Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has been concerned over the prospect of
an Al Qaida takeover of Syria.

The military’s Northern Command has been drafting contingency plans for
the collapse of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Officials said the plans were based on the assessment that Assad’s ouster would result in the rise of Al Qaida in Syria.

“Once Assad falls, Al Qaida takes over and all security arrangements we had with Damascus collapses,” a senior military officer said.

Officials said the military has envisioned a scenario in which the Sunni rebels who replace Assad send forces to the Golan Heights to renew hostilities. The Golan Heights has been quiet since the Arab-Israeli war in 1973.

“We could see a scenario in which jihadists attack us from the Golan,
something we already see in [Egypt’s] Sinai [Peninsula],” the officer said.

Officials said the Israeli military has assessed that Assad was likely
to lose power over the next year. They said they are preparing for a
scenario in which hundreds of thousands of Alawites and Kurds flee Syria
toward Israel, something raised by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz in
early 2012.

“This is a very likely scenario and is based on good information,” the
officer said.

  Alawites and Kurds fleeing Syria, Golan Heights, Israel braces for Al Qaida takeover after collapse of Assad’s regime, Israel military’s Northern Command, jihadists, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz