Israeli Soldiers Deployed on the New Syrian Front Can't Say What the Future Holds - Middle East News - Haaretz.com
SYRIA - On Highway 98 in the Golan Heights, just before the moshav of Alonei Habashan, a group of men are standing in front of a monument commemorating the deaths in Division 146 in the Yom Kippur War. They are listening to the story of the battle from someone appearing to be the group's guide.
On October 10, 1973, the division was ordered to capture Tel Kudna, considered a strategic stronghold of the Syrian army, which was deployed in great force in the area. Already at the start of the operation, tanks started getting hit and the divisional commander ordered a halt to the attack, and his forces retreated.
Not far from there, in Alonei Habashan, waits Brig. Gen. Yair Peli, commander of Division 210, the regional division responsible for the Golan area in northern Israel. The vehicle Peli is in is leading a convoy of vehicles on a tour for military correspondents, so they can see the deployment of Israeli military forces in the demilitarized zone along the Syrian border.
"We're on the way to Tel Kudna," says the tour's commander. "On that Yom Kippur, tank brigades did not manage to enter this area; today we're entering with jeeps and all-terrain vehicles, and within 15 minutes we're there."
We enter the area through a small gate, such as the ones in the Gaza Strip. "We stay on the track the whole time," says the driver, Zvi Nakash, 43, from Be'er Sheva, an engineer doing reserve duty. "You don't just wander around here, there could be mines in the area."
Right at the entrance to the demilitarized zone you can see the first houses. This is a rural area in which residents have remained in their homes. We see one of them in the yard of his house. "In general, they know not to approach our forces," says the tour's commander.
Nakash asks if his passengers want to listen to some music. "Is Dudu Tassa OK?" he asks, as one of the singer-songwriter's songs is already playing in the background. "You need to prepare for a deluge, you need to prepare for war, I've told you, these aren't blessed rains," sings Tassa, asking "what will become of us, what will become of me?"
IDF forces in Syria on Wednesday.Credit: Yaniv Kubovitch
The barrels marking the buffer zone stand in the middle of what looks like a construction site. "This is the new obstacle we've started constructing," says Peli, explaining the presence of all the heavy equipment. "We've already built 15 kilometers of this obstacle, where the fence used to be. There is a ditch and boulders whose purpose is to delay the enemy for at least 40 minutes in case they want to invade Israel," he says.
On the way, one can see abandoned Syrian positions. Syrian army soldiers took off their uniforms and fled the area. Last Friday, defense officials realized that the Syrian army was disintegrating, and within 12 hours, divisional forces were ready with plans that had been made earlier involving a dash to the demilitarized zone, with the purpose of getting there before other players in the area do.
Along the entire road to Tel Kudna one can see IDF soldiers in positions abandoned by the Syrian army. The convoy reaches Tel Kudna in 20 minutes. One cannot but be immediately surprised by how bad the Syrian army's condition was. These positions are unfit to live in. The IDF has already starting bringing in caravans and containers so that soldiers can stay there under reasonable conditions.
The positions are neglected, and it appears that Syrian soldiers would light fires inside these positions to try and stay warm. These were guard positions that were smaller than four square meters (43 square feet), with no power or water, where there were burned pots in which Syrian soldiers cooked their food.
Israeli soldiers near a Syrian army post in the demilitarized zone, Wednesday.Credit: Yaniv Kubovitch
In some positions, IDF soldiers found some munitions, but in very small quantities. "The Syrian army fled and for now there is no one else threatening our forces in the area," says Peli. "But we realize that this could turn on a dime, and we're prepared for such an eventuality."
The IDF was surprised by the low standard of the Syrian army's conditions in the area that was abandoned. "In contrast to Hamas and Hezbollah, which built themselves up well, this was a force with very mediocre standards."
In contrast to the previous round of the civil war in Syria, this time you don't hear or see the rebels, with no mushrooms of smoke or sounds of explosions. "The significant action is in Homs and Damascus, where there are tens of thousands of rebels who have taken over," says Peli. "In the Golan, there are militants from the previous round. But they too are trying to understand the event and where it is heading."
The IDF cannot say how long it will stay in the demilitarized zone. "Anything between four days and four years would be correct," says Peli. "We still don't know where all this is going."
Up to the beginning of the rebel attack, this area was quiet, and the IDF maintained it with a very small number of soldiers. Now, says the divisional commander, Syria has become a major arena which the IDF will have to deal with. "It's instantly become a huge front. We are already organizing the place so that soldiers can stay here under good conditions. The IDF is flexible, and we started organizing within days."
Construction in the demilitarized zone in Syria, Wednesday.Credit: Yaniv Kubovitch
The IDF did not take into account another significant front when calculating the need for reserve forces, and is trying to avoid having reservists deal with the new challenge. "The army is stretched more than ever these days," says Peli. "We estimate that this will not be a burden on reservists, and that mainly conscript soldiers will be deployed here. We hope this works."
From the Syrian side one can see villages close to the Israeli side of the border fence. Peli lives in one of them. He tries to locate his house. "We have very strong defensive positions," he says. "For now, there is no threat to our forces from forces inside Syria, but no one knows where this is going and what their plans are. In any case, we are prepared for all scenarios, even if they try to challenge us."
Soldiers are told that as long as civilians walk around in the demilitarized zone, they are not allowed to shoot at them. If anyone approaches, warning shots are to be fired. If there are any militants, the order is to shoot to kill, which also applies to anyone trying to cross the fence into Israel, regardless of whether they are armed or not.
"This is why we are constructing a serious obstacle which will not allow passage into Israel if they decide to come this way. The way it is built, this is an obstacle that cannot be crossed by vehicle," says Peli, pointing to the fence being built.
Without adding a word, everyone there starts laughing, and Peli realizes that he needs to focus his words. "After October 7, everyone knows that there is no obstacle that cannot be breached, but this time we're building a serious one."
At the end of the tour, we return to the vehicles. "Should I put on Dudu Tassa?" asks Nakash, who has already started singing along with Tassa. "What a day, what a day I had, it was a bit too much."