Classified documents revealed by Sky News Arabia on Wednesday indicate that Israel maintained a direct communication channel with ex-Syrian President Bashar Assad and his army through an Israeli agent nicknamed “Musa” or “Moses.”

The report is based on documents discovered after the fall of the Assad regime and published on social media. The documents’ authenticity has not been verified but the documents bear the Assad military emblem and appear to have been written by top military officers.

According to the documents, “Musa” transmitted messages from political figures in Israel directly to former Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas and from him to Assad’s former national security advisor Ali Mamlouk. The documents, signed by the Syrian intelligence chief, explicitly state that they are messages from the Israeli agent Musa to the Syrian Defense Minister. The messages warn Assad against allowing his territory to be used by foreign actors hostile to Israel and explain why Israel carried out certain attacks on Syrian territory.

For example, on April 8, 2023, Musa berated Abbas for allowing Hamas to fire rockets from Ramat Hagolan. “Three rockets were launched from the Golan under Khaled Mashal’s command,” he wrote. “We demand you stop these incidents — or consequences will follow. You are responsible for what happens in your territory. Our last step was a warning shot. If you don’t curb these actions, the next attack will be far more severe. You’ll pay an unprecedented price.”

On May 7, 2023, Israel struck Hezbollah-affiliated weapons depots. Musa warned Assad: “We won’t allow the presence of Haj Hashim or his soldiers in southern Syria,” a reference to Musa Ali Daqduq, also known as Abu Hussein Sajid, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike.

On May 17, 2023, eight aircraft landed at Khmeimim Air Base — four Iranian and four Syrian planes – to deliver weapons to Hezbollah depots in Latakia and Qutayfah.

“The Russian mechanism allows you to operate without risking an Israeli response,” Musa wrote. “However, supporting Iran and Hezbollah will compel us to act with severity. Any unmonitored activity bypassing Russian oversight will be seen as a direct threat to Israel and prompt a response.”

On July 14, 2023, Musa wrote: “Supporting Hezbollah’s air defense capabilities is an act against Israel. It serves Hezbollah’s interests alone and harms your army.”

In another document, “Musa” warns Assad against receiving Iranian aid for his country after the earthquake that struck Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023 due to Israeli intelligence information that Iran was exploiting the “civilian aid shipments” for arms deliveries to Hezbollah. Musa added that the Iranian weapons shipments disguised as humanitarian aid following the earthquake was the reason Israel attacked the al-Nayrab military airport near Aleppo.

Two months after Iran attacked Israel on Motzei Shabbos, April 14, 2023, Musa informed Syria that Israel was aware that Assad allowed Iran to launch drones and missiles from Syrian territory, and that was the reason for the strikes on the command posts of the 4th Division in Damascus a month and a half later.

As early as 2022, Musa transmitted messages to Syria indicating that Israel attacked a convoy of trucks on the Syrian-Iraqi border due to Israeli intelligence information that the trucks were transporting Iranian arms intended for Hezbollah. Musa warned Assad against granting Iran freedom of action in Syrian territory: “The choice is yours,” he wrote.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)