Israeli Army Chief Credits Attacks in Syria With Reducing Iran Activity

Claims over 500 strikes hit this year

Israel’s policy to generally not discuss its airstrikes in Syria and elsewhere isn’t meant to imply shame. On Friday, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli Army Chief of Staff, discussed and praised the policy, claiming that they had been reducing Iran’s activities with all the attacks.

This is the narrative that underpins the whole Israeli operation, that they are attacking Syria specifically to target Iran. With Kochavi crediting Israel for over 500 strikes this year, it would be difficult for him to maintain that story and not claim to have accomplished something.

Yet proof of the assertion that Iran’s activities are reduced is hard to come by. This is particularly true because Iran didn’t seem to be doing much in the first place in Syria, and most of Israel’s attacks on “Iran” don’t actually hit Iranians, but rather just Shi’ites from some other country.

Kochavi says the policy has not reached its goals, though what those goals ever were has always been unclear, with Israel seemingly wanting Iran out of Syria, but broadening their definition of Iran to the point that’ll never be achievable.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.