Syria Escalates into an International Problem

On October 12, 2012, the Los Angeles Times wrote the article called "Syrian rebels seize government missile base". This article discusses a recent attack by Syrian rebels toward a governmental missile base. The rebels took control over the missile base, which contained different types of weapons, such as anti aircraft firearms, surface-to-air missiles, and rocket propelled grenades. The government responded quickly after through an airstrike, destroying the missiles in the base. Because of the reaction time of the attack, many countries fear that governmental chemical weapons are starting to be threatened and the government is responding with quick attacks to destroy them. The United States, being one of the countries fearing this, fears that if these missile bases contain chemical weapons and are taken over, they can land into the wrong hands, such as al 'Quada. An al 'Quada militant group named Al Nusra Front, was part of the attack on the missile base. They claimed that they took most of the weapons and equipment from the missile base, and are ready to keep fighting Assad until their front is back into power in Syria. This statement fears the United States and their ally Jordan, because they have become a huge threat to both countries. As the threat of the terrorist group gaining power grows again, the threat of an international war based in Syria also rises. Russia, being Syria's greatest ally, sent a transport plane filled with radio and communication equipment to Syria. Turkey intercepted this transport plane, claiming it carried ammunition and firearms. Turkey also sent tons of equipment to military bases bordering Syria. The problem in Syria is escalating from a revolution to a complete regional conflict.