What Netanyahu's Quest for a 'Greater Israel' Looks Like in Southern Syria
When the Assad regime fell last year, Israel wasted no time in asserting its control over parts of Syria, leaving villagers reeling from its illegal occupation.
ICYMI – This week, Zeteo launched ‘First Draft,’ your go-to morning newsletter on American politics, written by Mehdi on Mondays and Peter Rothpletz the rest of the week.
If you’re not already a Zeteo subscriber, sign up today to ensure you get the newsletter in your inbox every weekday. If you’re already a Zeteo subscriber, but you haven’t seen ‘First Draft’ in your inbox yet, go to your ‘manage subscription’ page on Substack, scroll down to ‘notifications,’ and toggle the button for ‘First Draft’ on (so that it’s red).
KOAYIAH, Syria — Azza Youssef was at home with her family in Koayiah, a Syrian village located 80 miles south of Damascus, when she heard shouting.
“They said, ‘The Israelis came.’ We didn’t have any time,” she told me, her eyes trained on the floor as she recounted that traumatizing day. “We all rushed to gather what we could and escape, but we were all women, and as we were running, the bomb fell between us.”
She lost her right foot. That was on March 25. More than six months later, she is still reeling from her injuries and the mental scars of that day. “Three surgeries. Exactly three, not including cosmetic surgeries,” Youssef’s father and an elder in the village, Muhammad Zain, said.
The invasion and the ensuing consequences for not only Youssef but the entire village are reflective of Israel’s expansion into Syria in fulfillment of its goal of “Greater Israel” – a vision endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would see Israel conquer not only historic Palestine, but parts of Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as well.
After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel didn’t waste any time in putting that vision into action and asserting its control over a Syria in turmoil.