The Golan-based Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade is a relatively small Syrian rebel faction, primarily known for repeatedly attacking UN observer forces and twice kidnapping troops from the UN. Now it’s got another claim to fame as the first rebel faction to openly endorse Israel.
In an interview with the Times of Israel, a spokesman for the rebels insisted that not only do they have no existing conflict with Israel, but that they are grateful for Israeli medical aid provided to wounded rebel fighters.
The group’s spokesman also rejected claims that his group was involved in recent clashes along the frontier between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying they weren’t sure who it was, but that they group’s conflict begins and ends with President Bashar Assad, and that they would “never” clash with Israel.
The interview seems certain to fuel more Syrian government allegations of direct Israeli support for the rebels, particularly after multiple Israeli attacks on Syrian military sites in the middle of the war.
