Last weekend, more than 100 Israeli fighter jets bombed targets in Iran. But the first wave of Israeli pilots had a different destination: Their goal was to disable air defense and radar systems in Syria that might be used to warn Iran about air attacks.

The rest of the Israeli jets then carried out the attack on Iranian targets in two more waves, passing through Syria and Iraq. The latter complained to the United Nations that Israel had violated Iraqi airspace to carry out bombing raids.

Other nearby nations, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, were quick to tell the world that the Israeli planes had definitely not passed over their territory. Arab nations have been under pressure not to be seen as helping Israel. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia fear getting dragged into the conflict and previously tried to reassure Iran that they would have nothing to do with any military action by Israel.

In fact, after this weekend's events, it could well be Syria's government, headed by dictator Bashar Assad, that is under the most pressure.

The next days "may be the most complicated for the Assad regime," said Eva Koulouriotis, an independent Middle East expert based in London. "[Syria] stands between ... an Iranian ally who finds itself forced to use all its strategic cards to protect its national security and regional interests, and an Israeli government that wants to redraw the lines of influence in the Middle East, especially Iranian influence."

Syria, under the authoritarian Assad family, has been Iran's closest Arab ally since the 1980s, when Bashar Assad's now-deceased father,........

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