The head of the Arab Tawhid Party, Wiam Wahhab, presented a striking political and security scenario regarding Syria, wondering whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might consider targeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his group before the Israeli elections, in an attempt, according to Wahhab’s analysis, to achieve a major achievement that strengthens his position in the face of his rival, Gadi Eizenkot.
Wahhab wrote on his account on the “X” platform: “Is Netanyahu thinking about harvesting the heads of Al-Julani and his group before the elections?”, using the name by which Ahmed Al-Sharaa was previously known.
He added: “Think with me. Al-Julani is not elected and is not legitimate yet. Al-Assad is the legitimate one. Netanyahu needs a big victory to surpass Eizenkot,” before clearly stressing that what he is proposing is just a personal reading, saying: “An analysis not based on information.”
Wahhab concluded his post with a striking warning: “Dangerous weeks… who will the lottery fall on?”, referring to his belief that the period preceding the Israeli elections may witness major security developments in the region.
Wahhab’s words come in light of the high level of tension between Israel and Syria in recent days, especially after the Israeli raids that targeted the Abu al-Duhur military airport in the Idlib countryside on August 18, in one of the most prominent Israeli strikes on a Syrian military facility in recent months. Israel said that the raid came against the backdrop of its fears of expanding military cooperation between Damascus and Ankara and the possibility of the site being used by Turkish forces, which Türkiye and Syria denied.
Information was also revealed about a rare call days before the raid between Mossad chief Roman Goffman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, which mainly dealt with the Turkish military presence in Syria and Israel’s fears of transferring weapons and drones and strengthening Syrian military capabilities with Ankara’s support.
In parallel, the political confrontation between Türkiye and Israel is escalating in the Syrian arena. Ankara, which is one of the most prominent supporters of the current Syrian government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, is committed to continuing military and institutional cooperation with Damascus, while Israel believes that any large Turkish military deployment or introduction of advanced systems into Syrian territory could constitute a threat to its freedom of military movement.
Wahab’s analysis also comes at a sensitive electoral time within Israel, as the elections are scheduled to be held on October 27, 2026, and Netanyahu faces strong competition from former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who founded the Yashar party and achieved remarkable progress in a number of opinion polls in recent months.
Polls showed a clear fluctuation in the balance of power between the two men. In a Channel 12 poll published on August 11, Eisenkot’s party won 24 seats compared to 22 for Likud, while subsequent polls showed an improvement in favor of Netanyahu and Likud, which reflects the intensity of the competition and the instability of the electoral mood so far.
The importance of the security file in the Israeli elections increases due to the centrality of the issues of Iran, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria in the political campaigns, as both Netanyahu and Eisenkot seek to present themselves as the most capable of managing the security challenges facing Israel.
As for Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa assumes the presidency of the country within the framework of the transitional phase that followed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024. Al-Sharaa did not come to power through general elections, but he is currently exercising the duties of the President of the Syrian Republic, and countries and international organizations deal with him in this capacity. It was announced last July that Damascus was working to reach a security agreement with Israel, without giving up its claim to the Golan.
Hence, Wahhab’s statement that Bashar al-Assad “is the legitimate one” reflects his political position on the current Syrian authority, and is not a description of the political situation that exists today, while Wahhab himself confirmed that the scenario he proposed regarding the possibility of targeting al-Sharaa is not based on field or intelligence information.
But the timing of his publication comes amid a highly sensitive regional stage, in which the electoral competition within Israel intersects with the Israeli escalation in Syria, tension with Türkiye, and indirect security negotiations between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
Thus, Wahhab does not provide information about an Israeli decision to target Sharaa, but rather presents a political hypothesis based on a basic question: Could electoral pressure push Netanyahu to search for a major security achievement before October 27? This is a question that gains weight from the accelerating escalation in Syria, but it remains, as Wahhab himself stressed, in the context of analysis, not information.
