Israel sees itself and Jordan as Isis targets as Daesh loses ground in Syria

With the Islamic State (Isis) losing ground in Syria due to Russian air strikes, the terror group could target Israel and Jordan, Israel's chief of armed forces has warned. The warning comes at a time when the Isis has stepped up its terror activities across the world, most recently targeting Jakarta in Indonesia.

In December, the terror group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in an audio message had said Palestinian lands will become a graveyard for Jews. Before Baghdadi's threat, the IS (Daesh) in a video had said that after the capture of Jordan no Jews would be left alive.

Israel's Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot said with Russian help, the Syrian government has captured vast areas from the IS, which could force it to look to terrorise the southern Syrian border with Israel and Jordan. Even though IS presence is limited along Syria's southern border, the terror group could align with other outfits operating in the region, Eizenkot said.

"The successes against Isis raise the probability, in my eyes, that we will see them turning their guns both against us and against the Jordanians," Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot said. "There is a relatively high penetration of Isis in Palestinian society, particularly Gaza," Eizenkot said.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has warned that IS terrorists have entered Israel. "The Islamic State is already here, that is no longer a secret. I am not speaking about territories bordering the State of Israel, but within the state itself," Rivlin said.

"Research studies, arrests, testimonies, and overt and covert analyses... clearly indicate that there is increasing support for the Islamic State among Israeli Arabs, while some are actually joining Isis," he added. The ISA and the Israel Police must intensify their capabilities among the Arab community, while isolating the violent extremists and dealing with them with a firm hand."