Syria has always been an Israeli obsession. Now it has unexpectedly given Netanyahu his coveted image of victory | Aluf Benn

On 8 December , after fighting ceaselessly for 14 months , Israel captured the highest peak of Mount Hermon in Syria .

Israel launched a quick attack to capture the formerly demilitarised zone across the disengagement line that has marked the de facto Israel-Syrian border since 1974 .

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who never misses a publicity stunt, flew to the border on 8 December to declare the “collapse” of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

Israeli punditry is excited over the new possibilities opened in Syria : carving up its territory, moving the border eastward, sponsoring its Druze and Kurdish minorities as Israeli proxies.

Meanwhile, the IDF is keeping a low profile in its new positions in Syria , liaising with local villagers and confiscating arms.