As the crisis — and brutality — continues to unfold in Syria, keep an eye on Iran, its role and its designs. Michael Youhana has a must read in the NYU Local. Here’s part of it:
The Syrian regime’s appalling crackdown — which has left around 6000 dead — has been one of the most violent government responses to the Arab Spring’s wave of uprisings. On Friday, bad became worse when, according to conservative counts, 181 people were massacred in the Syrian city of Homs by Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.
The Syrian military has continued its shelling of Homs into this week, and, on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported that tanks were entering residential areas within the city. Their presumable target is Bab Amr, “the restive heart of the uprising in Homs.” Reports on Friday claim that tanks have begun massing outside of opposition neighborhoods and that the death toll has reached 300.
While the ongoing bloodshed in Syria is, in large part, a testament to the ruling regime’s brutality, the violent situation there has been exacerbated by the actions of a few key foreign nations. China and Russia have done a great deal to diplomatically shield the beleaguered President of Syria, and Russia continues to sell weapons to his regime.
Iran’s government, which has been eager to prop up a longtime, crucial ally, shares a particularly large portion of blame. Iran has played an especially extensive role in supporting Assad.
In May of last year a ‘senior western diplomat’ noted an increase in Iranian personnel stationed in Syria in the wake of increasing unrest. Reports came out that Iran was providing the Syrian regime with weapons, riot gear, and surveillance assistance.
In August, the Turkish government intercepted an Iranian plane bound for Syria, holding assault rifles, machine guns, and mortars. Western intelligence officials claimed that Iran was providing Assad with $23 million to build a base in Latakia that would facilitate further arms shipments.
An ex-member of Syria’s secret police, now taking refuge in Turkey, allegedly told The Telegraph that snipers from Iran were also sent into Syria to assist with the repression of protestors.The Iranian government has even reportedly reprimanded Hamas for failing to endorse Assad’s regime.
There’s a LOT more — so go to the link to read it in its entirety.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.