I suspect they are inclined to tell the Russians to kick rocks. However, they are going to need some foreign support. As long as they are on the US terror list, it will be very difficult for that help to come from any US aligned group.

Having said that, between the growing disagreement over Israel policy, the coming 4 years of a Trump administration, and the desire of a lot of European countries to resolve the Syrian Refugee crisis; I could see a lot of European countries going against the US on this one and helping the new Syrian government.

Keep their bases in exchange for throwing a few bombs on the Kurds, you say?

Every Syrian refugee I’ve met **hates ** Russia for the atrocities committed there. But money talks, I hope you are right and they tell them off.

Israel’s security doctrine, it’s that Israel will defend itself, by itself—and rely on no other country to fight its battles

Huh. Their track record of having US assistance in every conflict kinda flies in the face of that.

Unless by “to fight its battles” is taken quite literally to mean boots on the ground.

I’m as tankie as they come but I love shitting on Russia. Call it CIA brainwashing, its my absolute pleasure.