07
July 2023
Past Event
Is Israel the Biggest Loser of the Syrian Civil War?

Event will air on this page.

 

Inquiries: 

Is Israel the Biggest Loser of the Syrian Civil War?

Past Event
Online Only
July 07, 2023
.
Caption
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi shake hands after signing a memoranda of understanding on "long-term strategic cooperation" in Damascus on May 3, 2023. (Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images)
07
July 2023
Past Event

Event will air on this page.

 

Inquiries: 

Speakers:
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Zohar Palti

Former Head of the Political-Military Bureau, Israeli Ministry of Defense and International Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

.
Ehud Yaari

Lafer International Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Listen to Event Audio

Thanks to the survival of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Iran has established a permanent position in Syria. From this position, Tehran spreads its influence in the eastern Mediterranean and assists other malevolent actors, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 

In a new essay, Israeli Middle East analyst Ehud Yaari cites these factors, among others, as proof that Israel is “the biggest loser” of the Syrian Civil War. Yaari’s view diverges from the near consensus among members of the Israeli defense establishment, who routinely refer to Syria as a great success of what the Israelis call “the campaign between the wars.” Targeted strikes and innovative intelligence work, the establishment argues, have prevented the Islamic Republic from turning Syria into a second Lebanon, which Iran could use as a major base for military operations against Israel. 

Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Doran will host Yaari and Zohar Palti, the former head of the Policy and Political-Military Bureau in Israel’s Ministry of Defense, to discuss Yaari’s views on Syria and Israel’s strategic situation more broadly.

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