Q&A: escalation of the Syrian civil war
How did other countries become involved in the Syrian civil war?
In 2011 President Assad used force to put down protests against his regime. Defectors from the army formed the Free Syrian Army, which received backing from the West. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar sent money and arms to Islamist rebel groups fighting the regime. Iran and Hezbollah sent forces to assist the Assad regime as well as battalions of Shia militiamen from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.
When did the West first consider intervention?
In August 2012 President Obama was asked whether he could foresee ordering direct military intervention. He said that the use of chemical weapons in Syria was “a red line”. In 2013 up to 1,700 people died in a sarin gas attack.