Bashar Assad’s main headache now is the unseen coalition of the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel, which sees the Syrian regime as one of Iran’s major Middle East partners.
That’s according to former Pentagon officer Michael Maloof, who gave his insight into the situation in the protest-torn country.“The Syrian opposition seems to be more cultivated from outside. And it’s one of the problems that Assad is facing now, not just internal unrest – although he’s promised reforms, but a concerted effort by forces outside, a combination of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel,” says Maloof.“They see in Assad ultimately his alliance with Iran, which to them is a big problem. They see the spread of Iran in the Arab world. Iran has scored heavily not only in Iraq, but also in Lebanon. Iran has made it very clear that it’s going to support Assad, and they have helped solidify that arrangement with a multi-billion dollar energy agreement which brings together both Iraq and Syria, and Iran, and in effect it helps solidify Iran’s western flank,” he explains.Several NATO states are threatening action against Syria, with the UN Security Council set to hold an emergency meeting on the situation. The news comes as activists report that Syrian security forces have renewed attacks on the city of Hama.