Sputnik - The downing of an Israeli jet which conducted missions in Syria has become a game-changer in the Syrian-Israeli standoff, RIA Novosti contributor Gevorg Mirzayan writes. According to the scholar, Tel Aviv needs to reconsider its Syria-policy and choose diplomatic means instead of the use of force to reach its objectives.




The downing of�an Israeli F-16�in�Syria on�February 10 left Tel Aviv facing a new dilemma on�whether to�change its foreign policy toward�Damascus, Gevorg Mirzayan, an associate professor at�the Department of�Political Science at�the Finance University of�the Russian Government, writes in�his�op-ed�for�RIA Novosti.

The academic underscored that Tel Aviv is seeking to�diminish Iran's influence in�Syria; however, it appears that the use of�force is not the most effective option to�accomplish this goal.

On February 10 the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they downed an Iranian drone over�the disputed area of�the Golan Heights. After that the Israeli aircraft attacked the command post on�the territory of�Syria which was used to�operate the supposed Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle. In response, Syria's air defenses struck back at�Israeli aircraft and downed an F-16 jet. It was reported that the two pilots managed to�bail out�of the plane.
"In fact, Israel contained Iran in�Syria only by�regularly striking at�Iranian and pro-Iranian forces (for instance, Hezbollah) in�areas close to�the Golan Heights, as�well as�at facilities where high-tech weapons are located. The strategy was ineffective, because the Iranians continued to�strengthen their presence in�Syria, including in�the Golan, where the Syrian [Arab] Army liberates the territories controlled by�the militants with�the assistance of�Iran," Mirzayan wrote.


However, after�February 10 there are virtually no guarantees that Israel's aircraft will be able to�violate Syrian airspace with�impunity, the scholar remarked.

According to�the Jerusalem Post,�the IDF have deployed anti-missile systems�on�the Israeli-Syrian border following�the downing of�the F-16 fighter.

Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Tel Aviv�would continue to�retaliate�in�case of�Syrian-Iranian attacks.

"Yesterday, we conducted powerful blows on�Iranian and Syrian forces. We have clearly demonstrated that our policies have not changed even a bit. We will continue striking in�response to�every effort to�hit us. This has been our policy, and it will be like�that [in the future]," Netanyahu said.

According to�Mirzayan, actually Israel has neither military nor legal instruments to�effectively thwart Iran's influence in�Syria.

On the other hand, during�the recent incident it was Israel who had violated Syrian airspace, as�the occupied Golan Heights formally belong to�Syria, the scholar noted.
"As for�the Israeli plane, it violated airspace with�aggressive objectives, after�which it was completely legally struck by�local [Syrian] air defense systems," he wrote.


At the same time, the EU is seemingly displeased with�Washington, Tel Aviv and Riyadh's efforts to�exert further pressure on�Tehran, including the Trump administration's attempts to�undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of�Action commonly known as�the Iran nuclear deal, Mirzayan remarked.

According to�the academic, under�these circumstances Tel Aviv has a few options to�deal with�the reality on�the ground. One of�them is to�reconcile itself�with�the Iranian presence in�Syria.

"All that Israel can do is to�ensure that Tehran is not the dominant, but�just one of�forces present in�Syria," Mirzayan emphasized, suggesting that to�achieve this goal Israel has to�negotiate with�Moscow.

The scholar stressed that Moscow and Tel Aviv maintain good working relations which allow the two countries to�effectively solve both political and military issues in�the region.
"Given this [mutual] trust, the Israelis can negotiate certain conditions and restrictions for�the Iranian military facilities in�the future post-war Syria through�Moscow and under�Russian guarantees," Mirzayan suggested. "Moreover, Netanyahu can influence Trump to�stop the Americans from�sabotaging the Syrian peace process."


Additionally, the US and other Western countries could reach common ground with�Damascus on�protection of�their interests in�Syria, including those concerning Iran, the academic opined, adding that the question remains open as�to whether the parties concerned are ready to�join each other at�the negotiating table.

The views and opinions expressed by�Gevorg Mirzayan are those of�the analyst and do not necessarily reflect those of�Sputnik.