9. Israel and Syria
The Instability in Syria, raising fears that border violence with Israel will be used to distract from the Syrian regime's internal problems.
For 37 years, the de facto border between Israel and Syria, which are still technically at war, has been relatively quiet.
Israeli officials accuse Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of encouraging protesters to cross the border fence in an attempt to divert attention from his deadly crackdown on protesters within Syria.