The 20-month civil war in Syria and the eight-day Israeli offensive in Gaza highlights the often contradictory web of alliances that fuel conflicts in the Middle East.
Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Russia are propping up the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. China has also voiced its position that no one should interfere, and acted in concert with Russia to veto any U.N. sanctions on Assad.
U.S.-made weapons from Qatar and Saudi Arabia reach the Free Syrian Army FSA rebels primarily through a secret Turkish weapons center, while Hamas in Gaza and Egypt have thrown their ideological support behind the rebels.
The Gaza conflict, on the other hand, found Iran, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt supporting Hamas while the U.S. and the EU stood firmly behind Israel's right to defend itself against incoming rockets. The Emir of Qatar gifted Hamas $400 million during his first ever visit to Gaza, and Turkey and Egypt both issued statements harshly "condemning" the "naked aggression" of U.S. ally Israel.
Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have all generally been in the U.S. corner for the last few decades and are integral to American foreign policy in a stable Middle East. In recent contrast, their comments on Israel's "aggression" indicate a steady emboldening of their leaders. One might trace a line back to 2003 when Turkey denied American requests to invade Iraq from their southern borders.
Diplomatically, the situation is far from black and white, while militarily the situation is still pretty much one sided as Israel, with the full support of the U.S., stands unmatched.
Fareed Zakaria, writing for The Washington Post, cites the 2010 study “The Arab-Israeli Military Balance” to argue that Israel has surpassed the Arab countries in the region in "every dimension of warfare."
Zakaria notes that the most powerful Arab military, Syria, is fighting to survive and Egypt wouldn't risk war with Israel because Israel is only country in the region with a sophisticated nuclear arsenal and advanced ballistic missiles.
That makes the Syrian conflict so critical. If Assad falls, the Shiite Crescent—which includes Shiites from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria—will be broken and Iran's regional power would be diminished.
As one Iranian Revolutionary Guards member told the Wall Street Journal in August, "Iran's borders extend beyond geographic frontiers, and fighting for Syria is an integral part of keeping the Shiite Crescent intact."
The best case for Hamas is that their Sunni brothers overthrow Assad, despite the fact that the group is commonly considered a Iranian surrogate. Turkey, Qatar and Egypt don't want to see Israel get any stronger—that's why they have supported Hamas—but are also actively supporting the Syrian rebels.
So if the Shiite crescent falls, the nations that backed Hamas will have to live with a weakened Iran and an emboldened Israel—which is exactly what the U.S. and Israel would like to see.
SEE ALSO: Officials: Israel's Gaza Offensive Was Training For A Possible Fight With Iran >
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