Israel has been secretly supporting Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights in a bid to keep forces aligned with Isis and Iran at bay, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
As a result, many of the region’s armed groups, and indeed the civilian population, have become reliant on the Israeli provision of cash, food fuel and medical supplies.
The secret interaction began as early as 2013, according to the newspaper’s sources, who it said included "half a dozen rebels and three people familiar with Israel's thinking".
They told the Wall Street Journal that the aid operation was being overseen by a special unit of the IDF which provides the group with around $5,000 a month.
