The cloud generated by the allegation of chemical weapons used in Syria has not blown over. The Hezbollah, terrorists in Lebanon, have been secretly helping the Assad regime in Damascus with missiles to destroy the Sunnis in the region. Assad belongs to the Shia community. Israel has retaliated by engaging in adventurism in Syria. The Hezbollah are trying to secure a passage to Shiite Iran to achieve their purpose. Their failure will impair their position in Lebanon and that will lead to a flare-up in the Shiite struggle in west Asia. The rebels who comprise Sunni elements are backed by Qatar, Saudi- Arabia, Turkey, and Jordan. The world powers are also involved. At the behest of Britain and France, the European Union has decided to lift its embargo on arms sent to Syrian rebels. The entry of the Hezbollah on the scene may have led to it. But the main objective is to put pressure on President Assad to make negotiations at the Geneva summit in June fruitful. Russia on the other hand is supplying military hardware to the Assad government according to an old agreement. It has declared that it will beef up the Syrian missile system with its own to cow down the Syrian rebels. With big power intervention, the religious strife in Syria threatens to spark a conflagration.
The final say lies with the US which is following a half- hearted policy. President Barack Obama is supporting plans to enforce a no- fly zone within Syria. Unlike Britain and France, Washington intends to push Assad to a compromise solution. But it is unlikely that US half- measures will resolve the deepening crisis in Syria and the surrounding region.