Military intervention in Syria: Turkey under threat

Azerbaijan, Baku, September 2 / Trend/ Rufiz Hafizoglu, head of Trend's Arabic news service In spite of the partial confirmation of the use of chemical weapons by Syrian authorities against civilians, military intervention is still being discussed. After a statement made by U.S president Barrack Obama stating that the U.S army will not enter Syria, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated that the main aim in intervening in Syria is not to change the regime but rather to weaken it. Following this, Ankara made a similar statement stressing that the aim of the possible military intervention is not to overthrow the current power. In attentively observing Syria, we can see that it was earlier reported that chemical weapons were used against civilians. The country's government then stated that chemical weapons were used by armed terrorist groups, but the opposition said that it was used by authorities. Nevertheless, even during the first use of chemical weapons in the country, the issue of military intervention was not on the agenda. Analyzing these processes, we can conclude that the country's radical Islamist groups didn't have significant power, but today the situation has changed dramatically. It can be said that today, Islamist groups control large sections of the country. All of these, as well as statements by U.S. and Turkish officials that military intervention does not imply the overthrow of the Assad government, gives grounds to say that the expected military intervention is being directed against radical Islamist groups in Syria. On the other hand, the threat of these groups acquiring chemical weapons is a serious concern. As for the first phase of military intervention in Syria, the introduction of a no-fly zone over Deraa city situated in country's south is one of the issues that is being discussed. It is possible to carry out an attack from this territory in case of intervention. Naturally, in case if there will be a military intervention in Syria, the conflict will further escalate. It is possible that perhaps the terrorist group Hezbollah and Iran will also adequately respond to this. In case of military intervention in Syria, as well as taking into consideration the existing situation and Ankara's positions on the matter, it is possible to say that the countries neighboring Syria, in particular Turkey, will be under great threat. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az