“Israeli Air Force jets were reported flying over Damascus in the last few hours by foreign sources. According to debkafile’s Iranian and intelligence sources, Iran has been pushing Bashar Assad hard to let Hizballah have sophisticated weapons, including self-propelled SA-17 interceptor missile systems. Tehran is reminding the Syrian ruler of the debt he owes Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah who was ready to deploy 5,000 out of Hizballah’s 8,000 combat-ready fighters to Syrian battlefields to fight rebel forces and keep the Assad regime in power.
Assad is therefore in no position to spurn Tehran’s demand.
And so, preparations for sending those weapons systems across to Lebanon have been sighted in the last few days at Syrian military bases. Israeli Air Force are said to be overhead monitoring these movements after Israel repeatedly warned Damascus any attempts to make such transfers would draw a reaction.”
Rest of the article here.
2 cents:
Have you watched the movie Sum of All Fears? My point? Because of the actions of a few the escalation of fear and destruction pulled the super powers into a state of military action that would have led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives, if not more. It took the unlikely and grasping of one leader to try something however improbable to break the escalation which was only leading to devastation.
In Syria and the region of the Middle East we are watching the escalation of activities that with each move of the piece of the chessboard – is narrowing the options of others and self into what will be a devastating military series of battles and loss of lives. For example, with Assad’s proclivity in the past to use Hizballah to ensure and protect his power grip in Syria and Lebanon; it now puts him in the situation where to keep his norm he must do things that only escalate the instability in the region. Too in Iran with Ahmadinejed’s anti-Israel rhetoric in the past which has led Iran into its current dilemma involving nuclear aspirations and the repercussions and fears of the rest of the world based on believing the rhetoric of their president. Iran has a chance to break free and reset matters with its upcoming election. The Ayatollah who is ultimately the leader of the country has a choice to make as well and I believe he is in a quandary much like Assad. He has allowed things to roll and play out that never should have, all to maintain the grip of power in his country.
The reality in both of these actual scenarios is the rest of the world has to live here on Earth too and we can’t hope for a “Jack Ryan” to break through and reason with these leaders. Israel especially can’t afford to wait much longer without acting. Of course their foot into the sandbox will change matters greatly as well. What a horrible mess to come.
Hope, Levity and Wonder 