In an interview with Nournews, the informed security official, referring to recent developments in southern Syria and southern Lebanon, warned of an emerging process that could lead to the “gradual alteration of ownership patterns and the demographic makeup of occupied areas and the expansion of the Israeli regime’s occupation,” saying: “Documented information shows that alongside Israel’s military actions to occupy these areas, networks linked to Emirati capital have also become active in purchasing land and property in affected and occupied areas.”
The official said: “What is happening in Syria and Lebanon should not be analyzed solely within the framework of military developments. War, displacement and the destruction of infrastructure create conditions in which affected families may be forced to sell their homes and land to meet their basic needs. If foreign capital enters these areas at the same time, the issue goes beyond an ordinary property transaction and becomes a security and geopolitical matter.”
Referring to Israel’s military presence and actions in southern Syria and southern Lebanon, he added: “In both areas, Israel has sought to establish new conditions on the ground. In Syria, developments in areas adjacent to the Golan Heights and the expansion of Israel’s presence in the south of the country are particularly significant. In Lebanon, Israel’s military presence in parts of the south and efforts to establish a new security depth have also left the future of these areas facing serious uncertainty.”
The informed security official continued: “Available information indicates that networks linked to Emirati capital are examining and carrying out property transactions in parts of southern Syria and southern Lebanon. The scale and geographical scope of these activities are such that they cannot be regarded merely as ordinary economic activity.”
He stressed: “The purchase of land and property in specific areas at the same time as Israel’s military actions indicates planning and coordination between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv to advance a targeted plan with security dimensions.”
The security official also referred to security and intelligence ties between the UAE and the Israeli regime, saying: “A recent report by the Israeli media outlet Haaretz about Mohammed bin Zayed warning Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the October 7 operation has once again drawn attention to the level of security ties between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. Regardless of disputes over the details of the report, which the UAE did not deny, security, intelligence and economic relations between the two sides are a known reality. Therefore, the entry of Emirati capital into areas adjacent to or under Israeli control to purchase occupied land and property is not unexpected.”
Regarding the situation in southern Lebanon, he said: “A significant portion of the population in the southern areas was displaced during the war, and many families are facing destroyed homes, loss of income and difficult economic conditions. Under such circumstances, selling land is not necessarily an ordinary economic decision. Economic pressure can force an owner to sell an asset that, under normal circumstances, they would not be willing to give up.”
The informed security official added: “For this reason, the Lebanese government’s decision to restrict property transactions in occupied areas should be taken seriously. The decision shows that Lebanese authorities have become sensitive to the possibility that the consequences of the war could lead to lasting changes in land ownership.”
Referring to the situation in southern Syria, he said: “If the military conditions created by Israel are accompanied by the entry of foreign capital and gradual changes in ownership, we may witness a division of roles: Israel creates the security conditions on the ground, while the economic networks of its allies, including Emirati capital, subsequently help consolidate part of this situation.”
The security official said: “The objective of the Israeli regime, as an occupying and expansionist regime, from the beginning and throughout its wars in the region has not been limited to changing the military balance. These wars are also intended to alter land ownership and the demographic composition of the countries of the region in favor of the occupiers. If what begins on the military front with occupation and the creation of buffer zones continues in the land market with the participation of countries such as the UAE, it shows that the Israeli regime’s occupation is expanding through more complex schemes.”
The informed security official concluded: “If resistance to this process does not begin now and the cost of aggression and occupation for the Israeli regime and its allies does not increase, it is unclear who will own the lands after the war that their rightful owners are currently unable to return to or retain because of war and displacement.”