Months of anti-government protests in Syria have left an estimated 3,000 dead. The Western world is looking on without intervening as it did in Libya, but they may not let the killing go on forever without intervening.
Syrian dictator Bashar Assad knows that the world is watching, so he made a bold statement. If NATO forces make any move against Syria, Assad will direct his military to launch rocket attacks on Tel Aviv. He said that “if a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, [he] will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.”
He also threatened to unleash Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon to join in the attack against the only working democracy in the Middle East.
This is not the first time an Arab country has threatened Israel as a means to protect itself from a foreign power. During the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq fired long-range missiles at Israel to discourage the American advance.
It is sad to see Israel caught in the middle of this mess, but I have faith that Benjamin Netanyahu would respond with much more force than Ehud Olmert during Israel’s most recent war. I also believe the United States would rush emergency supplies and defense aid to Israel to defend itself from the attack.
Assad also said that, in the event of a NATO attack against Syria, Iran would need only hours to begin a naval assault against US and EU vessels in the Persian Gulf and around the world.
Are we reaching a tipping point where the Arab Spring in Syria will lead to an international war? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo by syriana2011.
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