Experts Predict Syria Fighting May Escalate
September 25, 2013
While the world’s diplomats work in New York to hammer out an agreement on the disposal of Syria’s chemical weapons, and United Nations investigators head back into Syria, experts say fighting in the more than two-year-long civil war may well become more intense.
Syria could be losing all or most of its chemical weapons, which gave it a significant advantage over rebel forces. Experts say that could lead to intensified attacks from both sides.
Retired British Brigadier Ben Barry, now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, says with the loss of its chemical weapons, the Syrian government is likely to make more extensive use of its other military assets.
“That has reduced an element of the regime’s military advantage. But of course the regime still has lots of heavy firepower, including tanks, mortars, artillery and ground-launched rockets, which is a much more important part of its capability,” Barry explained.
According to experts at the Institute, last month's chemical weapons attack and the lack of a Western military response has left the rebels feeling disappointed and abandoned. They say that will likely move the rebels to take a more aggressive approach on the battlefield. Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the institute’s Middle East Center, predicts a significant spike in violence.
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