The Blog / February 2018

Le Beck talks to BILD (DE) about Syria

Senior Regional Security Analyst (RSA) Michael Horowitz spoke to German-language BILD about the Turkish intervention in Syria and a possible agreement between the YPG and Assad regime.

Read the full article in German here  

Le Beck talks to L’Orient Le Jour about Israel and Syria

“Both sides are trying to establish their own rules of the game, especially Iran, who wants to show that since the Assad victory in Aleppo, Israel cannot hope to operate as freely as before in Syria,” Michael Horowitz, a Middle East specialist at Bahrain-based consultancy LeBeck International, explains to L’Orient Le Jour, recalling that last September, an Iranian drone was also shot down in Israel two weeks after an Israeli strike near the Syrian coast.

“It is, therefore, quite possible that the sending of the Iranian drone represents both a response from Tehran to the strike against the Jamraya research center, but also to the Israeli efforts to mobilize Russia to contain the ambitions of its partner in Syria.”ill probably continue and pro-regime forces will probably be able to continue to advance on Saraqeb,” he said.

Read the full article in French here  

Le Beck talks to The Telegraph about downing the Russian jet

Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at the Le Beck geopolitical consultancy, said the shoot down was not “a game changer” as the Su-25 flies low in support of ground troops and is therefore vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.

“On the tactical level it could change things because the Russian are probably not going to use the Su-25 as much. But on the strategic level I don’t think it’s going to change anything it terms of military balance even in this specific area.

“The offensive will probably continue and pro-regime forces will probably be able to continue to advance on Saraqeb,” he said.

Read the full article here  

Le Beck talks to Buzzfeed about Turkey’s intervention in Syria

How well Kurds perform in Afrin could determine Turks’ future plans, raising the stakes of the current battle. “In the long term, the YPG can’t win,” said Michael A. Horowitz, an analyst at Le Beck, a security and risk management consultancy. “But they can make sure the operation will be costly enough that the Turkish threat to extend their operations to Manbij and eastern Syria will lose some of its edge.”

Read the full article here  

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