Gabriel Haritos talks about the climate of readiness in Israel and Lebanon in anticipation of the Israeli response to Hezbollah’s attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams. He explains why this border town was not evacuated, unlike the neighboring settlements in the area, which have already been evacuated since last October. He gives a brief historical overview of the informal coordination among the Druze living in Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. He talks about the institution of the “Patriarchs” (Sheikhs) who decide the stance each local Druze community will take towards the respective dominant political power. He analyzes why the spokesperson of the Israeli army deemed it necessary to name the local Hezbollah warlord in southern Lebanon who is said to have given the “green light” for his organization’s recent attack on Majdal Shams. He points out that the timing of the publication of inflammatory statements by President Erdoğan against Israel and Netanyahu personally is not coincidental.
Click to watch the interview, in Greek.
Experts
