As U.S. President Barack
Obama makes his case to Congress and the international community for a
military response to an alleged chemical attack by Syrian regime forces
in a Damascus suburb, CNN explores how the countries bordering war-torn
Syria feel about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the possibility of
foreign intervention in the bloody conflict there.
Lebanon
Security is tightening
and there is a mood of growing worry and angst in the streets of Beirut,
where many are convinced that strikes on Damascus, less than 70 miles
from the Lebanese capital, will further destabilize the country that,
aside from Syria, has suffered the most as a result of the war.
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Tiny Lebanon is
inextricably linked to its larger neighbor, and sectarian divisions
there mirror those in Syria. But while politicians who support al-Assad
say the proposed airstrikes are reminiscent of the lead-up to the war in
Iraq, those who oppose him are playing it safe for now.
Talal Arslan, the
Lebanese Democratic Party leader and a supporter of al-Assad, said
accusations of chemical weapons use by regime forces in a Damascus
suburb were "a reminder of (America's) previous lies to invade Iraq. No
one buys these lies any longer."
Lebanese MP Walid
Jumblatt, a staunch ally of the Syrian rebels who previously accused the
Assad regime of killing his father in the early years of Lebanon's
civil war in the 1970s, said strikes would not deal a fatal blow to the
Syrian regime: "The action will not be decisive, particularly in the
absence of international consensus on strike or on the post-strike era."
Ahmad Fatfat, an
anti-Assad member of the Lebanese parliament, said the ramifications of
airstrikes would probably depend on the reaction of Hezbollah, the
Beirut-based Shiite militant group that has joined Syria's civil war on
behalf of its patrons in Damascus and Iran.
The government has
mostly tried to stay out of the conflict, but that hasn't stopped the
bloodshed -- and those fleeing the fighting -- from spilling over
Lebanon's borders. One in six people in Lebanon is now a Syrian refugee,
and tensions between Lebanese and Syrians are rising.
Hezbollah was the target of deadly Beirut bombings
in recent weeks that killed dozens and left many in Lebanon believing
that the country is now a proxy battlefield as Iran and Saudi Arabia
fight to control the outcome of Syria's civil war.
But despite these deep
divisions, many Lebanese are united in the belief that potential strikes
are little more than a superficial show of power from an American
president backed into a corner by his "red line" declaration about
chemical weapons use in Syria.
Israel
Thousands of scared residents in cities across Israel made their way to gas-mask distribution centers amid fears that potential airstrikes on Syria could result in retaliatory chemical attacks.
In 2011, Israeli
President Shimon Peres insisted at a news conference that al-Assad "must
go," but the comments have been an exception for the Israeli
government. In May of 2013, an Israeli defense ministry official
specifically denied that Israel had "done anything against Assad and his
regime."
Still, Israel has been accused three times this year of launching airstrikes inside Syria. In January, a U.S. official said Israeli fighter jets bombed a Syrian convoy suspected of moving weapons to Hezbollah.
Israel's military has
long said it would target any transfer of weapons to Hezbollah or other
terrorist groups as well as any effort to smuggle Syrian weapons into
Lebanon that could threaten Israel.
Jordan
In Amman, an hour's
drive from the Syrian border and well within range of Syrian missiles,
there are fears that Jordan's involvement in the civil war could lead to
attacks on its own soil.
King Abdullah is one of the West's key allies in the region and was the first Arab leader to call for al-Assad to step down.
The vast majority of the country's citizens are Sunni and sympathize
with the plight of the Syrian rebels trying to topple the country's
Alawite regime.
It is an open secret
that Saudi Arabia is using Jordan to smuggle weapons into Syria for the
rebels. Jordan says it is doing all it can to prevent that and does not
want to inflame the situation in Syria.
But despite the fact the
world's military leaders gathered last week in Jordan to discuss Syria,
the government insists it will not be a launchpad for a Western strike
on its neighbor.
Government spokesman
Mohammad Momani said: "Our position regarding the Syrian crisis is based
on our concern for Jordan's higher national interests and our unfailing
policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of our neighbors."
"Jordan renews its calls
for a political solution in Syria and urges the international community
to intensify efforts to reach such a solution."
Iraq
In Iraq, where at least
30,000 Syrian refugees fled over a five-day period in late August, the
government has said in recent days that the country is on high alert in
anticipation of a strike in Syria.
Iraq is opposed to
Western military intervention in Syria and is deeply divided along
sectarian lines. Iraq's Shiite-dominated government is wary that the
Sunni Islamists who've been involved in fighting al-Assad's regime are
targeting the government in Baghdad.
Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki called for unity in a statement: "What is happening in Syria
threatens Iraq and the region, and all Iraqis, especially politicians,
should unite and reject sectarianism and place the national interest
above all partisan interests in order to ward off the dangers and
protect national unity and sovereignty."
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, the
region's Sunni powerhouse, is walking a very fine line on Syria. While
many observers believe the Saudis tacitly approve of the strikes, the
government has not come out publicly in support of Western military
intervention.
Saudi Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al-Faisal has called for the U.N. Security Council to
shoulder its responsibilities to the Syrian people and said the Assad
regime had lost sight of its Arab identity.
A majority of Saudis
support the rebels and want al-Assad gone, but they're also horrified
about the plight of ordinary Syrians and believe missile strikes could
exacerbate their suffering.
Khaled Al-Maeena,
editor-in-chief of the Saudi Gazette, told CNN: "People here are against
any attack that will cause more bloodshed to the existing conflict in
Syria. They know what happened in Iraq -- how many innocent people died
in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Pakistan due to strikes. I hope and believe
people are not excited at the prospect of hits on Syria."
"I would not want to see
any strike on Syria that will only add to the agony of the Syrian
people. Arabs have had enough of collateral damage."
Egypt
In Egypt, which remains
embroiled in its own deadly crisis more than a month after the military
deposed and detained president Mohamed Morsy, a number of political
parties have stood against foreign intervention in Syria.
The Tamarrod movement,
which spearheaded the drive to remove Morsy from office, ripped the U.S.
and called on the Egyptian government to act in the event of a Western
strike on Syria.
Tamarrod spokesman
Mahmoud Badr said: "The U.S. is an imperial state that has destroyed
Iraq and aims to destroy Syria and intervene in Egyptian affairs."
Hassan Shahin, another spokesman, "demanded the closure of the Suez
Canal" if there is any naval movement toward Syria, according to
state-owned Egyptian news.
Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's minister of foreign affairs, said the only way forward in Syria is a political solution.
Yemen
In Yemen, a country living under the constant specter of American drone strikes targeting al Qaeda militants, it is nearly impossible to find anyone who supports Western bombs in Syria, despite mixed attitudes about the Assad regime.
Ahmed Bahri of Yemen's
Haq Party told CNN that foreign intervention in Syria will only increase
Yemeni and Arab resentment of the U.S. He said: "Arabs do not trust the
U.S. anymore because it is attacking numerous Arab countries -- but
some Arab leaders are working against their people's will."
While many Yemenis would
like to see al-Assad deposed, others are worried about the Sunni
extremist groups that could replace him if he went. Al Qaeda in the Arab
Peninsula vastly expanded its base in Yemen after the fall of President
Ali Abdullah Saleh during the Arab Spring in 2011. And while Yemenis
feel terrorized by the group, they also live in daily fear of U.S. drone
strikes.
Youth activist Nasser al-Absi said a U.S. strike in Syria would merely create another generation of terrorists in the region.
"The U.S. will regret
any attack in Syria ... Arabs are peaceful, but they are being attacked
by the West. These attacks will make thousands of people join al Qaeda
to avenge the death of their loved ones."
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