Syria to suffer economic shock, security threats amid Lebanon-Israel tension spiral: analyst

The spiral of tension between Lebanon and Israel will further cause economic impacts and security threats on Syria, according to analysts in Damascus.

Israel's killing of Hezbollah's chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader who transformed Hezbollah into a military and political force in the Middle East, has left Syrian President Bashar al-Assad without one of his strongest backers.

Flags flew at half-mast across Damascus on Sept. 29 as Syria announced three days of national mourning over the death of Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sept. 27.

In the Syrian government-controlled areas, there was a wide sentiment of frustration and sadness among Syrians. They believe that they have lost one of the supporting pillars that stood by their side during domestic war and the war against terrorism.

"He stood with the people and the resistance of Palestine all the time, never deserted them. His attitude was heroic, and he was a man of his words," said a Damascus resident named Sobhi.

"We do not forget his standing with us during the Syrian crisis; we shared our victories; the Lebanese and Syrian people stood together at that time. Southern Lebanon is part of our cause, so is the Palestine cause," said Damascus resident Sanaa.

Nasrallah spearheaded the involvement of Hezbollah in the brutal war of its neighbor country Syria. The Syrian media spoke highly of Nasrallah, warning that his assassination might drag the whole region into an unpredictable and endless circle of escalation.

There are potential impacts on Syria if the conflict in Lebanon continues or large-scale retaliation is carried out by Hezbollah in revenge to its leader's killing.

"There are many impacts on Syria, like the economic impact, as Syria is suffering from economic blockade, and the influx of refugees into Syria will make basic items scarce, and Syria will be in need for more resources in that frame. There are security threats, like Israel targeting Syria under the pretext of Lebanese Hezbollah militant penetration into Syria, or weapon deployment to Lebanon from Syria," said Muhammad Omari, a political analyst.

Syrian military recently announced that five of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a military site near the border crossing which is densely used by Lebanese to flee the war into Syria.

In addition, Israel announced hitting infrastructure on the Lebanese-Syrian borders to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah.

At the same time, Syria continued to take a quiet policy regarding the war due to its domestic status which was described as fragile.

However, since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Syria has been seen as a ventilator and lifesaving corridor for Israel's adversaries, leading to multiple attacks by Israel on the already struggling country.

In that context, Syria is highly predictable to be in the spot of any ground offensive by Israel in southern Lebanon, according to the analyst.

Syria to suffer economic shock, security threats amid Lebanon-Israel tension spiral: analyst

Syria to suffer economic shock, security threats amid Lebanon-Israel tension spiral: analyst

As Israel escalates its attacks on Lebanon, concerns are growing over Lebanon's ability to maintain food security for its citizens.

Although Beirut's airport and harbor remain operational, many are concerned that Lebanon's government is bracing for further instability.

Minister of Public Works and Transportation Ali Hamieh held an expanded meeting on Monday to discuss food security and cargo clearance.

"The goal is to accelerate the flow of goods from sea ports and airports, especially those that affect people's daily lives. On behalf of all sectors of the government, all our efforts are centered on joint work between the government and the private sector to achieve that goal, which is to accelerate release of goods from sea ports and airports," Hamieh said at a press conference.

Beirut's airport and port are still operating, but the Lebanese government says it is trying to prepare for the worst.

"There are two parts to the necessity of this issue, food security and the security of the goods in the port of Beirut. About food security, there's no need to repeat what we said before, till now we have no problems as long as the port and the airport are working, and the administrations as well, so we won't discuss it again. In terms of customs clearance of the goods, actually there is a big challenge. Given the extraordinary circumstances we're dealing with, we must implement equally extraordinary measures," said Hani Bahsali, president of Syndicate of Food Importers in Lebanon.

Lebanese Economy Minister Amin Salam revealed during an interview last week, that after the start of the current war on Lebanon, Lebanon's economic situation is "very difficult and delicate."

Salam said there was enough food in Lebanon to meet the country's needs for at least four months. He added that Lebanon had received assurances from international donors, led by Arab countries, the European Union, and the United Nations, that they will continue to provide supplies and financial aid while trying to achieve a quick solution to the escalating tensions in Lebanon.

There has been an escalation of confrontations in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by an Israeli airstrike on September 29 and the current Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese government faces further instability as Israel escalates attacks: analysts