Turkey to invade Syria? Iran to bomb Turkey?
How's this for a turnabout? A Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Monday that Turkey is considering invading Syria to depose Bashar al-Assad. And Iran has threatened Turkey that if Turkey's bases are used as a base for a NATO action against Syria, Iran will bomb Turkey (Hat Tip: Joshua I). “Turkey informed Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leadership of the possibility that it would launch an offensive in … Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia,” As-Seyassah daily quoted an unnamed British officials as saying, according to the Lebanese news website nowlebanon.com.I can think of a lot of war scenarios that we were watching in the Middle East six months ago, but I don't think anyone envisioned this one. Hmmm.
The report comes amid fears of undesired confrontation between the Turkish and Syrian armies along the border. About 12,000 Syrians have fled their homes in northern towns and have taken refuge on the Turkish side of the border. The Syrian army is reportedly reinforcing troops near the Turkish border to prevent further inflows of refugees towards Turkey. The Turkish military is also reportedly considering reinforcing border troops. Senior Turkish commanders have recently traveled to the border province of Hatay to inspect the border area.
“Turkish officials fear the possibility of the Syrian army committing mistakes on its borders, which might oblige the Turkish army to cross the Syrian border,” the Kuwaiti daily quoted a Lebanese diplomat in Ankara as saying. The Syrian government's brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters has brought once-close Turkish-Syrian relations to a breaking point, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing the Syrian response to protests as “savagery.”
Earlier, a columnist for Lebanese daily al-Akhbar, said to be close to Hezbollah, claimed that Iran had threatened Turkey that if it were to be used as a platform for NATO action against Syria, then Iran would bomb US and NATO bases in Turkey. A columnist for the newspaper also said Iran sees the preservation of the Syrian regime as the preservation of the Iranian and Lebanese governments.
More here.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Iran, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Syria, Turkey
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:49 AM
7 Comments:
I don't think Iran would be so foolish as to attack a NATO country. Still in view of Iraq's attack on Iran in 1980, it can't be ruled out for sure. Anything could trigger one this summer.
Stat tuned.
Norman, i'm not so sure...
I mean, if Iran is really foreseeing that Syria could fall, i think they would really attack Turkey.
I mean, if Syria falls, the source of armament of Hizbollah falls. that means that the "deter" they have over Israel would fall meaning that Israel would take the chance and wipe out hizbollah from Lebanon.
So as you can see, i wouldn't discard the scenary.
...I dunno. After Obama's "lead from behind" blessing of NATO's no-troops-on-the-ground inconclusive standoff with a tinpot Gaddafi, how much deterrence does NATO project anymore?
"Ismael, a wild ass of a man whose hand is on every man and every man's hand is on him"
Right, who could foresee these scenarios with Turkey, Syria, Iran and so on.... Erdogan better tread lightly here, because the nutcase in Iran just may attack Turkey.
Hexbollah must be finding themselves in an uncomfortable predicament, if it's true that the Syrian protest movement has been hijacked by violent Islamists (as if no-one saw that coming). I mean, isn't that what Hezb are supposed to be? So do they take the side of their Muslim brothers against the despot, or do they side with the despot? Either way they lose. No wonder they're heading for the hills!
In NATO's founding document it states that any attack on any one member is an attack on all members. Iran might as well threaten to bomb Nebraska, it's not likely they would go through with it as it would mean they would be declaring war against 27 other countries as well as Turkey, including the United States.
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