One thing missing from this story, is how this situation was drawn to the attention of the French authorities. Did they simply notice it themselves? Or, did someone tell them? That someone, might be Russian or Iranian intelligence, who were spying on the spies.
I see this story as part of the recriminations between the anti-Syrian forces, now that their Damascus adventure is going sour. The Syrian govt has not fallen, and the allies against the Syrian govt are falling out with each other.
The story is big in France. As a general political drift, it will help N.F. leader Marine Le Pen. She has a sour view of Middle East adventures, and a general attitude that foreigners are not to be trusted.
Many years ago I saw an interview of Stansfield Turner, maybe on PBS but not certain.
Anyway the interviewer asked the Admiral which spy agency was the best, the CIA or the Mossad? His answer was “neither. The best in the world is British Intelligence”. It actually surprised me.
Not sure if they still are tho.
“It appears that Israel and France were working together for regime change in Syria.”
How nice. Mossad and the frogs working to put ISIS into power. With allies like this......
I am not convinced that Israel was working for regime change in Syria. I could be wrong, but it seems to me they are much better off with the devil they know in Assad who at least can be bargained with, can be reasoned with, and has control over what happens on his soil - as opposed to having another Lebanon or Gaza type front to deal with where dozens of different militias do whatever they want, answer to no one and pay no price for their actions. Israel benefits from stability with Egypt and with Jordan and I would think would want the same with Syria. Regime change in Syria seems to me like a bad idea for Israel in all but the narrowest of circumstances e.g. a military coup that maintains some level of detente and asserts control over non-state actors on its soil.