The Obama administration and Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on a visit to Washington backed away Friday, June 14, from any effective response to the Syrian ruler’s proven use of chemical weapons against rebel forces. On the ground, debkafile’s military sources reported Hizballah and Syrian army movements were detected heading toward the Golan and the Jordanian border from the military concentrations building up in the last two weeks around the nearby town of Deraa. Those sources also concluded that Hizballah has been awarded “limited-use” chemical weapons

Kuwait is the first Gulf emirate ready to act on the resolution of the recent Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Jeddah to punish Hizballah for its “flagrant intervention in Syria” against “freedom fighters.” The Interior Ministry in Kuwait is about to “end the residency of some 2,000 Lebanese Shiite citizens” and shut down their financial and commercial businesses. debkafile: The mass deportation of Lebanese Shiites from the Gulf region will raise tensions with Iran and Hibzallah and may even spark retribution by Iranian and Hizballah sleeper cells.

Bashar Assad could hardly lose the war with the hefty backing of Russia, Iran, Iraq and Hizballah. Hizballah tilted the fighting against the rebels, while Iraq is feeding his war chest with billions of petrodollars.

Hamas has lost its financial sponsors. That is one reason to turn back to Tehran. Another is Assad’s offer to its war allies the chance of attacking Israel from Syrian soil. So why not switch back from the rebel side to Assad?

When Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon informed a Knesset panel Monday, June 3 that Syrian rebels still occupied  four Damascus districts, debkafile’s intelligence sources reported the battle for the Syrian capital was all but over.  Senior IDF officers: Flawed intelligence may lead to faulty decision-making.

The IDF has disclosed that Israeli Arrow II missile batteries stand ready to intercept Syrian missiles launched against Israel. debkafile reports close coordination between the Israeli Arrow and US Patriot deployments in Jordan and Turkey.

Moscow is challenging Israel to make good on its threats to knock out the S-300 or lose credibility. But Israel needs a US guarantee of military backup in case its action spirals into a major conflict with Syria and its allies.

Hizballah has invested four of its eight brigades in Assad’s war on rebel forces. At least one brigade is equipped with heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles.

Senior Israeli intelligence sources insisted to debkafile Thursday May 30 that Syria had still not received any Russian S-300 anti-missile batteries – contrary to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s claim that the first batch had arrived. Israel says it will destroy them before they are operational.

The widening military intervention by Russia, Iran, Hizballah and latterly Iraq has turned Syria’s civil war into a Russian-West contest and is propelling Iran up to the top regional power spot. All four are winning by default against an unresisting US-led West and Israel.

Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed Saturday night, May 25, to expand his movement’s military role in the Syrian civil war and muster tens of thousands of volunteers. Al Qaeda fighters were streaming into Syria, and Israel planned more attacks, he warned. 

Al Qaeda-Iraq has relocated to Syria and completed its merger with Jabhat al-Nusra. They control key areas of eastern Syria including a producing oil field and access to the Jordanian border and are posed to serve as a counterweight to the Shiite Hizballah.

Binyamin Netanyahu tried tackling Vladimir Putin on the sale of S-300 anti-air missiles to Syria but found that the missiles were already in place and the Russian leader unshakable in his support for the Assad regime – even to backing a war of attrition against Israel.

Binyamin Netanyahu left his meeting with Vladimir Putin Tuesday certain that Moscow had given Assad the go-ahead for his threat to make the Syrian Golan the platform for a war of attrition against Israel with the help of Hizballah armed with advanced weapons and other proxies. 

Saudi Arabia is exploring dialogue with its great regional rival Iran for ending the Syrian conflict and assuring Lebanon’s political stability, after giving up on US policy for Syria, debkafile’s Gulf sources report. Monday, May 13, the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers got together in Jeddah.

As the Syrian army makes further gains against rebel forces, debkafile reports Hizballah and Israel appear to be in the process of relocating their lines of confrontation from Lebanon to Syria. An Israeli enclave is forming around the IDF medical facilities on the Golan, while Hizballah is taking command of three pockets.

Israel insists its  air force attacks on Syria targeted Hizballah and its Iranian weapons shipments. This does not cover explain the targeting Sunday, May 5, of Mt. Qassioun, moving Assad to threaten a war of attrition. The US plans to follow the Israeli operation with arms supplies for Syrian rebels and US air strikes.

Syria's Faisal Mekdad said the strike at Syria overnight Sunday, May 5, represented a "declaration of war" by Israel.  Russia Today claimed killed at least 300 members of the Syrian Army’s 501st Unit. debkafile: This unit operates the Mt. Qassioun chemical weapon facility.

Israeli rockets early Sunday, May 5, struck the Jamraya military research center just north of Damascus, causing powerful explosions. debkafile: The Israeli operation in Syria is ongoing as the Syrian army continues to pass Scud D and Fateh-110 missiles to Hizballah units fighting in Syria.

Israeli military activity was reported Saturday, May 4 in Lebanon too - and not just over Syria.
US sources said earlier Israeli warplanes had struck targets in Syria including a chemical weapons depot outside Damascus, firing missiles remotely from Lebanese air space and the Golan.