No Good Outcome: How Israel Could Be Drawn into the Syrian Conflict

About the Authors

Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and Research Counselor at The Washington Institute.

Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.

Matthew Levitt

Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

David Schenker

David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Andrew J. Tabler

Andrew J. Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant.

Jeffrey White

Jeffrey White was an adjunct defense fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of the Levant and Iran.

Aaron Y. Zelin

Aaron Y. Zelin is the Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where his research focuses on Sunni Arab jihadi groups in North Africa and Syria as well as the trend of foreign fighting and online jihadism.

In-Depth Reports

Given the complexities and dynamics of the Syrian conflict, it is distinctly possible that Israel could be drawn into the fighting. Perhaps more important, the risk of spillover will likely extend years into the future, since the war's aftermath will not include near-term peace between Syria and Israel. How can Washington help minimize this risk and the attendant strategic threat of increased regional instability and escalation?

In this study, seven Washington Institute experts address this question from all angles, assessing how Iran, Hezbollah, jihadist groups, and other actors might instigate or respond to Israeli involvement during the war or afterward. They also discuss the potential U.S. role in hastening the war's end, assisting vetted rebel units, preventing the proliferation of strategic weapons, and related efforts.