In his appearance on Tuesday to a session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, Chief of Military Intelligence Major-General Aviv Kochavi explained that it appears that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not survive the ongoing revolution in that country.

Kochavi explained that while he is unable to give an accurate timetable, admitting the ongoing events may take time, he is confident that at the end of the revolution, the current regime will be unseated. This he warns may present new security challenges for Israel as the Islamic Jihad is gaining in its hold in Syria, and this may be added to the growing concerns on Israel’s border to Egypt, particularly in Sinai following the election of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who is aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Kochavi explained that while the Golan Heights has been a relatively quiet border for many years, this may all change depending on events in Syria.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)