Could Syria start World War III? ITV's Bill Neely on the deepening Middle East crises

America has a poor record in the Middle East. It may be about to get worse. And the war threatens to get worse, too


Mushroom cloud - Atomic bomb
Reuters
President Obama agreeing to give more help to the rebels in Syria is a Code Red decision in every sense.

It will almost certainly drench Syria in even more blood and it’s another danger signal that the war there is escalating and spreading far beyond its borders.
The announcement came on the same day as the UN declared that at least 93,000 people have been killed in Syria up to April, probably more. A year ago it was 10,000.

That’s 5,000 a month. Assuming the same rate of killing since April, the figure is now over 100,000.
Into this bloodbath, the West is about to send planeloads of weapons.

Syria’s rebels, a loose alliance of army deserters, Sunni civilians and al-Qaeda-linked fanatics, are now to be armed to the teeth by the world’s only superpower.
It’s one thing for a few thousand fighters from Hezbollah to join the war, or for the Gulf state of Qatar to supply weapons... It’s quite another for the world’s strongest power to back Sunni rebels against Shia forces in a civil war.

America has a poor record in the Middle East. It may be about to get worse. And the war threatens to get worse, too.
Already the danger is not just deadlier fighting within Syria. That’s already happening.

Government forces are beginning a new offensive against rebels who control half of the second city, Aleppo.
Fresh from victory in the strategic town of Qusair, the army is turning to the city of Homs, the cockpit of the revolution.

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Russia says Syrian no-fly zone would be illegal

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has claimed that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Syria would be illegal under international law.

After months of deliberation, President Barack Obama's administration said on Thursday it would now arm rebels, having obtained proof the Syrian government used chemical weapons against fighters trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The United States is also considering the imposition of a no-fly zone, using F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles from Jordan.
But Mr Lavrov said Russia could not support such a move.

"There have been leaks from Western media regarding the serious consideration to create a no-fly zone over Syria through the deployment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and F-16 jets in Jordan," he said, speaking at a joint news conference with his Italian counterpart.

"You don't have to be a great expert to understand that this will violate international law."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10122374/Russia-says-Syrian-no-fly-zone-would-be-illegal.html