The War in Syria and surrounding developments

The war in Syria turned into a battleground in which nations are drawn to the Middle East theatre like a moth to candlelight. This is very prophetic.

The latest development of Turkish forces entering Syria is extremely significant. President Erdogan of Turkey wants to establish a buffer zone on the Syrian –Turkey border. To be able to do that his military forces needs to push back the Kurdish YPG forces, backed by the United States. The YPG played a crucial role in helping US forces chasing ISIS out of the area.

Meanwhile, Russia silently reneged on its statement in the media during November 2017, to withdraw all its forces from Syria. Instead, President Vladimir Putin decided to build more military bases and bolster his army in Syria with 6,000 more troops. To keep the balance and protect its interests, the US decided to stay in Syria indefinitely.

While Hizbullah strategically withdrew from Syria to set up bases near Israel’s northern border, Iran is pushing the envelope even further by supplying Hizbullah with precision weapons to confront Israel in the next war. Iran is effectively turning Syria and Lebanon  into a potential war zone.

Israel will not allow Iran to supply Hizbullah with strategic and precision weapons posing a major threat to Israel. Only time will tell who will make the first move.

The presence of US, Russian, Turkish and Iranian forces in Syria and Hizbullah militias, a proxy of Iran in Lebanon, is turning the Middle East into a powder keg. Any serious scholar of the Middle East will watch these developments very closely.