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A former Syrian Druze lawmaker allegedly died of Israeli sniper fire, which may mark a new phase in Israel’s defense war against Iran in neighboring Syria.
The Syrian state-run news agency said Midhat Saleh was shot and killed on Saturday in Ein el-Tinneh, a village along the Israeli border in the occupied Golan Heights, where he ran government offices.
Israeli media reported that Saleh has been assisting the Iranian army against Israel.
The Israeli military declined to comment, but if Saleh was actually killed by Israel, it would mark the first time an Israeli sniper killed a person who crossed the border identified as a target linked to Iran.
Israel has stated that it will not tolerate Iran’s permanent military presence in Syria, and has admitted that it has conducted dozens of air strikes against alleged Iranian arms shipments and military targets in Syria in recent years.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War, and later annexed strategic territory overlooking northern Israel.
Although the administration of former US President Donald Trump declared that the territory is part of Israel, most countries in the world do not recognize this annexation.
Saleh was born in Majdal Shams on the side of the Golan Heights controlled by Israel. He was imprisoned by Israel several times, most recently 12 years in prison until 1997.
He later moved to Syria, was elected to parliament in 1998, and served as an adviser to the government on the Golan issue.
The small Druze communities living on the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan have generally good relations with Israel.
But many members still express their loyalty to Syria, partly because they have relatives on the other side.
Saleh’s loyalty
Sami Ayub, a resident on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, told the Israeli Army Radio that Saleh had “no contact” with Iran or any militias operating in the area.
“He was just a quiet man working in an office. They killed him near his home,” Ayub said.
Saleh’s brother Yasser Saleh, a doctor in Damascus, said that his brother also lives in the Syrian capital, but regularly visits border areas, sleeps there, and sometimes talks with relatives across the border.
He said that his brother survived an assassination attempt in early 2011 and has been working to end Israel’s control of the Golan Heights until the end.
He said his brothers have a wife and two children, including a son named Golan.
Message to Iran
Although there was no official comment, Israeli military commentators — who received a high-level background briefing from top military officials — stated that Saleh was closely involved in helping Iranians build capabilities on the Israeli front.
During the country’s decade-long civil war, Iran has sent thousands of troops to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s army.
“He directly answered the Iranian questions,” wrote Yossi Yehoshua, a military reporter for Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s largest paid daily newspaper.
Former Israeli national security adviser Giora Eiland told Army Radio that if Israel kills Saleh, it is to send a message to the Iranians and has nothing to do with the past.
“I don’t think this is an act of revenge,” he said. “We are not talking about mass murderers.”
Jol Guzanski, a senior researcher at the National Security Institute of Tel Aviv-based think tank and an expert on Iran, said that Israel’s involvement is not certain.
He said Saleh is not a particularly valuable target, and has strained relations with Iranian proxy Hezbollah, and opposes the organization’s activities in the Golan.
But he said that if Israel does kill Saleh through an unprecedented sniper attack, it will send a strong message to Iran and Syria about their activities near the Israeli border.
“This shows that we have many methods and technologies,” he said. “We are looking at you.”
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