The series of joint air U.S-Israel exercises is considered a tactic for strengthening the Israeli army's role in the "shadow war" between the United States of America and Iran, which took an upward turn after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, on January 3, 2020. During the drills, the Israeli army is spearheading the air and missile strikes on Iranian military sites in Syria. The US sometimes participates in conducting some strikes by the air weaponry of the International Coalition to Combat Terrorism.

The continuation of the unprecedented escalation between the US forces and Iranian militias in Deir Ezzor in 2023 indicates the possibility of launching a joint U.S-Israel military operation against Iran, to emphasize the Israeli deterrence force. This is also to see how serious is Iran in its propaganda that promoted by the Iranian air defense system in Syria.

The United States and Israel share the goal of undermining Iran's military power, and Syria is the preferred option for that; being a key theater for the operations of all its militias, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Iranian-linked Palestinian factions, such as the Al-Quds Brigades and Hamas. Syria is important for Iran because it is a hub being used for launching most of the drones to the Israeli airspace and the US bases in Syria.

This report reviews the military strategy that could be pursued by the US and Israel, which would contain Iran and protect Israel in accordance with the American commitment to it, in a way that helps actors, concerned parties, and decision-makers understand the US steps against the regime and its supporters in Iran through affiliated militias. 

All in all, this report does not aim at evaluating the American or Israeli moves in Syria, but merely describing them and identifying the sites of development in a relative manner.