Israel has watched developments in Syria with unease. As an ally of Iran and a backer of militant groups such as Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas, Syria has been a bitter enemy of the Jewish state for decades.
But paradoxically, the Assad regime has proven a stable and predictable enemy, which some analysts say is preferable for Israel, compared to the uncertainties of the post-Assad era. Compounding those concerns is the fact that Syria possesses possibly the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the world, some of which could fall into the hands of anti-Israel militant groups if the Assad regime loses control of the country.
