(Reuters) — Both the United States and Russia have made clear that they have been trying to avoid getting drawn deeper into the Syrian conflict, a Syrian analyst said Tuesday.
Despite the efforts to reach a political settlement for the Syrian crisis, the situation on the ground has grown increasingly complex over the past few months.
In mid-March, Syrian government forces and the opposition engaged in the most intense fighting in almost a year in eastern Damascus, and in late March, opposition forces launched a major assault in Hama Governorate, posing a new challenge for the Syrian president.
Despite a cool-down of confrontation following the establishment of de-escalation zones in May, conflict has flared up again in many parts of the country, particularly, in southern Syria.
In the meantime, the US’ further involvement has added to the complexities of the Syrian war.
In April, the US carried out a missile attack against a Syrian air base near Homs in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government against civilians.
Tarek Alabed, a political analyst in Damascus, said although the US had long said its focus in Syria was defeating the Islamic State (IS) group, it has already plunged itself deep into the conflict.
“The US has made a point of getting itself involved in the Syrian war, however, it intended to send a message that ‘We are back, but it does not mean we want to be dragged deeper into the conflict’,” he said.
According to reports, in addition to the missile attack, the US-led coalition has repeatedly attacked the Syrian army’s allies. Last week, a coalition aircraft shot down a Syrian jet near Raqqa.
And on Tuesday, the White House threatened that Syria will pay “a heavy price” if it follows through on what the US says are preparations for another chemical weapons attack – warning of action that could plunge the US much deeper into the Syrian civil war.
The series of actions of the US seems to leave no doubt for Russia that Washington and its allies are laying the ground for rolling back whatever influence Moscow has enhanced in the region.
Russia accused the US of undermining the Syrian government. And in a latest show of strength, Russia fired cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea against IS positions late last week.
Alabed said neither the US nor Russia wants a direct military confrontation in Syria, but at the same time, neither side is willing to stand by and see the other side play an increasingly important role in the Syrian crisis.
“No matter if it’s Russia or the (US), neither apparently wants to be dragged deeper into the crisis, or engage in direct confrontation in Syria. But Russia needs the US to have a closer look at the role Moscow plays and it does not want to see the US play a leading role in the crisis,” said Alabed.
The analyst said that in addition to the messiness of Syria’s crowded battlefield, the deeper involvement of Russia and the US would eventually lead to a much more complex situation in the Middle Eastern country.
