The arenas between the rounds
As long as the arenas around us remain open, whether it is Lebanon, Syria, or the Gaza Strip, the threats exist and the focus shifts in an endless loop between one threat circle and another, regardless of whether they are strategic or tactical.
What should we expect in the days when there are no attacks on Iran? And it does not matter if it is the end of another round of fighting, ours or the US's against it. As long as the arenas around us remain open, whether it is Lebanon, Syria, or the Gaza Strip, the threats exist and the focus shifts in an endless loop between one threat circle and another, regardless of whether they are strategic or tactical.
The other arenas are, of course, active even during the confrontations with Iran. When the Iranian arena is burning, reports also emerge from other sectors, but the focus is not on them most of the time. A prominent example of this was recorded on March 20, in the midst of Operation "Lion's Roar". That morning, among all the reports from Iran, a statement was published by the IDF Spokesperson, which at those moments felt like confusion in the arena or in the date. The statement said: "In response to attacks against the Druze population in the As-Suwayda area, the IDF attacked infrastructure of the Syrian regime in southern Syria."
This was not a mistake, but a reminder that nothing is solved yet, and not only in Iran. Yesterday, after two relatively quiet nights on the Iranian front, several reports from Syria reminded us again that Israel's presence in the south of the country, since the fall of the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, is taking its toll. Syrian networks, identified with the regime of current Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, reported, among other things, that the IDF dropped leaflets in the Daraa area in Syria, in which it demanded that residents stop blocking roads and interfering with the forces' activities.
Israeli activity in Syria continues, but Syria's regional status is changing, and Israel must decide where it stands in this arena, facing the new Syrian regime, which has already accumulated quite a bit of legitimacy. The facts are that President Donald Trump wanted Syria to deal with the issue of Hezbollah in Lebanon instead of Israel, and it seems he trusts al-Sharaa. Syria itself is not interested in Israel's presence in the south of the country, and Israel remains for the time being. More and more parties support Syria and its sovereignty and call on Israel to withdraw.
Al-Sharaa, for his part, distributes precise diplomatic answers. The Qatari Al-Jazeera network reported yesterday that he said Syria avoids confrontation with Israel and has no interest in it. He also clarified, again, regarding Lebanon, that Syria has no intention of intervening militarily in the country. Syria is gaining sympathy, and Israel is slowly establishing its place as the problematic factor. If from our point of view there are good reasons for attacks and actions in Syria, they must be communicated accordingly to the public in the country and to the world.
We have quite a bit in common with the "new Syria" – at least in terms of the Iranian challenge. The pro-Iranian elements in Syria cooperated with the Assad regime, and al-Sharaa acts consistently against them and against Iranian influence in his country. In recent days, it was reported that units in the Syrian Ministry of Interior thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles from Iraq, through Syrian territory, to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran even aimed at the Al-Tanf base in Syria as part of its recent regional attacks.
Now, when the Iranian arena is still open, despite the relative quiet, and when there is no expectation of an agreement with it regarding the critical issues for Israel — those that were not mentioned at all in the memorandum of understanding with the USA, such as the issues of missiles and the funding of Iran's proxies in the region — Israel needs, until the next round, more partners and as few open arenas as possible.
