Syria and Russia on Monday were blaming Israel for an air attack on a Syrian air base, after they initially blamed the U.S. for at attack that claimed the lives of 14 Iranian or Iranian-backed forces.
While Israel has not commented on the attack, one observer told the Washington Post that Israel may now be at risk of a counterattack by Iranian forces.
“By striking [Syrian President Bashar Assad] and his Iranian allies just a day after Trump warned them of the price they would pay … Israel mitigates the risk of an Iranian response,” said Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at Le Beck International. “Israel has been trying to convince Washington to adopt a more proactive, anti-Iran strategy in Syria, and certainly sees Trump’s rhetoric in the wake of the chemical attack as an opportunity.”
Syria at first blamed the U.S. for the air attack, but the Pentagon said it was not involved.
“At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting airstrikes in Syria,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The attack was carried out after a suspected chemical attack outside of Damascus on Saturday.
On Sunday, President Trump said there would be a “big price to pay” for the chemical attack that killed 40 and caused more than 500 to be hospitalized or report to medical centers. Both Syrian and Russian officials have denied that the Syrian government was involved in that attack in any way.
