Intentional Syrian fire aimed at deterring Israel without waging war

Ron Ben-Yishai, ynetnews.com

Image from article, with caption: Netanyahu and Lieberman. Unnecessary threats

Analysis: Seeking international and regional legitimization for the Iranian presence in Syria and trying to discourage Israel from carrying out further strikes in Syria, the Iranians and Syrians have launched a diplomatic and military offensive with no intention of escalating the situation on the northern border. Israel is waging its own diplomatic offensive, but Netanyahu and Lieberman’s unnecessary threats are counterproductive.

Excerpt:

It’s now perfectly clear that Syria and Iran have launched a diplomatic and military offensive aimed at deterring Israel from carrying out further strikes in Syria. ...

Israel is currently waging its own diplomatic offensive. The goal is to reach an American-Russian collaboration that will lead to a long-term arrangement in Syria in which the Iranians will have no military presence, neither on the border with Israel in the Golan Heights nor in more remote air and naval bases on Syrian territory. ...

The harmful and less successful part is Defense Minister Lieberman and Prime Minister Netanyahu's frequent public statements on the Iranian and Syrian issue. Up until now, Israel knew how to act without talking, but for the past six months the defense minister has been releasing unnecessary threats in every direction. ...

The prime minister is exercising the same unnecessary noisy public diplomacy. The Russians and the Americans, whose help we are seeking in neutralizing the Iranians in Syria, are in no need of empty bombastic declarations in the media. They are receiving the Israeli messages directly from the prime minister, the defense minister, the national security advisor and the chief of staff, and don’t need public threats which only require the Russians to demonstrate that they are helping their proteges and providing them with a diplomatic umbrella and sophisticated weapons.

Lieberman and Netanyahu's statements are achieving the opposite of the desirable outcome for the State of Israel and its citizens.