It is no secret that relations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the White House are chilly, but the coming days could provide Israel’s prime minister with an opportunity to fix them. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — at least for now — can be thanked for that. Close cooperation provided by Israel to the Americans during an attack on Syria will remind them that at crunch time, the strategic alliance between the two countries is far stronger than their leaders themselves.

Unlike the diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians — which have limped along for the past four years — or future plans discussed behind closed doors to stop the Iranian nuclear program, this time what is on the books is a significant concrete event. It is likely to take place in the coming days, which will provide up-to-date justification for this alliance.

For Netanyahu, this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to US President Barack Obama that Israel is a loyal and intimate ally in the region that can be relied on in major issues in times of crisis. Proof of this could come in the form of the military, tactical and strategic coordination that already exists between the two, and mutual intelligence aid. According to foreign media reports, “the smoking gun” on Syria was provided to the Americans by Israeli intelligence, based on an intercepted phone call.

Preparations for an event on such a grand scale, which could spiral out of control, require round-the-clock coordination and demonstration of complete confidence among the sides involved, a fact that on its own brings the two countries closer and serves as a confidence-building tool in rehabilitating Obama-Netanyahu ties.