The actions taken by the IDF in recent days show that Jerusalem is determined to safeguard that border and its people from any spillover of internal fighting in Syria. Israel must strive to sever the supply routes established from Tehran to Beirut, as well as force out any 'advisors' from Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who happen to still be in the area. Additionally, such a scenario could reintroduce the question of an independent Kurdish region to the world - with the Kurds in eastern Syria already receiving significant military backing from the US. The powers that will play a role in shaping Syria in the coming years are uncertain, but it is in Israel's interest to back-channel and work with those who finance Syria's rebuilding.