Israeli military and intelligence chiefs have met Egyptian officials in Cairo for urgent talks about regional stability following the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in Damascus.
Tuesday’s meeting, reportedly attended by Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, came on the same day Israeli forces were seizing territory in Syria and attacking military infrastructure across the country in an operation they dubbed “Bashan Arrow”.
According to Israel’s Maariv newspaper, the meeting, which was ostensibly to discuss the prospects of a hostage deal in Gaza, was requested by Egyptian officials to discuss the threat to regional stability posed by events in Syria.
Maariv cited fears in official circles that the sudden collapse of the Assad dynasty, after 55 years of dictatorship and 13 years of civil war, could embolden calls for political change in other Arab states. …..more
