Israel Acts as US Proxy in Syria With Strikes on Iranian Infrastructure – Report

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The recent increase in Israeli airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure in Syria reflects Israel’s emergence as a proxy for US efforts to halt Tehran’s military support for the Syrian government, according to a report on Thursday by the Soufan Group private intelligence organization.

"Israel’s use of air power in Syria has evolved from strikes on Iranian weapons shipments to large-scale strikes on bases and factories developed by Iran," the report said.

By using its military power to prevent Iran from establishing an infrastructure in Syria, Israel is acting as a proxy for US efforts to roll back Iran’s regional influence, the report added.

READ MORE: Ex-Israeli Official: EU Has No Choice But to Go Along With US on Iran Deal

As an example, the report cited an Israeli attack prior to the Trump-Putin summit on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force installation at Nayrab airfield near Aleppo, Israel’s deepest strike to date.

The report bases its overview on an assumption that both the US and Israel accept that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad will eventually regain control of most of the nation and that Russia will not attempt to prevent Israeli attacks on Iranian targets.

Iranian infrastructure in Syria includes drone bases, arms warehouses, and possibly factories to build rockets and Iran’s specialized anti-armor devices called explosively-formed projectiles, which have been used by Shia militias to attack US-made armored vehicles in Iraq.