Israel’s Russia ties under strain as it fights Iran proxies in Syria
- A shift in Israeli policy means it no longer always warns Syria’s patron Russia in advance of attacks on Syrian territory
- There is also a danger of Syria emerging as a new front in the Israel-Gaza conflict, with tensions already high on Israel’s border with Lebanon
Since it went to war with Hamas early last month, Israel has stepped up strikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria which have moved close to the Israeli border.
The development comes with a key shift in Israeli policy – it no longer always warns Syria’s patron Russia in advance of attacks on Syrian territory.
The change, reported by people familiar with the situation, along with the stepped-up assaults, is worsening already troubled relations between Israel and Russia.
There is a danger, moreover, of Syria emerging as a new front in the Israel-Gaza war, a situation the US and regional allies are trying to avoid as they seek to contain the conflict. Tensions are already high on Israel’s border with Lebanon, Hezbollah’s base and from where it is exchanging fire with the Israeli military on a daily basis.
“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun,” Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for the country, said this week. “Fuel is being added to a tinderbox that was already beginning to ignite.”
Over the last decade, Syria became a global battleground. The US has almost 1,000 troops there to counter Islamist extremists and Turkey is fighting Kurdish groups in the north. Iran and Russia, meanwhile, are helping President Bashar al-Assad stay in power. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions forced to flee.
Today, all-out war has been replaced by more sporadic fighting, but the Israel-Gaza conflict is exacerbating tensions.
