Fighting in Syria between Damascus and the rebel militias continues to drag on and the violent rebellion has now come to involve Turkey, Iran and the West.
The civil war continues to entangle Turkey in violence, as Saturday marked the fourth consecutive day in which Syrian shells fired by the rebels landed in the neighboring country. In reponse, Turkey again fired back at Syria Saturday after a Syrian bomb landed in a field in southern Turkey.
The response comes only one day after the Turkish Prime Minister warned Syria it would not hesitate to retaliate if further provoked.
Meanwhile, rebels have warned that the West’s inaction in the crisis will only cause trouble down the road. As reported by the New York Times, Majed al-Muhammad, the commander of a Syrian militia, slammed the West for not trying to stop Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from massacring his own people, saying the Syrian people are being radicalized because of the intensity of the conflict and the fact that the entire world is doing nothing to stop the killings.
Al-Muhammad claimed the frustration caused by the West turning its back on the people of Syria will cause the Syrian people to turn their back on the West once the civil war comes to an end.
“We are now at a very critical juncture,” wrote a journalist in one Turkish newspaper, “We are not only facing Syria, but Iran, Iraq, Russia and China behind it as well. Behind us, we have nothing but the provocative stance and empty promises of the U.S.”
“The United Nations and international community are making a big mistake,” said Ghassan Abdul Wahib, 43, a truck driver and now a leader in Kafr Takharim, a village in the north. “By letting this be a long war, they are dragging Syria toward radicalism, and they will suffer from this for a long time.”
Iran continues to be entangled in the crisis, as Syrian rebels said they will begin executing the 48 Iranian hostages they have if Iran does not stop sending weapons to the Syria government and are calling on Iran to withdraw their military from the Eastern Ghuta area of Damascus. Among the 48 are several members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
