Syria has been Iran’s most important regional ally since the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88. Syria has been Iran’s main platform from which it has built formidable influence over the Arab-Israeli conflict, setting up Hezbollah in Lebanon and supporting Palestinian groups, mainly Hamas in Gaza. Tehran officials are beginning to wonder what their alternatives are in ensuring the maintenance of the status quo with Israel.
With the growing level of violence employed by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, it is increasingly clear that the Syrian president’s options in dealing with his people are shrinking fast. While the president’s father, Hafez al-Assad, was willing to perpetrate the infamous massacre in Hama back in the 1980s, in which 20,000 people were killed, the current domino revolutions in the Arab world have put Syria’s government in a serious bind.
