WarSclerotic

Israel and Iran recently used back channels to reach ‎behind-the-scenes understandings over Syrian ‎maneuvers in the southern Golan Heights, Saudi media ‎reported Sunday.‎

According to the independent Arabic news website Elaph, Syrian ‎President Bashar Assad’s military is scheduled to ‎carry out large operations in Daraa and Quneitra, in ‎the Syrian Golan Heights, to counter ‎rebel forces in the area.‎

The question of whether Iranian forces or Iranian-‎backed militias, including Hezbollah, would take ‎part in the operation sparked concern in both Jordan ‎and Israel. ‎

According to the report, Jordan made it clear to the ‎Syrians and their Russian allies that it would ‎not tolerate the deployment of Shiite militias near ‎its border with Syria. ‎

Jordan also made it clear that military maneuvers ‎involving Iranian-backed forces could trigger a ‎military confrontation between Iran and Israel. ‎

The report indicated that Iran used Jordan as a go-between to relay a message to Israel, saying it would not operate in southeastern Syria near the border with Jordan.‎

According to the report, the understandings were ‎reached in a series of indirect meetings in Jordan, ‎where Iranian officials, including the envoy to ‎Jordan, met with top Jordanian officials, who in turn ‎met with senior Israeli security officials.‎

“Within a few hours, we managed to reach an ‎understanding with all the parties operating in the ‎region – mainly Israel and Iran – that the Syrian ‎and Jordanian armies would be the only two forces ‎to deploy on both sides of the border between Syria and ‎Jordan. The Iranians provided assurances that their ‎forces would not operate alongside the Syrian ‎military in the offensive,” a senior Jordanian official who took part in the ‎mediation efforts told the Saudi website. ‎‎

‎”On the other hand, Israel made it clear ‎to the Syrians, and especially to the Iranians, that ‎it would not allow Iranian forces to operate alongside the Syrian army in Daraa and Quneitra, ‎even at the price of a security escalation that ‎could lead to a direct military confrontation with ‎Iran.”‎

A senior Iranian official claimed Sunday that the Islamic ‎republic has “settled the score” with Israel over ‎its attack on Iranian “advisers” in Syria.‎

Iran vowed to deal Israel a “painful blow” over ‎an April 4 strike on the T4 air base in Homs ‎province, which housed an Iranian drone unit. Seven ‎Revolutionary Guards officers were killed in the ‎strike, which dealt a crippling blow to Iran’s drone ‎deployment in Syria. ‎

In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, ‎Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National ‎Security Council, said, “Iranian advisers are in Syria ‎at the invitation of the legal Syrian government, to ‎combat terrorism.”‎

He said that the “Zionist regime’s claims that it ‎hit Iranian assets in Syria are false because ‎Iran only sent military advisers to Syria. It does ‎not take an active part in the fighting.” ‎

Shamkhani called the strike on T4 a “strategic ‎mistake.”

“The Zionist regime has paid ‎the price for this great mistake. The score has been ‎settled,”‎ he said.

He did not elaborate, but it is believed he was ‎referring to the May 10 rocket salvo by Iranian ‎forces in Syria at Israeli military bases in the ‎Golan Heights, which he described as “balancing the ‎equation” opposite Israel. ‎However, none of the rockets landed in Israel and Israel responded with a massive attack on Iranian assets in Syria.

Shamkhani’s statement may have sought to play both a ‎strategic and a tactical role. ‎

Iran is under considerable pressure ‎due to the U.S.’s recent withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear ‎agreement, the dire economic situation in Iran, and growing ‎domestic unrest and protests against the regime, ‎which most likely hinder any plans Iran may have ‎about launching another active military front at ‎this time. In addition, it seems Iran is finding it ‎difficult to carry out a successful military strike ‎against Israel, after its attempts so far have ‎failed. ‎

However, it is also possible that the ‎statement is an Iranian attempt to lull Israel into ‎a false sense of security so as to preserve the ‎element of surprise if and when future conditions enable it to strike back at Israel.

A small drone carrying explosives penetrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip and was intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces last week, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit revealed Sunday.

“Several days ago, during the night, a drone believed to have crossed into Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, crashed in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. “Upon examination, it was found to be carrying explosives.”

The Israeli army believes the drone was designed to detonate upon crashing and cause mass casualties, but the mechanism apparently malfunctioned.

The fact that a drone loaded with explosives managed to cross into Israeli territory, however, proves Gaza’s terrorist organizations have made significant technological progress.

Earlier Sunday, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis responded to recent threats issued by the Islamic Jihad, warning that the terrorist organization was “playing with fire” and “putting itself in danger.”

“We’ve been hearing the threats coming from Iran-backed terrorist organizations in Gaza,” he said. “The IDF views any terrorist activity directed at Israeli citizens with grave severity. We hold the terrorist organization Hamas responsible for anything that happens in Gaza.”