Sunday, May 05, 2013
In no way will the conflict in Syria come to an end so long as there are various players who choose to interfere in the country’s affairs. Syria today is an open battlefield on which many external agendas have taken centre stage. And the cost of such interference is very high given the extent of the bloodshed.
Hence, the recent direct involvement by Israel in the Syrian conflict should be condemned as it will worsen the situation in the country.
Over the past few days, Israel has carried out air strikes which were claimed to be against missiles from Iran believed to be en route to Hezbollah, according to US officials. The Syrian government though has said that the air strikes targeted a scientific research centre.
Additional blasts were also heard in various areas, but it has not yet been confirmed whether these fresh strikes were also carried out by Israel.
There is no question that this is a dangerous turn of events. The Israeli involvement will complicate the conflict in Syria and will change its direction as well as its focus.
Israel has no right to carry out any kind of military attacks regardless of its reasoning or end goal. As a matter of fact, its blatant entry into the conflict will offer a platform for the Syrian regime to dilute the real reasons that have sparked protests against it in the first place.
Yet one factor that cannot be overlooked is the fact that there is a role that is yet to be played by international powers. The abdication of any responsibility towards stopping or altering the miserable situation in Syria is just enabling the bloodshed to continue endlessly. A high price is being paid by thousands of innocent Syrian civilians.
There is a danger that the conflict in Syria has entered a new level — one which is uncertain and could bring about catastrophic consequences. These should be prevented with a sense of urgency. An action plan for ending the conflict in the country should not be delayed any further.
Gulf News
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