Syria turning into ‘center of global jihad’ – IDF Intel Chief

Published time: July 24, 2013 11:08

Israeli Military Intelligence chief said that Syria is becoming a ‘center of global jihad’ right on Israel’s border, with extremists trying not only to topple President Bashar Assad, but also to create a state governed by the Islamic religious law.

Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned that Syria is posing a regional threat as it attracts thousands of global jihadists and Muslim extremists from around the world. 

"A center of global jihad of vast proportions is developing on our very doorstep," Israeli media quoted Kochavi as saying. "It is liable to affect not only Syria or Israeli borders, but also the borders of Lebanon, Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula, and have implications for the region as a whole," he said at a graduation ceremony for Military Intelligence commanding officers.

Kochavi argued that the extremists will not stop at toppling Assad, but will go further and try to establish a state based on Islamic religious law, or Sharia law.

Free Syrian Army (FSA) spokesperson Zaky Mallah’s interview with RT confirmed Kochavi’s concerns, saying that Syrian opposition is willing to accept support from anyone, be it “Bin Laden” or “Hitler”.

“The situation in Syria with the opposition is complicated. Al-Qaeda took the advantage and they thought: ‘we are going to step in’, if their own brothers are being killed by this tyrant and the world is not doing nothing about it”, Mallah said.

Some Western states, including the UK, have so far backtracked on their arms supply to the opposition - voicing concerns about the threat of extremists in Syria.

But Mallah explained that the opposition does not fear losing Western support.

“Because a prime minister of some Western country says ‘there is extremism within the opposition’, it is not a justifiable reason not to help the moderates,” he argued. 

FULL STORY: http://rt.com/news/syria-rebels-jihad-idf-519/