An Arab news outlet on Monday circulated a video purporting to show an IDF jeep that Syrian soldiers claimed to have captured from Syrian rebel groups. The video, said a Syrian government spokesperson, proves that Israel has been working with the rebel groups to remove Bashar al-Assad from power.
The Lebanese al-Mayadeen channel said that the jeep had been used by members of the Free Syria Army. A Syrian soldier interviewed by the channel said that “certain assets” had been found in the jeep, “proving that it had been used by intelligence services.” The video showed Hebrew markings on the jeep, along with a body plate typical of the IDF's.
A spokesperson for the IDF confirmed that the jeep was Israeli, but said that its presence in Syria did not prove anything. “The jeep seen in the video has not been used by the IDF for many years,” the spokesperson said, and that it was likely left behind when the IDF left Lebanon in 2000. Hizbullah, the spokesperson said, had probably been holding the jeep until now, and lent it to their Syrian allies to “prove” that Israel was helping the rebels, a completely false accusation. “What this really shows is how deeply entrenched Hizbullah is in Syria,” the spokesperson added.