Saudi Arabia Intervenes in Syria

Two car bomb attacks in Damascus Saturday left 27 dead and 140 injured. The Syrian government blamed the attacks on “terrorists.”
Almost simultaneously, Saudi Arabia announced that was sending military materials to Syrian army deserters now working with the resistance front, saying that the arms would be supplied through Jordan, which denied that any such shipments were passing through its territory, saying the reports were “completely unfounded.”
Saudi Arabia’s announcement is the first break in the international community decision not to send arms to the Syrian rebels because of fears that a wider civil war would then be likely. Qatar may also be considering making such shipments, having announced last week that it believes the rebels should be provided military equipment.
Saudi Arabia has long been critical of the Syrian al-Assad regime and recently withdrew all of its diplomatic personnel from Damascus as a protest against the regime’s attacks on its own citizens.
Official Syrian media reported today that Saudi Arabia was sending terrorists into its territory and blamed the Saudi government for the deaths and injuries caused by the car bombs, saying that Saudi Arabia was “politically, legally and religiously responsible” for the attacks.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé condemned the attacks and all acts of terrorism against civilians. Iran also condemned the attacks, putting France in rather strange company.
Meanwhile, UN Syrian Special Envoy Kofi Annan, returning from Damascus to Geneva, said that the responses of the Syrian government to his proposals when he was in Damascus were “deceiving.” Nevertheless, Annan will send a delegation to Syria next week to assess possibilities for a cease-fire and for installing UN observers.
In Turkey, leaders of five different groups announced a plan to unify the Syrian opposition, because the opposition factions are having trouble combining their efforts.
In Lebanon, marchers in Beirut protested against the al-Assad regime, as did marchers in front of the White House in Washington, demanding that President Obama take action to stop the killing of civilians.
So, efforts at peacemaking continue while the violence is escalating on both sides, making a full-blown Syrian civil war more likely.
But, Saudi Arabia’s entry on the side of the rebels will surely have an important influence on the Arab world, as well as on the international community.