The new Syria is working diligently to rebuild a unified national army, relying on Arab, Turkish and European assistance, amid Israeli concerns.
The European Union Council has decided to remove seven Syrian entities from the sanctions list, including the Ministries of Defense and Interior, which opens the door to direct cooperation between the European Union and Syria in the areas of restructuring the military and security institutions.
qualitative shift
Writer and political researcher Mahmoud Alloush told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the move represents a qualitative shift in the European Union’s approach to Syria, as it is not limited to lifting legal and procedural restrictions, but rather establishes a new phase of political and security cooperation with Damascus, and provides direct support for efforts to restructure the military and security institutions and enhance the Syrian state’s ability to consolidate stability and restore its full sovereignty.
The possibility of direct cooperation between Syria and the European Union in the areas of training, qualification, and exchange of technical and technological expertise related to the restructuring of the armed forces.
He considered this decision one of the most important steps taken by the European Union towards Syria during its political transition, because it targets a highly sensitive and crucial sector for the Syrian state: the security and military sector. This sector was originally excluded from the European Union's decision to lift most economic sanctions on Syria, which gives the new decision particular significance that transcends its procedural dimensions.
The importance of this step, according to the spokesperson, stems firstly from its political symbolism, as it reflects a significant level of European openness towards Syria and a clear willingness to engage with the new state institutions, including sovereign ones. Secondly, it removes one of the most significant obstacles hindering efforts to rebuild the military and security institutions, and opens the door to direct cooperation between Syria and the European Union in the areas of training, capacity building, and the exchange of technical expertise related to restructuring the armed forces and security services according to modern institutional principles.
Lifting restrictions
In addition, the decision entails lifting the restrictions previously imposed by the European Union on the export of security equipment, devices and modern technologies related to the security field to Syria, which gives Syrian institutions the opportunity to benefit from advanced European technology in the fields of communications, border management, counter-terrorism and internal security.
Accordingly, this step, according to the spokesman, acquires great strategic importance, because it not only enhances the path of political openness between the two sides, but also constitutes a key factor in supporting efforts to restructure the Syrian army and security services, and enabling the Syrian state to build more efficient security and military institutions capable of maintaining stability and preserving national sovereignty.
According to the spokesperson, this decision opens the door to broad European involvement in the process of rebuilding Syria's military and security institutions, whether through military and security training programs or by providing modern security equipment, devices, and technologies related to security and defense. This step is of great importance to Syria, as it allows it to benefit from advanced European expertise in areas such as institutional restructuring, border management, counterterrorism, and the development of communications and surveillance systems.
Syria today holds special importance for the international community, as there is a remarkable degree of consensus and cooperation among regional and international powers regarding support for its stability.
Alloush added that Syria holds particular importance for the international community today, as there is a remarkable degree of consensus and cooperation among regional and international powers regarding support for its stability—a level of coordination rarely seen in other regional issues. This consensus reflects a widespread understanding that Syria's stability is a fundamental interest not only for the countries of the region but also for Western countries, particularly the European Union and the United States.
However, external involvement in rebuilding Syria's military and security institutions has not yet reached the level of support provided by some countries directly involved in this matter, most notably Turkey, which plays a pivotal role in military organization,restructuring, training, and the provision of technical expertise. From this perspective, Turkey appears, thus far, to be the most likely external actor to assume the leading role in the process of rebuilding the Syrian military establishment.
Technical support
According to the speaker, European countries can play a complementary and important role, particularly in the areas of specialized training, technical support, and providing Syrian institutions with modern equipment and technology. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries are also potential contributors to this effort.
Regarding the expected support from regional and international powers, Alloush suggested it would not be limited to military and security training, but would also include supplying Syria with modern equipment and technologies, and the possibility of establishing long-term strategic partnerships in the defense sector, including cooperation in military manufacturing, maintenance, and the transfer of expertise. The outlines of this model are already beginning to emerge in Syrian relations with Turkey, which is playing a pivotal role in supporting efforts to restructure the Syrian military establishment.
Damascus hopes to involve other international parties, including Russia, to benefit from their historical experience and long-standing ties with the Syrian military establishment.
Damascus also hopes to involve other international parties, including Russia, to benefit from their historical experience and long-standing ties with the Syrian military establishment.
In contrast, the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” published a report at the beginning of this month warning of what it described as a “new threat” coming from Syria, in light of the moves led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa .
She noted that there is a growing sense of concern within Israel regarding al-Sharaa’s decision to rebuild the Syrian army, considering that the pace of developing the military capabilities of the new Syrian state is proceeding much faster than previous Israeli assessments had anticipated.
According to the report, al-Sharaa is working on implementing a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate the Syrian Air Force, along with building heavy fire systems that include armored units, field artillery and missile systems, with direct support from Turkey.
The newspaper quoted Israeli military sources as saying that Syria is still classified in Israeli security doctrine as an “enemy state,” given the absence of any formal peace agreements between the two sides. These sources also expressed concern that the new Syrian regime, which they described as based on a “jihadist Islamic ideology,” might lead the rebuilding of Syrian military capabilities in a way that could, in the future, be directed against Israel.
In this regard, Alloush considered that the increasing European openness to Syria, coupled with the progress that Damascus is making in rebuilding its sovereign institutions, explains part of the escalating Israeli concern, as Tel Aviv views Syria’s restoration of its military and security capabilities as a strategic shift that would change the balances that prevailed during the years of war.
The Syrian state's regaining its ability to unify factions, monopolize weapons, and impose central authority represents a development that contradicts Israel's preferred vision of Syria as a weak state.
He explained that the concern reflected in media reports such as Maariv is not only related to the rebuilding of the Syrian army itself, but to the broader political and strategic consequences of Syria's success in overcoming the challenges of the post-transition phase.
He considered that the Syrian state’s restoration of its ability to unify armed factions within a single national military institution, the state’s monopoly on weapons, and the imposition of central authority over all Syrian territory, represents a development that contradicts the vision that Israel prefers for Syria as a weak, fragmented state incapable of restoring its internal cohesion.
From this perspective, President Ahmed al-Sharaa's success in a short period in achieving tangible progress in rebuilding state institutions, particularly the military, is viewed in Israel as an unexpected strategic shift. Israeli assessments had anticipated the difficulty of unifying the armed factions and reconstituting a unified national army, but recent developments have shown that Syria is proceeding at a faster pace than expected in restoring its sovereign institutions and strengthening its internal stability.
sovereign right
Khaled Khalil, an expert on Syrian-Israeli relations, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi: “I believe that dealing with the Maariv newspaper report on the issue of building the Syrian army should start from a fundamental fact that this matter falls within the core of Syrian national sovereignty, and no external party, including Israel, has the right to impose its conditions or guardianship on this path.”He added that since the events of October 7, Israel has been living in a state of existential anxiety that has been reflected in its political and military behavior, which has made it appear more disturbed in its decisions and regional actions.
He considered that this disturbance is manifested in a series of escalating policies, including targeting Qatar without clear justification, which he sees as a form of state terrorism, in addition to what is happening in Syria in terms of field military practices, including supporting groups of settlers and storming sovereign Syrian lands, in addition to attacking civilians and cutting off the connections of villages in the Quneitra countryside and the western Daraa countryside.
The extreme right in Israel realizes that it is operating in what amounts to "extra time," amidst rapid regional transformations that are moving towards a major settlement in the Middle East.
He stressed that these practices, in their entirety, constitute a clear violation of the rules of international law, noting at the same time that Israeli policy, in its essence, has become based more on security concerns than on stable strategies, as a result of its loss of strategic balance in the region.
He argued that the extreme right in Israel realizes that it is operating in what resembles “extra time,” in light of rapid regional transformations that are heading towards a major settlement in the Middle East.
He explained that this settlement comes in the context of the decline of the Iranian project’s influence in the region and the disintegration of a number of militias and sub-state entities, pointing to what he described as the weakening of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the decline in Hezbollah’s role, the decline in the activity of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey, in addition to the banning of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.
Regarding the new regional path, Khalil believes that this path is heading towards what he calls the “era of economic and security integration,” that is, integrating Israel into its regional environment within new arrangements based on common interests, economic integration, and mutual security arrangements.
Israeli propaganda
In his assessment of Maariv's discourse, he considered that what the newspaper presents falls under what he described as Israeli propaganda and attempts to create narratives aimed at justifying Israeli policies to public opinion.
He stressed that it is Syria’s natural right to build its national army, as a tool for maintaining internal security and stability, emphasizing that the continuation of the state of chaos in Syria does not serve the interests of any party in the region, including Israel itself.
He added that these media coverages fall within the framework of creating political and security justifications, noting that the American administration has recently begun to restrict the margin of movement for Israel, especially towards the extreme right, whether in the Syrian or Lebanese arena.
He pointed out that Israel is trying at this stage to reproduce regional tensions after what he described as the weakening of Iran in the recent war and the twelve-day confrontation, considering that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to re-establish the image of a solid American-Israeli front against Iran and the Iranian regime.
These data reflect Israel's entry into a phase of confusion and existential anxiety, pushing it to adopt more hardline and aggressive approaches.
He stressed that these data reflect Israel’s entry into a phase of confusion and existential anxiety, which is pushing it to adopt more extreme and harsh approaches, as Netanyahu frequently makes speeches of an ideological nature, speaks of “Greater Israel,” and puts forward visions with a historical and spiritual dimension, along with ideas such as the “Bashan Corridor,” which, according to him, are proposals that are not consistent with the ongoing regional transformations and agreements.
He considered that these trends reflect an attempt to transform Israel into a dominant power model in the Middle East by relying on military superiority. However, this type of hegemony cannot be achieved by military force alone, no matter how great, but rather requires political and geopolitical dimensions and a complex network of alliances and understandings.
In this context, he pointed out that there are features of a new American regional architecture for the region, where the United States seeks to maintain Israel’s qualitative military and security superiority, but without this being at the expense of key regional allies, foremost among them Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
