets, Hezbollah’s support and action against Sunni’s and those against the regime, as well as the restarting of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
While cooperation would help stabilize the region, the crumbling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime leaves unanswered questions about whether the U.S. will need to become involved militarily, not just politically.
“It is safe to assume that if Assad’s chance of survival will diminish Hezbollah, will increase its efforts to take control of strategic arms including unconventional weapons,” said Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli member of Knesset from the Likud and a longtime lawmaker.
Reflecting the posture of Israel in recent days, Hanegbi neither confirmed nor denied Israel’s involvement airstrikes last week inside Syria that destroyed a military facility as well as a convoy filled with advanced missiles, said to be destined for Hezbollah.
The Shiite terrorist organization has recently increased its rhetoric and taken a more aggressive role in support of Assad and its regime. Part of that reason has to do with its financier, Iran.
In fact, Hezbollah has helped pro-Assad forces in what some are calling “ethnic cleansing” of border towns, most recently in Banias, which is mostly populated by Sunnis but is in a region that has a high population of Alawites.
These border towns are strategic because they are the supply routes for Hezbollah as well as Syria’s access to its two main seaports Taruts and Latakia.
Assad may decide to fall back and create an Alwaite enclave that is strategically positioned, said Mouaz Moustafa, director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force.
If the regime falls, Hezbollah would have its supply routes intact.
Recent reports that Russia is going through with a sale of one of its most advanced air defense systems, the S-300, to Syria is causing alarm.
“From a political standpoint, it signifies pretty clearly that the Russians remain absolutely committed to Assad,” said Dennis Ross, the former National Security Council senior director for the region.
In response to a question on whether or not this will affect a possible intervention by the U.S. or its allies, Ross said that it wouldn’t transform the military balance, but that it would complicate it. The U.S. could use other options such as providing “lethal assistance” in a way to effect the balance of power, Ross said.
“I think if the Russians are going to behave like this… They make it far more likely that the U.S. will be moving in that direction, so the Russians should be thinking pretty carefully about the choices they make,” Ross said.
President Barack Obama’s administration is moving cautiously and reviewing its position.
Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern Thursday on the issue.
“We have made it crystal clear that we prefer that Russia would not supply them assistance,” Kerry told reporters at a news conference.
If these developments were not disheartening enough, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the spiritual leader of Hezbollah, also said Thursday “We [Hezbollah] announce that we are with the Syrian leadership,” saying that they would seek to game changing weapons.
“These are the guys who are killing us, they are shelling them (Free Syrian Army) with sophisticated weapons.” Moustafa said. “The shipment that was bombed by the Israelis was meant to shell Homs and Qusair.”
Homs and Qusair are major supply routes that are used by Hezbollah and that also divide Syria in half.
Moustafa, who was recently in Syria and directs offices there to help nurture governing structures, said that there are yellow Hezbollah flags “all over” Qusair, Homs and in Damascus.
“This is a rare opportunity where our national strategic interests in this country and our core moral values completely align, where the stakes are big, not just for Syria but the region,” Moustafa said.