The recent airstrikes on Syria that are being attributed to Israel sparked a range of reactions in the resistance axis, that is, Syria, Iran, and Hizbullah. The Syrian regime called the attacks an act of war, and said that it reserves the right to react; various reports in the Arab media focused on possible responses by the Syrian regime, such as aiming missile batteries at Israel or giving a green light to operations in the Israeli part of the Golan Heights. Others, including some from within the regime, were critical of the Syrian regime for its failure to respond appropriately.
Hizbullah's reaction to the airstrike was muted. A senior source in the organization told the Kuwaiti Al-Rai daily that the alleged Israeli attack were conducted against Syrian military bases, not against weapons belonging to Hizbullah.[1] In Hizbullah's only official response so far to the attack, Hizbullah executive council deputy head Sheikh Nabil Qaouq said, "[These Israeli] attacks would not have taken place without the backing of the U.S. and the Arab League." He added that Hizbullah was ready to respond to any hostile act by Israel.[2]
Iran specifically denied Western reports that Israel had struck at batteries of Fateh-110 missiles that were en route to Hizbullah.
It appears that the purpose of these denials by Iran and Hizbullah is to extricate themselves from the need to respond at this time. In addition, in Iran it was acknowledged that Syria, mired as it is in a bloody civil war, was at this point incapable of forming an additional battlefront against Israel. Hossein Sheikh Al-Islam, advisor to Majlis speaker Ali Larijani, even said that if Syria were to respond, this would "not benefit" it in its current circumstances. At the same time, daily newspapers identified with the Iranian regime claimed that Israel's actions demanded an appropriate response, including striking Israeli interests worldwide.
This report will review some reactions to the airstrike from the resistance axis. It should be noted that some of the reports are attributed by the sources to other sources whose reliability may be questionable, or which may be part of a disinformation campaign.
Reactions In Syria: Syria Reserves The Right To Respond
The Syrian government stated that the Israeli attacks proved Syria's claim that there is a close relationship and coordination between Israel and terror organizations operating in Syria against the regime, headed by Jabhat Al-Nusrah. It also stated that the aim of the attacks was to ease the heavy regime pressure on these organizations.
At the end of a May 5 emergency government meeting, it was stated that "this aggression opens the door to all possibilities... Syria stresses... that it is always its right, and even its duty, to defend the homeland, the state, and the people against any internal or external attack, by all ways and means..."[3]
Syrian Foreign Ministry: Continued Attacks Will Drag The Region Into War
In its announcement to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the U.N. Security Council, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said: "The continued Israeli attacks will intensify the tension in the region and will drag it into an extensive regional war that will threaten international peace and security in the region and worldwide... Syria reserves the right to defend itself and its territory and sovereignty, and calls on the U.N. to bear the responsibility for stopping the Israeli attacks on Syria..."
It continued: "The backing given by several countries that are permanent Security Council members to the continued Israeli attacks... places full responsibility on them for the possible consequences of these attacks."[4]
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad was more vehement, saying in a CNN interview: "When they attack, this is a declaration of war. This is not something that is (new). We dealt with this on several occasions, and we retaliated the way we wanted, and the retaliation was always painful to Israel, and they will suffer again."[5]
Syrian Minister: No Escaping A Swift Response, Including In The Golan Heights
Syrian National Reconciliation Minister 'Ali Haidar criticized the Syrian government announcement, claiming that it "is not in proportion to the incident and to the severe losses incurred." He stressed, "The ceasefire with the enemy is ended, and there is no escaping a swift response in all places, including the Golan Heights... All borders must be considered open for an iron-on-iron clash... The response must be swift, so that this matter does not dissolve, as it always does..."[6]
Reports In Arab Media: Syria Aims Missile Batteries At Israel, Gives Green Light For Action Against It
Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian regime, reported that Syria was aiming missile batteries at Israel and was ready to arm the Lebanese resistance with weapons of every kind. The channel later reported that "targets within Israel have been identified, and they may be shelled in the event of any aggression of any kind, without the need [for approval] from the leadership... Furthermore, popular resistance brigades against Israel have been formed in the Golan Heights... and the Palestinian factions have been given permission to carry out operations against Israel from within the Golan Heights."[7]
On the other hand, reports in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai indicate that Syria has no intention of responding to the attacks, but that it will do so if the attacks continue. "Sources close to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad" told the daily that "Assad has informed the Russians that he expects, within 24 hours, a response to a message he sent the Americans via Moscow, that if Israel renews its attacks, it will be considered a declaration of war, and then there will be no warning...
"Orders have been given to deploy advanced Russian surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile batteries, and the response will be immediate..."[8]
Reactions In Iran: Threats And Acknowledgement That Syria Is Unwilling To Respond To Attacks
While Iranian officials, including Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi and Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, claimed that Syria would respond to the attacks,[9] Iranian circles acknowledged that Assad was preoccupied with fighting the rebels and was not able to form an additional battlefront against Israel. Hossein Sheikh Al-Islam, secretary-general of the Committee for the Support of the Palestinian Intifada in Iran and advisor to Majlis speaker Ali Larijani, even explained that "reacting to the Zionist regime's attacks under current circumstances, and forming a new front, will not benefit Syria, even though Syria has a good capability to react."[10] Hassan Hanizadeh, an analyst who is close to regime circles, said: "At this time, Syria is preoccupied with [its own] internal affairs, and is subject to heavy attacks by terrorist circles in Syria. [Therefore], it appears that the Syrian government does not have the necessary capability to launch a new front against Israel. However, when the Syrian government gains control of the internal situation, it will undoubtedly take appropriate steps against the Zionist regime."[11]
Iranian Official: Iran Is Not Arming Syria
In a May 5, 2013 interview with the Arabic-language Iranian TV channel Al-'Alam, Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff Masoud Jazayeri denied Western claims that Israel had attacked Iran-made Fateh-110 missiles in Syria. Calling these claims "psychological warfare," he said: "The Syrian government needs no armed support from Iran." Jazayeri also implied that Iran would continue with its attempts to arm Hizbullah, saying that "Iran is keeping tabs on the regional situation, and [therefore] has a clear conclusion about it; its agenda includes plans that could strengthen the resistance and [ensure] its continuation."[12]
Jomhouri-e Eslami: Israel And Its Interests Worldwide Could Be Targets For Syrian Retaliation
On May 6, 2013, the daily Jomhouri-e Eslami attacked the Arab world's "shameful and unprecedented" silence, and the silence in international forums, on the attack in Syria, stating: "In light of the Zionist regime's direct venture into the Syrian crisis, the crisis now enters a new phase. The array of the ranks in Syria has become clearer and more dangerous, and could swiftly make this crisis international, or at the very least, regional.
"There is no doubt that after these events, the Zionists cannot expect silence from the other side – and in this framework, not only occupied Palestine, but also the Zionist regime's interests worldwide could become targets for Syrian retaliation.
"It is only natural that the responsibility for events and their consequences, as well as for the uncontrollable escalation of this crisis, will rest firmly on the shoulders of the Zionists and their supporters."[13]
Javan Daily, Close To IRGC: Israeli Attack Demands Appropriate Response
The Javan daily, which is close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), also threatened in a May 6, 2013 article: "The Zionist regime's malicious attack in Syria, and the silence of the international forums that expresses [their] support [for the attacks], demands an appropriate response by the resistance front. Such a response can be equal in weight to the Zionists' military move, and can target the [Zionists'] interests in the region."[14]
Al-Quds Al-Arabi Editor: Lack Of Response Harms Syria's Honor
'Abd Al-Bari 'Atwan, editor of the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, wrote that the region was on the brink of a war that would change the regional map – and that Israel would not be the victor in this war. Claiming that there was a good chance that this time the Syrian regime would respond to Israel's bombing, he called on it to cease military action against the opposition and to shift its focus to the conflict with Israel. He also called on Syria regime allies Russia and Iran to launch political and military counteractions in order to stop the Israeli aggression.
Following are excerpts from his article:[15]
"If the Israeli missile attacks on Syria were not a 'declaration of war,' blatant aggression, and a violation of the sovereignty of a country engaged in civil war by means of ugly opportunism, then what is? ...
"We will not be surprised if this time Syria responds to the aggression, and we will not rule out the possibility that it will do so. If it does not respond, it mocks its [own] honor as well as [the honor] of those who stand alongside it, and its ideology of rejection and steadfastness. The Syrian people, and all Arab people, will no longer believe in the saying, 'a response in the appropriate time and place'...
"Many in the Arab and Islamic world wonder about the value of protecting Syrian missiles if these missiles are not used to respond to the Israeli humiliation and the recurring abandonment of Syria's national honor. While many understand why the Syrian regime is not initiating a preventative strike against Israel, they do not understand why it isn't defending itself and its land by standing up to such aggression.
"America defends Israel, and justifies this blatant aggression, by [saying that Israel] was defending its security against a country that isn't firing a single bullet at it and is also at risk of collapse and sectarian struggle. So why are Syria's allies, specifically Russia and Iran, not doing likewise, and why aren't they acting politically and militarily to stop such aggression? After all, the weapons destroyed by the Israeli bombs are primarily Russian and Iranian...
"The Syrian leadership must realize that if its regime is to fall, the most honorable way for it to do so is at war with the Israeli occupier, and after inflicting heavy losses on it... The Syrian regime must announce that it is completely halting military action against the opposition, as part of the call for national reconciliation, so as to focus on facing the Israeli aggression.
"In our opinion, the war has already begun, and the region stands on the edge of an abyss. We sense that this is going to be a war that is different with regard to its means and its outcome – and that this war will change the map of the region, and we do not see it ending in an Israeli victory. If Israel didn't win a 34-day war against Hizbullah, can it win this war, which it started, particularly if it becomes a regional or international war? We don't think so."
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Rai (Kuwait), May 6, 2013
[2] Alahednews.com.lb, May 6, 2013
[3] SANA news agency (Syria), May 6, 2013
[4] SANA (Syria), May 6, 2013.
[5] edition.cnn.com, May 6, 2013.
[6] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), May 5, 2013.
[7] Syria-news.com, May 6, 2013.
[8] Al-Rai (Kuwait), May 5, 2013.
[9] Alalam.ir, May 6, 2013; Mehr (Iran), May 5, 2013.
[10] Farsnews.com, May 5, 2013.
[11] 598.ir, May 5, 2013.
[12] Alalam.ir, May 5, 2013.
[13] Jomhouri-e Eslami (Iran), May 6, 2013.
[14] Javan (Iran), May 6, 2013.
[15] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), May 6, 2013.
