| ID | 167952 |
| Title Proper | e Civil War in Syria in View of the Iranian Challenge in the Middle East |
| Other Title Information | an Israeli Perspective |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Farago, Niv |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article examines the civil war in Syria and Iran’s military buildup in that
country through the lens of senior Israeli politicians, military officers, and security
pundits. Most of them agree that the Netanyahu government’s policy of striking
Iran–linked targets in Syria hard while encouraging Europe to impose, like the
United States, debilitating sanctions on Iran has severely damaged the ayatollahs’
plans. By interrupting Iranian efforts to establish a Hezbollah-like force in Syria
and equip it with precision-guided missiles, Israeli policy has also decreased, some
pundits believe, the likelihood of regional war. However, this article suggests that
although Israel’s policy has hindered Iranian entrenchment in Syria, the danger of
regional war has increased. Debilitating sanctions could cause Iran to discard the
2015 nuclear deal, thereby provoking an Israeli strike on its nuclear installations,
and increasingly bolder strikes in Syria may spur the ayatollahs to retaliate harshly.
Reliant upon Iran to secure Assad’s victory, but determined to deny the ayatollahs
control over Syria, Russia is allowing Israeli strikes to continue as it rehabilitates
Assad’s forces and rearms them with advanced weaponry. This weaponry, including
S-300 defense systems that threaten Israeli planes, could embolden Syria to attempt
recapturing the Golan Heights in the future. |
| `In' analytical Note | Korean Journal of Defence Analysis Vol. 31, No.3; Sep 2019: p.437－455 |
| Journal Source | Korean Journal of Defence Analysis Vol: 31 No 3 |
| Key Words | Nuclear ; Conflict ; Israel ; Iran ; Syria ; Russia ; Policy ; Trump ; Civil Wa |