Putin Flexes His Muscles in Syria in Test of Israel’s New Leader
A more abrasive relationship could go beyond inflaming tensions with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, forcing Israel to change tack in order to prevent Iran from increasing its regional clout.
Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad shake in Damascus in 2020.
Photographer: Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images
Russia is seeking to exploit the change of government in Israel to assert some control over military operations against targets on the territory of its ally Syria.
So far the Kremlin has kept the shift mostly rhetorical, unwilling to risk a military confrontation with Israel. But after years of tolerating Israeli strikes in Syria under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Moscow is eager to do more to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a new government in Jerusalem.