As Israel-Iran rivalry burns, Russia's Tehran ties may get singed

As Israel and Iran increasingly square off against each other amid Syria's multi-dimensional war, it is Russia that finds itself between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Russia has managed to maintain good relations with both Iran and Israel, even as the former has increased its presence in Syria in defense of the Assad regime, raising the latter's hackles.

But tensions between the two avowed enemies are rising. Israel has reportedly struck twice at Iranian military assets in Syria in the past few weeks. And on Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to publicly pressure President Trump to pull out of the internationally supported Iran nuclear deal. Now, worries are growing that open fighting may break out between Iran and Israel – putting Russia's relations with both,