Syria’s reinstatement to the Arab League after a 12-year suspension has alarmed Israelis, according to an Israeli publication published on Saturday.
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant recently assessed Syria’s readmission to the pan-Arab group with army officers.
“Israel believes that this is a bad development in the short and medium term because [Syria’s] return will end Bashar al-Assad’s isolation in the Arab world and render any Israeli strikes on Syria less legitimate,” the statement stated.
According to the publication, some Israelis believe it is too soon to judge the ramifications of Syria’s readmission to the Cairo-based organisation.
Others believe that restoring Syria’s Arab League membership would jeopardise Israel’s military activity in Syria, according to an Israeli daily.
Israel has carried out several attacks in Syria, targeting soldiers loyal to the Assad administration and those linked to Iran.
For the first time since 2011, Assad attended the annual Arab conference in Saudi Arabia on Friday.