How the U.S.- Russia Agreement on Syria is Bad for Israel

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Nurit Ben and Calev Ben-David on i24News "The Rundown" to discuss the agreement reached between Russia and the U.S. over Syria and how it leaves Israel exposed. This comes in a context where U.S. officials have arrived in Israel to discuss the arrangement. Brodsky believes that the Trump administration has based its Syria plan on a number of fallacies, foremost is that Russia and the U.S. share the same objectives in Syria and that Russia seeks to curtail Iran's influence in the region. The strategic partnership between Russia and Iran has been a fixture for decades and has only strengthened with their participation in Syria, which has centered on preserving the Assad regime as a means to increase their influence.

The U.S. position actually empowers a negotiating process led by Russia, that will not only lock in Moscow's position in the Middle East but will increase Iran's presence throughout Syria and near the Golan Heights and Israel.

President Trump's October 13 speech spelled out a desire to counter Iran's nefarious regional activities but the current agreement does the opposite. Moreover, the U.S. received nothing in return from Russia for making those concessions. The deal will empower America's adversaries and decrease the administration's leverage as it seeks to renegotiate critical aspects of the nuclear deal with Iran.