In a bold revelation, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared before a cheering crowd:
“The fighting will not stop until hundreds of thousands of Gazans are gone — and Syria is divided.”
His statement, delivered on April 29, 2025, laid bare what many have long understood: Israel’s wars are not about security or counterterrorism — they are about maps. They are about redrawing the region, fragmenting nations, displacing populations, and rewriting history.
In a powerful essay published by Middle East Eye, Tunisian writer Soumaya Ghannoushi explained that Israel’s real project is not peace, but paralysis — the systemic breaking of Arab nations into weakened, voiceless entities.
A Vision of a Fragmented Syria
Israel’s strategic map for Syria includes:
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- A Kurdish canton in the northeast
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- A Druze enclave in the south
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- An Alawite coastal strip
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- And scattered, sovereignty-stripped Sunni zones
The purpose? Not coexistence, but division. A Syria that is split cannot resist occupation. A fragmented Syria cannot speak for Palestine. And through the guise of “security,” Israel entrenches itself — but its gaze reaches further, toward Turkey.
From Nawa to Yarmouk — Targeting Memory Itself
In early April, Israeli fighter jets once again violated Syrian airspace, bombing both military and civilian areas. Among the targets was Nawa, a historic city and the birthplace of Imam al-Nawawi, one of the most revered scholars in Islamic history.
“To strike Nawa,” Ghannoushi writes, “is to target not just a location, but Islamic memory itself.”
Nawa is where the young Nawawi memorised the Qur’an and chose knowledge over commerce. His name echoes across centuries — from Cairo to Kuala Lumpur.
Nearby stands Tell al-Jabiyah, where Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab once stood to accept the keys to Jerusalem. This sacred geography is not merely land, but a symbol of Islamic history, legacy, and resistance.
A Region of Resistance, Not Ruins
The region of Hauran — home to scholars like Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ibn Kathir, and the battlefield of Yarmouk, where Khalid ibn al-Walid crushed the Byzantine empire in 636 — has always been a cradle of civilisation and resistance.
To attack this region is to declare war on the very essence of Arab and Islamic identity.
Beyond Assad: Israel’s New Campaign
Since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, Israel has launched its most intense campaign in years, flattening infrastructure, neutralising air defences, and seizing strategic territory.
On the day after Assad fled to Moscow, Israeli officials announced their intent to carve out a 400 km² buffer zone inside Syria — larger than the entire Gaza Strip.
Troops now occupy the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz stating:
“We will stay here. The southern region will be demilitarised. We will not tolerate any threat to the Druze.”
But this is not protection — it’s exploitation.
The Druze and the Myth of Israeli Inclusion
Israel’s supposed care for Syria’s Druze community is belied by its betrayal of the Druze within its own borders. Though many Druze serve in the Israeli military, they continue to face:
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- Land discrimination
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- Home demolitions
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- Unequal education and housing
A 2024 report by the Institute for National Security Studies warned that ongoing neglect risks a full rupture between Druze citizens and the Israeli state.
The 2018 Nation-State Law, which codified Jewish supremacy, was a breaking point for many — turning what was once lauded as a “blood pact” into a bitter lament.
A Blueprint for Disintegration
Israel’s vision is not speculative — it’s official policy. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar openly stated that Syria “should not remain a unified state.” Military analyst Rami Simani went further, claiming:
“Syria never had a right to exist. It must be dismantled. Israel must ensure Syria disappears — replaced by five cantons.”
This is not rhetoric — it is a strategic doctrine of dismemberment.
Occupation Disguised as Security
Israel now positions itself along:
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- The southern Golan
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- The Syrian side of Mount Hermon
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- Multiple buffer zones in Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida
Their justification? “Preventing threats” to minority groups.
Their true motive? Permanent control.
With eyes now fixed on Turkey, Israeli strategists view Ankara — not Tehran — as the greater long-term threat, due to its support for a unified Syria.
April’s airstrikes — especially those near Nawa — sent a clear message to both Damascus and Ankara:
“This is Israel’s sphere of influence.”
Silence, Diplomacy, and Bombs
The new Syrian leadership under President Ahmad al-Shar’ has responded cautiously, even hinting at a willingness to normalise ties under the “right conditions.” Yet Israel responded not with diplomacy, but with more bombs.
Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that no Syrian or HTS forces would be tolerated south of Damascus, and demanded complete demilitarisation of southern Syria.
Translation: There is no room for Syrian sovereignty.
From Sanctions to Submission
In Washington, the Israel lobby pushes for harsher sanctions, while U.S. officials issue impossible demands, including the banning of Palestinian political activity on Syrian soil.
A nation still reeling from 14 years of war is now told it must sacrifice its independence, memory, and alliances — or be punished further.
But Syria Still Breathes
Yet something is stirring. The funeral of the nine civilians killed in Nawa became a rallying cry. Streets across Syria filled with demonstrators.
A generation once defeated by war is rising again — not in faith in governments, but in faith in their land.
Because Syria is not just geography. It is:
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- Nawa
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- Yarmouk
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- Ibn Kathir
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- Salah al-Din
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- Sultan al-Atrash
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- Khalid ibn al-Walid
It is resilience carved in earth, a civilisation made of flesh and honour. It will not vanish silently. And its people — wounded but not broken — are awakening once more.
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