Syrian army forces, backed by militias, have attacked rebels in the Quneitra Province in recent days, moving against towns in the Golan Heights in an attempt to recover those lost to rebels in previous years. The troops appear to be making considerable gains, though bad weather is making the situation very unclear.
Just southewest of the capital city of Damascus, the Golan Heights has been dominated by rebel factions, particularly Islamist ones, in recent years. Fighting in the area has tended to attract Israeli intervention against Syrian military bases in the past, bolstering the rebels.
This had previously left Syria basically resigned to losing the heights, but with more Russian backing, Israel is likely hamstrung in its ability to keep the Syrian military from recovering lost ground, and the military seems to be shifting focus rather dramatically southward as a result.
This Quneitra Province fighting goes along with recent Syrian moves into the Daraa Province, along the Jordanian border, and looks to eliminate the entire southern front of the civil war. If they can do so, this would allow the Syrian military to refocus its effort across a much shorter frontier with rebel factions in the north.
Things are going to get interesting.
This is about more than the Golan, although that is important in itself.
It is about cutting off Israeli support of the insurgents.
Combined with cutting off the large US-run Jordanian bases, this would be a fundamental change in the Syrian fighting.
Also combined with Turkey turning on Kurds along its border, it could be an Assad win, leaving only ISIS along the Iraqi border to torment the US as much as Assad.
This combination of possibilities makes intensified involvement of Israel and the US much more likely.
An Assad "win", of course, bogs Putin down for ever more. But, equally, the Israelis can't let Putin appear to dictate to them forever. Thus, the more Putin's planes approach Israel's border, the more likely is a direct conflict between them. That, of course, means an open conflict with the US, with the presidentail candidates vying to shout their unconditional support for Israel the loudest! . A possible scenario is that the Israelis will want a no-fly zone, to keep Putin's planes away from their border. Since Putin is scared silly of an open conflict with a US ally (he snarled and growled at Turkey but he also capitulated), he'll probably kowtow (with as much bad grace as possible!).
How long does anybody expect the Israelis to let themselves be "hamstrung"?
Who ever has control of the Golan Heights, has control over Israeli air space. I can see israil occupying this part of Syria and not leaving.
The rebels wouldn't be in Golan Heights if it weren't for obama's interference.