Analysts say Erdogan is taking advantage of the war in Ukraine to push his own agenda in Syria, but an incursion by Ankara would be risky, threatening to upset its ties with both the United States and Russia.
Tehran’s strategy is to surround the Jewish state with as many “fire bases” as it can – from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the Gaza Strip, and in the future, from the West Bank, as well as from Iran itself.
Canceling the contentious Jerusalem Day event or changing the route would have projected weakness.
"Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is saying, 'If you push me too hard, you will get Netanyahu.' Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas is saying, 'If you push me too hard, you will get Hamas.' It is full of contradictions,” said Professor Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations.
The loss of a parliamentary majority won by Hezbollah and its allies in 2018 is a reversal for the terrorist group, a dominant force in Lebanon for years with unwavering support from Iran, and may present Sunni Muslim-led Saudi Arabia with new possibilities for reasserting sway in Beirut.
Spurred on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, both countries applied to join NATO. The alliance sought to seal their accession in record time, yet Turkey presented a demand for the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish groups and to lift their bans on some sales of arms to Turkey.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz's revelation Tuesday regarding Iran's nuclear program was "the last call to the world to stop burying its head in the sand and stop Iran before it's no longer possible," says Eli Bar-On, an expert on missiles and advanced weapons systems.
The impact of the war in Ukraine continues reverberating around the Middle East. It is possible that Russia will see it has more to gain by following a path of mutual interest with Israel, but the Israeli military must be prepared for a dangerous alternative scenario.
Shiite Hezbollah is well-positioned to capitalize on the fragmentation of the Sunni bloc, and the estimate is that even if the terror group loses the elections, it will explore other venues to maintain its hegemony.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, elected president following the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, has forged a new axis with Israel against the Islamic republic and other radical regional forces and is regarded by many as the savviest Gulf ruler.
