What does Syria’s crisis mean for Israel?

For the first time in 13 months, the attention of the world was on the Middle East this weekend, but Israel was not the focus.

Syrian rebels launched an unexpected attack, capturing significant portions of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city after Damascus, and dealing a massive blow to President Bashar Assad.

What does it mean for Israel?

For Israel, this is good news (Amir Tibon, Haaretz)

Syria’s crisis will divert Iranian attention and resources to a front relatively removed from Tehran's conflict with Jerusalem. Since the war with Lebanon ended, Israeli officials had been talking about the need to exert indirect pressure on Assad in an effort to weaken his alliance with Iran. Now Assad's dependence on the Iranians and Russians has grown, but Tehran has another reason to worry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security consultation by phone on Friday night about the events in Syria. But his main strategic concern remains Iran.

Israel's assessment is that Tehran is feeling pressured by the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and will try to find a way to reach an agreement with the United States under which it would rein in its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. But the Israeli defence establishment also hasn't ruled out the possibility that if the Iranians don't feel the negotiations are bearing fruit, they may take the opposite approach and announce that they have achieved nuclear weapons capability.