The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
As part of the covenant, Israel and Syria share a border and disputed territory in the Golan Heights. Over the years, the area has been a strategic military and water resource. However, Syria has other barriers to peace: civil war, terrorism, Damascus and the future
Russian-Islamic War against Israel. Syria will be part of world events from now through the
Tribulation.
Golan Heights
The Golan Heights is a plateau northeast of the Sea of Galilee. In ancient history, Israel captured the territory from the Amorites and the tribes of Dan and Manasseh settled the area. After the Ottoman Turks lost World War I, their territory was divided between Turkey, the British (Iraq, Jordan, Palestine) and French (Lebanon, Syria) mandates. In 1945, Syria became a nation with the Golan Heights but in the 1967 Six Day War, Israel captured the strategic area. Currently, two-thirds is Israeli and one-third is Syrian divided by a UN peace keeping force. There have been various attempts of peace. Syria has not accepted peace with Israel so Israel annexed the land in 1981. In 2019, the US recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the
Golan Heights.
Terrorism
Iran and Syria are state sponsors of the Shiite sect of Islamic terrorism. Russia is allied with Iran and Syria. Iran is the leading power in the Middle East intervening in wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. In 1982, Hezbollah was formed by Muslim clerics, then trained and funded by Iran to fight the Lebanese Civil War. Iran and Syria used Hezbollah to destabilize Lebanon, Israel and for terrorist attacks in the Middle East along with Argentina, Kenya and Panama.
Syrian Civil War
In 2011, the Arab Spring brought chaos to the Middle East. In Syria, people protested against President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Civil War began. The fight was between Assad's Shiite minority, Sunni majority and Kurds. The Islamic State filled a void in Iraq and in 2013, expanded into Syria. Refugees flooded Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe. In October 2015, Russian allied with Assad.
In April 2012, US President Obama evoked chemical weapons as the "red line". Assad used chlorine and sarin gases from 2013 to 2015 but Obama's focused on the Iran nuclear agreement. ISIS used mustard gas. In September 2013, Russian helped Syria destroy 1300 metric tons of chemical weapons. However, on April 4, 2017, Assad's army used chemical weapons against the city of Khan Shaykhun. On April 6, 2017, US President Trump authorized cruise missiles against the Shayrat Air Base. On December 8, 2024 Syria fell to Islamic terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly of Al-Qaeda.