Muhsen AlMustafa, a researcher assistant specializing in civil-military relations at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, told Enab Baladi that it cannot yet be confirmed that the regime has gained from the Gaza war, although there may have been material benefits from the UAE in return for not escalating against Israel.

According to AlMustafa, Assad’s neutrality helped him ensure that his forces avoided further material and human losses on the military front, in case Israel launched attacks on military targets in Syria.