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If Bombs Hit Damascus, Israel Looks to Tehran

(Tablet) David Makovsky - While the U.S. debates whether its pending missile strikes on Syria should be designed as a deterrent against further chemical attacks or more broadly, Israel's government seems focused on the effects for U.S. deterrence throughout the region. In the public mind, the U.S. reluctance to intervene has raised questions about the reliability of American commitments going forward. As a top Israeli official told me last week, "when the U.S. puts forward a red line, it has to mean it. The issue goes beyond Syria. It is a matter of credibility with reverberations for U.S. policy towards Iran." Enforcing red lines in Syria would send out a broader message that words do have meaning. At the same time, Israel has not been prodding the U.S. to act in Syria, and the chemical issue is not viewed as relating directly to Israel. The writer is a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2013-08-29 00:00:00
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