[rawhide]

If Assad wins he will surely give the Hizbollah a free hand peering down from the Golan heights into Israel.

Israel controls the Golan Heights so the Hizzies cannot do what you have said.

[Netz]

The Golan Heights is controlled by Israel but the strategic Hermon mountain ridge is controlled by Israel (on the south west) and by the Syrian army on the north-east ridge. In other words, the mountain is controlled by both sides.

If you look at the map, you will see that south Lebanon juts downward, south into Israel proper so technically a Hizbollah run south Lebanon and Hizbollah controlled Syrian Golan poses a serious threat to Israel’s north. Look at the tiny Israeli upper Galilee village of Metulla, it is a “finger” isthmus pointing into southern Lebanon and is inside of Lebanon on 3 sides. It is not too far from the Golan.