Syrian President Bashar Assad's victory in the battle for Aleppo is first and foremost a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's Revolutionary Guard doing Tehran's bidding in Syria and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. All three joined to form an unholy alliance, which assured Moscow a triumphant return to the Middle East stage, and Iran the status of regional power with considerable influence. Moscow and Tehran are in fundamental disagreement over the long-term future -- namely, who will rule over Syria and who will dictate Bashar's steps for him. For now, however, and certainly in the coming years, their partnership of mutual interests will prevail and even grow. Assad has every reason to exalt over surviving the past six years of bloody civil war raging throughout his country. His victory in Aleppo gives him momentum and quashes any hope the rebels had of winning the war in Syria. Low on hope and any significant outside help, the odds of the rebel camp turning the tide on the battlefield are quickly dwindling. To be sure, however, the rebellion is far from over and still garners widespread support among a considerable portion of the population. Paying the price for Assad's victory, of course, are the residents of Aleppo, which the Syrian tyrant has turned to rubble with the help of his allies, using it as an example for Syrians across the country, primarily in Damascus, not to even think about rising up against him. We must admit though that the tragedy in Aleppo, currently the focus of the international community, is merely a drop in the ocean -- the explicit and logical next step in a war that has thus far claimed close to half a million lives, has rendered 10 million Syrians, around half the population, homeless, and has turned eight million others into refugees abroad. Aleppo's fate is clear proof that the international community does not exist, and apparently never did, certainly not as far as the civilian population is concerned when it is stuck between the proverbial hammer and nail, targeted by a dictatorial regime and its powerful allies. Aleppo is being decimated; its residents are being killed by the hundreds and thousands, homes are being lost; but aside from several limp condemnations or expressions of grief from leaders in Europe and the United States, the world is silent. For Israel, the lessons to be learned from Aleppo are clear: First, anyone who pins his hopes and stakes his future on help from the international community is bound to be disappointed. The world supports the strong and the victorious. Therefore it would behoove Israel to strengthen itself in earnest, as a necessary -- albeit not exclusive -- guarantee of its ongoing existence and growth in our region. Second, the war in Syria will not go on forever. Its conclusion, possibly in victory for the regime and its allies, could come sooner than was expected in Israel. Assad returned to Aleppo and could also return to the Golan Heights, which he lost to the rebels two years ago. The window of opportunity that opened to Israel several years ago, to act freely in Syria against weapons shipments to Hezbollah, could also close. Third, for the time being Assad is under the influence of Moscow, Iran and Hezbollah. Russia, supposedly, has claim to seniority. But in contrast to the Russians, who maintain presence in the air and sea, and who view Syria as another piece in an international game, the Iranians and Hezbollah have boots on the ground in the form of thousands of conscripts and volunteers, in Shiite militias formed by Iran to fight in Syria. Fourth, winning the battle for Syria will free up forces, resources and energy for Iran and Hezbollah to move on to the next target. Neither wants a conflict with Israel, or to pay the necessary price of such a conflict, but their brazenness will undoubtedly reach new heights if and when the war in Syria ends. Finally, terrorism and radical Islam will not vanish, but rather intensify with the events in Syria serving as a recruitment tool and motivation for more terrorist attacks. Israel is hundreds of kilometers away from Aleppo, but it could also pay the price of the tragedy transpiring there. It needs to account for all these eventualities and prepare on all fronts.
