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Israel today said that it is not involved in the conflict in Syria, nor does it want to involve itself, but Tel Aviv is preparing to defend itself against any attack that may come from the Syrian side, Israel's envoy to India Reuven Azar said.
Speaking exclusively to News Agency World, Mr Azar said that all that is happening in Syria is a series of events that are unfolding because of a "huge miscalculation" by Iran.
"All of Iran's tentacles in the region have been cut", Mr Azar said, explaining that "Iran and Hezbollah made a huge miscalculation. They didn't understand what the consequences would be of the attack against Israel."
He further added that "Hezbollah has been hit very hard. Nasrallah, as you remember, was taken out, along with many thousands of Hezbollah terrorists. Then Iran attacked Israel directly, and as you know, Israel defended itself and retaliated hard. So when you look at the picture today, you see that these tentacles of the Iranian regime have all been cut. And now, rebel forces in the region (Syria), which have been following all that (happened) and seeing the debilitation of the Iran axis took full advantage of it. And that is how you see the change in Syria."
Mr Azar said that the situation in Syria is a consequence of Iran messing with Israel, however, it is not engineered by Tel Aviv. "Israel is not involved in the Syrian conflict. We are not intending to involve ourselves in Syrian politics. That is a matter that the Syrian people have to sort out for themselves."
SITUATION AT THE ISRAEL-SYRIA BORDER
Mr Azar said that Tel Aviv is always prepared to defend itself against any and all threats, and that is what they are limiting themselves to when it comes to Syria.
"Israel is no doubt in a situation of alert. We are following very closely the events in Syria. The Israel Defence Forces have already taken defensive positions in the buffer zone in the border between Israel and Syria," Mr Azar said.
"There is a disengagement zone that was created in 1974 following the Yom Kippur War. That zone is a buffer zone from several hundred metres to a few kilometres. It is located in the north. In the past, that area has been attacked by different groups. It has been attacked now too. The UN forces there have come under attack and Israel has come to the rescue. So we are taking this temporary defensive positions in the buffer zone and following very closely what is going on on the other side, preparing to defend ourselves against any possible attack or development," he added.
SITUATION IN A GIST
Bashar Al-Assad's regime was backed by Russia, Iran, and Tehran-backed Hezbollah, while the rebels are led by Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, a terrorist formerly associated with Al Qaeda and ISIS. While Turkey backs some of the rebel groups against the Al-Assads, Al-Jolani, who heads the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham or HTS - the most prominent of all rebels factions - is not officially backed by anyone.
Bashar Al-Assad and his family, which ruled over Syria for more than five decades has fled to Russia. Moscow has officially granted them political asylum.