1973: Will the USSR defend Assad?

Its stated that after having beat back the Syrian army from Israel, that Israel was forced to hault its advance into Syria in 1973 do to that the USSR threatened Israel with nuclear-attack.

Is it likely that if Israel had proceeded venture into Syria that the USSR would have attacked Israel? Or was it an empty threat? Because attacking Israel would have send the USSR into a WW3 scenario against the US?
 
The answer is YES
Because Syria was biggest ally of USSR in Region against USA ally Israel.
Soviet threat of intervention on October 9, 1973 after Israel airstrike hit the Soviet cultural center in Damaskus
on October 11, Soviet merchant ship Ilya Mechnikov was sunk by the Israeli Navy.
the Soviet placed seven airborne divisions on alert for airlift Soviets Troops to Syria

Henry Kissinger manage to defuse the Situation by increase the DEFCON leven from 4 to 3 sending entire SAC arsenal in ready mode
what scared off the Soviets there Allies and Israel
 
Not with nuclear weapons. The evidence suggests that had the US not objected, the Soviets would have intervened in force conventionally. Even with US intervention, the prospect of Soviet intervention was a contributing factor to getting the Israelis to agree to the resulting cease-fire and armistice.
 
one book I have on the war (written by an Israeli) notes that even before the whole thing with the Russians, the Israelis were reluctant to really go full bore into Syria... mainly because the Israeli forces (not all that large) would have been vulnerable to flank attacks. The Golan Heights were a smaller defensible area, where the rest of Syria really wasn't..
 
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