'They're No Zionists': How Syria's Rebels Toppled Assad and What It means for Israel
The Syrian rebels who toppled Bashar Assad are highly unlikely to pose an immediate threat to Israel, leading Middle East expert Hassan Hassan said on the latest episode of the Haaretz Podcast
The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has left Israel concerned about the future of what has been its quietest border in an era of continual instability and war as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS the rebel group that drove Assad out and has roots in Al-Qaeda and ISIS takes charge
Despite the public split from al-Qaeda and name changes HTS continued to be designated by the UN, US, UK and other countries as a terrorist organisation
Syrian-born journalist, author and editor-in-chief of New Lines Magazine Hassan, believes that their posture towards Israel would be,
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"cut from the same cloth" as Assad's who "never really waged war against Israel since 1973"
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"I suspect they will probably send signals to Israel directly or indirectly that they're not interested in igniting anything there"
