Publication

This commentary assesses Russia's political intentions in Syria in an indirect way – i.e., it analyzes the military forces/capabilities Moscow has deployed to the country and the nature of the air strikes it has conducted. As the text’s authors see it, Russia’s operational-level goal is indeed to protect the Assad regime, while its political goal is to link its military intervention with its attempts to become a central actor in containing or even solving the Syrian conflict. Finally, the authors examine the repercussions of Russia’s military intervention for Israel and the West’s overall Syria policy.