What was unique about the airstrikes in Syria last night?  They were fairly extensive, deep in Syrian territory, targeting a wide variety of targets connected to Iran and its proxies, and may have resulted in numerous Iran/proxy casualties.
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In addition, it seems that the pace of strikes attributed to Israel in Syria has increased as of late. Last night’s strike was the 4th since mid-December, whereas the previous pace was about one strike every few weeks.
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In the background, there is an expectation that Iran will retaliate for the blows it took in 2020 (Soleimani, Fakhrizadeh, Natanz) alongside noticeable restraint in Tehran as Trump’s term in office nears its conclusion.
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Both Israel and the U.S. are operating under the assumption that Iran’s retaliation is in the works, and they are taking steps to promote caution, vigilance, defense, and deterrence – perhaps in coordination with one another.
Last night’s strike provides the following reminders:

1.Iran is continuing in its efforts to build a bridgehead between Iraq and Syria in order to advance its military entrenchment there, but Israel is determined to prevent this.
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The regime in Syria pays the price for allowing Iran to turn Syrian territory into another front of attack against Israel.
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3. The Iranian challenge which awaits the incoming Biden Administration is two-pronged: not only of the nuclear threat but also a conventional military threat which spreads across the ME through its proxy warfare enterprise led by the IRGC’s Quds Force. These 2 threats....
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These two threats, which are mutually reinforcing, require parallel responses even if not within a single framework and toolbox.
In any event, due to the latest the strike, the unsettled score with Iran continues to grow as the long campaign continues.
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