Syria’s return to Arab League raises concerns in Israel: Report

JERUSALEM

Syria’s readmission into the Arab League after 12 years of suspension has raised concerns inside Israel, an Israeli newspaper said on Saturday.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has recently made an assessment with the army's commanders on Syria’s return to the pan-Arab body.

“Israel assesses that this is a bad development on the short and medium term as [Syria’s] return will end the isolation of Bashar al-Assad in the Arab world and makes any Israeli strikes on Syria less legitimate,” it said.

The newspaper, however, said that some in Israel see it premature to assess the implications of Syria’s return to the Cairo-based organization.

Others see that reinstating Syria’s Arab League membership would harm Israel’s military action in Syria, the Israeli newspaper said.

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes on Syria targeting forces of the Assad regime and groups affiliated with Iran.

On Friday, Assad, attended the annual Arab summit in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2011.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar