On July 22, more than 400 Syrians affiliated with the Syrian Civil Defense, commonly known as the White Helmets, were evacuated in a secret operation by the Israeli Defense Forces. The White Helmets and their families were evacuated from Quneitra through Israel to Jordan as Bashar Assad’s forces continued with their advance into the southwestern Syrian province. Highlighting the perilous nature of the operation, not all of the originally slated individuals were successfully extracted. According to reports, more than 800 Syrians were meant to be transported across the Syrian-Israel border during the operation. A Jordanian government source later stated that only 422 people made it into their country as the rapidly deteriorating security situation on the ground precluded a broader effort.
The evacuation involved a substantial amount of quickly assembled international cooperation. In addition to Israel and Jordan, countries involved included Canada, the UK, and Germany.
The urgency of evacuating the White Helmets out of the war-torn country was felt by pretty much the entire free world. The Syrian government is not a fan of the White Helmets, accusing them of direct collaboration with rebel groups and even jihadist factions that have been pitted against the regime during the six-year-long civil war. With the Syrian army closing in on Quneitra, there was a real risk that the large group of White Helmets located in the province would be captured or even killed. On July 19, US officials had already finalized “plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian Civil Defense workers and their families through neighboring countries.”
Two days later, the Jordanian government announced they would be taking in several hundred White Helmet refugees from Syria. By that time, the IDF had already organized an operation to transfer the fleeing volunteer workers. The operation lasted from the early night of Saturday, July 20, through around 05:00 the following morning. During planning and execution, Israel’s involvement in the effort was kept a secret. Only after all the evacuees were safely in Jordan did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce that IDF personnel had organized the transfer on the ground. “Several days ago @POTUS Trump contacted me, as did @CanadianPM Trudeau and others, and requested that we assist in evacuating hundreds of ‘White Helmets’ from Syria. These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger […] therefore, I approved their passage through Israel to additional countries.”
Several days ago @POTUS Trump contacted me, as did @CanadianPM Trudeau and others, and requested that we assist in evacuating hundreds of 'White Helmets' from Syria. These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger. pic.twitter.com/mGzFCvPe1X
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 22, 2018
Why was the IDF’s participation kept such a secret?
The truth is, Israel’s role in the plan was considered controversial. Arranging the operation between all the relevant parties was a delicate process that could have been easily offset by any source of political pressure. For this reason, the method of the evacuation had to be kept under wraps until it was complete. This was especially true when it came to getting Russia and Syria to allow such an operation to take place on their periphery. Reports of Russian air force jets flying supplies from France to Latakia, Syria (a regime-controlled area) indicate just how high of a price Western powers had to pay the powers that control the region in order to be allowed the evacuation. Another sign was Russia’s outrage in reaction to news of the evacuation after it went public. According to the Kremlin, the operation only served to confirm their accusations that the White Helmets were part of a Western effort to support rebel factions in Syria. A July 23 statement from the Russian foreign ministry read: “The recent news involving the White Helmets organization speaks volumes.”
Russia’s written response did not relent: “It is symbolic that the White Helmets chose to flee Syria with foreign intervention, thus revealing who they really are and demonstrating their hypocrisy to the entire world […] as the saying goes, a guilty conscience gives itself away, and these operators clearly showed whose orders they were following and who was funding them.”
While it is almost certain that Russia was made aware of the evacuation before it took place, the response by its officials still reveals the opposition the country had toward the operation. Who knows how much arm twisting and diplomatic bribing needed to take place before Putin and his people acquiesced.
As is often the case, Israel was caught in the middle of the web of powers with interests in the region. As would be expected, Israel played its role to the extent of its ability. While Jerusalem has not accepted Syrians with open arms, it has consistently committed resources and manpower to aid the crisis to its north.
Operation Good Neighbor has for the past two years been an ongoing effort of the IDF. Ironically, at one point, Israel’s sole interest in relation to the war in Syria was preventing the fighting from spilling over into its territory. As the fighting intensified in 2013, the Israeli military established Division 210 with the goal of securing the Syrian border. A month after its deployment, the first wounded Syrian came knocking on the security fence looking for help. The role of the 210th today is not only to keep enemies out, but to let the injured refugees in. As Lieutenant Colonel “A,” commander of Good Neighbor, commented on a recent operation: “There is no doubt that [the situation] was meaningful as we stood on the border fence yesterday absorbing families, especially women and children – families who initially cower in fear but when reaching the border have a sparkle in their eyes knowing that they have received their lives back. I am happy to be an officer in the army and in a country that carries out such an operation and expresses values of humanity and compassion. This is the essence of our work and this is a moment of great significance.”
While the aid Israel is able to offer is certainly meaningful (especially to its recipients), there is a limit to how much Israel can give. As noted, Israel has not become a haven for refugees like its neighbor Jordan. Earlier this month, the IDF ordered back hundreds of Syrians who gathered at the border seeking asylum. Additionally, none of the humanitarian actions taken by Israel for Syrians have undermined its hardline stance against the regime. Days after the evacuation, Israel downed a Syrian jet after it entered its airspace. Prime Minister Netanyahu in the very same announcement reporting the White Helmet evacuation took the opportunity to reiterate Israel’s position of combating Syrian and Iranian aggression to its north.
Israel’s role in Syria is indeed two-sided. With fighting in southern Syria still raging, it is a dichotomy it will likely have to maintain for the foreseeable future.
