Israeli planned to isolate Syrian regime from Iran, says Israel Today

DARAMSUQ / TEL AVIV — According to Israel Today, the Israeli government planned to isolate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from Tehran, pushing him to expel the Iranians from Syria in exchange for a return to the Arab League.

The popular Israeli newspaper stated that the plan was multi-staged, starting with Assad’s call to remove all foreign forces that entered Syria after 2011 on the basis that their presence in the region is no longer needed.

In exchange for this step, Syria will be allowed to return to the Arab League, and investments from the Arab Gulf states will be pumped into the Syrian economy. This would replace Iranian investments, which currently dominate the Syrian economy. The plan also includes political reforms and holding elections at the end of the process.

The newspaper pointed out that this plan was first presented by Israel at a summit held in Jerusalem three years ago. It was drafted by the Israeli, U.S. and Russian National Security Advisers, Meir Ben-Shabbat, John Bolton, and Nikolai Patrushev respectively.

It was after this conference that Shabbat presented the plan to all the Arab countries which have relations with Israel, including the Gulf states.

Although the plan was approved by previous Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his successor Naftali Bennett has reportedly blocked the audacious regional initiative.