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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=19405
Russia Needs Iran, Whose Forces Ensure the Assad Regime Survives
(Israel Hayom) Prof. Eyal Zisser - With the ceasefire in southern Syria, the trickle of errant shells into Israeli territory has come to a halt, and a deceptive silence has returned to the Golan Heights border. American and Russian military officials met in Amman in recent weeks to delineate the separation lines between the area to remain under the control of the regime and the areas, including near the border with Israel, where rebel control will be maintained. With Washington's blessing, Russia has turned into a kingmaker in Syria. The Russians need Iranian forces in Syria to ensure Assad's continued rule. As a result, it is difficult to imagine how anyone could attempt to keep the Iranians out of Syria. The establishment of a rebel-controlled buffer zone that keeps the Iranians away from the border with Israel and Jordan is a significant tactical achievement. But it is a temporary achievement that does not change the big picture in Syria, which is being filled with the colors of Iran and the militias it supports. The writer, vice rector at Tel Aviv University, is former director of its Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.