Golan Heights UN Peacekeepers. Illustrative. Photo Courtesy of UN Photo/Wolfgang Grebien.
The Syrian civil war is risking a real Middle East war between Syria and Israel thanks to the fighting that has spilled into the border region between two countries, according to the top official in the United Nations. The situation in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria is so bad, The New York Times is reporting that hundreds of UN peacekeepers there are leaving. That has UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon concerned, and you should be too.
Rebels and Syrian troops have fought fairly close to the border, with shots spilling into Israel and UN peacekeepers being caught in the conflict. The fighting in the buffer zone has “the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic and to jeopardize the cease-fire between the two countries,” Ban was quoted by The New York Times as saying.
Israel and Syria have maintained an uneasy ceasefire since the 1970s, with UN peacekeepers in the region between the two countries aiming to maintain the peace. However, peacekeepers have been taken hostage and recent fighting in the border area led Austria to withdraw its peacekeeping troops, according to The New York Times.
Israel has been hit with multiple shots from Syria in the last six months, as well as being threatened by Syrian plans to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah terrorists. As a result, Israel has responded with limited attacks on Syrian targets, including reports of bombing those advanced weapons bound for terrorists.
A broader Middle East war is bad for you for several reasons: One, oil prices could go up and raise the cost of gasoline if regional conflict concerns oil companies. Second, Israel is a major ally for the US against terrorism and other villains in the region. Having them caught in a fight with Syria would be distracting at best and would likely threaten their civilians.
Even the head of the UN is concerned the Syrian war is threatening regional peace. Shouldn’t you be too?
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, June 13, 2013)