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Comment and Opinion

The Washington Institute: Israel, Iran, Syria and Trump Strategy: The Best Way Forward, by Dennis Ross

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Enhanced Russian support for the Syrian regime could dramatically boost risks for Israeli operations, and U.S. intervention alone can shift the calculus.

The Trump administration’s approach to Iran is about exerting maximum pressure and countering Iran’s “malign activities.” While the Europeans, the Russians, and Chinese are pushing back against the administration’s calls for tougher sanctions against Iran, the president can count on support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He shares the administration’s assessment of Iran and its aggressive behavior in the region.

However, there is an irony here. Israel has been largely left on its own to counter the Iranian effort to consolidate a land corridor through Syria. With Hezbollah and Shia militias from as far away as Afghanistan serving as shock troops for the Assad regime, the Iranians have been embedding themselves and their Shia proxies in Syria. They are developing a military infrastructure in the country that can serve as a platform for Iranian threats to Israel and Jordan. To blunt that infrastructure, its offensive potential and the provision of more advanced weapon systems to Hezbollah and other Shia militias, the Israelis have carried out more than 200 operations against Iranian-related targets in Syria.

Read the full article at The Washington Institute here.