Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst focusing on Syria and Israel for the Bahrain-based Le Beck International, said Israeli officials are worried that there is no real U.S. commitment to rolling back Iranian influence in Syria. “They are very concerned by the gap between Trump’s rhetoric and his policy,” Horowitz said.

He suggested that Israel might have been taking advantage of a rare confluence of circumstances to strike Monday “as the United States and Europe ponder their response to the chemical attack, reducing the chances of Iran risking a major retaliation against Israel.”