Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
The Golan Heights
Formerly part of southwestern Syria, the Golan Heights were occupied by Israel in the 1967 War and officially annexed in 1981. The region’s location and hilly terrain mean it is strategically important as a vantage point and buffer zone between Israel and Syria. Israel and Syria’s last formal peace talks broke down in 2000 when the two countries failed to agree on the permanent borders of the area, specifically the strip of land bordering the Sea of Galilee.
Water
Water has traditionally been a point of contention between Israel and Syria. The Golan Heights are the source of 40 percent of Israel’s fresh water and the largest of Israel’s three primary sources of fresh water, providing Israel with access to the headwaters of the Jordan River, including half the length of the Yarmouk River; the region of the Mountain Aquifer; the upper riparian territory of the Banyas River and control over the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In 1964, Israel launched air strikes against Syrian construction on the Hasbani and Banyas rivers, which would divert water from flowing into Israel. This past July, it was reported that Israel has been pumping water that would otherwise flow to Syria into the Sea of Galilee.
Iran
Syrian-Iranian relations, which date to the Islamic Revolution in Iran, have been cemented by both countries’ relative isolation in the world. In addition to embracing the Islamic Republic after the Revolution, Syria expressed support for Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, unlike most other Arab countries. Iran, for its part, has supported Syrian interests in Lebanon. Recently, Syria has backed Iran’s right to pursue a nuclear program, which Israel views as its greatest strategic threat. Their relationship, however, has been tested by occasionally divergent interests in Iraq. While Syrian officials have asserted that Iran-Syrian relations are a matter of the two countries’ sovereignty, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called on Syria to cut its relations with Iran as a precondition to restarting peace talks.
Hamas and Hezbollah
The Syrian government provides political and material support to Hezbollah and political support to Palestinian terrorist groups. The leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, HAMAS, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command are all based in Damascus. Syria considers Hezbollah and Hamas to be resistance movements rather than terrorist groups. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has previously asserted that Damascus must cease to support these groups as a condition for resuming peace talks between the two countries.
Lebanon
Because Lebanon was formerly part of Greater Syria, many Syrians did not recognize the legitimacy of the separated state and pushed to reunite the two countries. During the Lebanese Civil War, Syrian forces entered Lebanon as peacekeepers, but continued to occupy the country when the war ended. They did not leave until forced to by protests and international outrage over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. Syrian support has enabled Hezbollah to receive major arms supplies from Iran, which it has used to launch attacks against Israel from south Lebanon.
Weapons
Syria has a strong chemical weapons program, which Global Security considers “one of the most advanced in the Middle East.” Nonetheless, the country is dependent on outside sources for precursor chemicals and equipment. Syria has a very small nuclear reactor, which is incapable of military applications. Whether or not it is seeking to develop a nuclear program is a matter of fierce debate. Speculation that Syria has been trying to obtain nuclear technology and material from North Korea was heightened after the September 6 Israeli air strike on Syria, but conclusive evidence has not yet been made public.