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Middle Ground:
Lebanon Plays Buffer as Syria and Israel Simmer
Janes
The simultaneous announcements in Syria and Israel on 21 May that both countries have been engaged in secret peace talks for more than a year have helped dampen expectations of a
potential conflict brewing between the two enemies.
These fears of violence between the two had been fuelled in April when Syria was reported to have sent troop reinforcements to the border with Lebanon, coinciding with
Israel’s largest ever civilian and military exercises.
Commercially available imagery obtained by Jane’s from DigitalGlobe suggests these reports were justified, with expansion of Syrian positions not just near the
Lebanese border, but also on Lebanese soil. The little-known presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon demonstrates that, despite the peace talks between the two sides, mutual mistrust continues to characterise regional
relationships. As a result, despite the recognition of peace talks, negotiations are likely to be fraught while military preparedness will remain high.
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