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Analysis: Iran and Syria Exploit Crisis

Council on Foreign Relations

July 19, 2006
Prepared by: Esther Pan

As Lebanon suffers under continuing rounds of Israeli air strikes, attention is turning to Iran and Syria and the role they are playing in the recent Mideast conflict. Bill Samii of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty writes that Tehran and Damascus have been involved in this crisis from its outset. The two countries, whose relationship is examined in this Backgrounder, are exploiting the crisis to try to increase their regional influence. Don Darling notes in the Weekly Standard that Hezbollah's recent use of the Iranian-produced Raad-1 missile threatens 2 million Israelis, and leaves no doubt about Tehran's involvement in the violence. Iran's backing transformed Hezbollah from a ragtag group of fighters into a formidable military movement, writes Daniel Byman in his authoritative book, Deadly Connections: States That Sponsor Terrorism.

In Damascus, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has faced multiple challenges since taking over the presidency after his father's death in 2000. The Los Angeles Times says the Lebanon crisis reflects Syria's desire to increase its political clout by emulating Iran's model for greater independence through defiance of the international community. Syria's decline in influence after the assassination of Rafik Hariri in February 2005 is explained in this Backgrounder. Middle East expert Flynt Leverett illuminates Bashar's regime in his book, Inheriting Syria.

And Iran is having internal power struggles of its own. Pepe Escobar writes in the Asia Times that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leads one of four factions vying for power in Tehran, and he is following his own agenda, which may not necessarily be that of the country's theocratic leadership.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.