He is smart. He’s spinning it that the rebels are in league with Israel, or Israel is in league with the rebels, and that he is the Palis’ Obiwan. In a country that’s 1. Arab, 2. Islamic, and 3. fascistic, that’s how you score political points. So pissing Israel off is how he builds this rep. Whether or not he has the hardware is besides the point, at least in Syrian politics. Provoking attacks by Israel and making sure there are plenty of civilians in harm’s way is icing on the cake. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a lot of longish lead-lined crates full of scrap metal that he sends in convoys up to Lebanon just so that they will be attacked.
Yes, the first rule in the ME is to bash Israel, tragically.