Israeli is now arming “at least” seven different militant groups in the Golan Heights, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on February 21.
According to the report, these “Sunni” militant groups receive arms, ammunition and money from Israel. The move comes after Washington has reduced its support to militants operating in southern Syria.
“In January, the Trump administration closed the operations centre the CIA ran in Amman, the Jordanian capital, which coordinated aid to rebel organisations in southern Syria. As a result, tens of thousands of rebels who received regular economic support from the US have been bereft of this support,” Haaretz wrote.
Tel Aviv used this to expand own influence there. The growing influence of Israeli-backed militant groups are a part of the wider plan of Tel Aviv aimed at building the so-called “Iran free zone” near the Golan Heights.