Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a clear warning to the world this week, promising the world — and, specifically, Europeans — would “pay a price” for providing arms to rebels.
Such a move would backfire, he said, The Associated Press reported. The rebels would return to their own nations with fired up “terrorist” tendencies, he said. Moreover, the violence between government and rebel forces would escalate to such a degree that the spillover to nearby nations would lead to a massive war. And lost among the chaos would be nations’ borders.
“Nobody can imagine how the region would look like in case of a redrawing of the map,” Mr. Assad said in the AP report. “That will be a map for uncounted wars in the Middle East and possibly elsewhere, that nobody can stop.”
His comments came on the heels of President Obama’s decision to send weapons to Syrian rebel fighters.
“If the Europeans ship weapons, Europe’s backyard becomes a terrorists’ place and Europe will pay a price for it,” Mr. Assad said, as AP reported. The ensuing chaos would lead to “the direct export of terrorism to Europe. Terrorists will return to Europe with fighting experience and extremist ideologies.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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