Israeli party leader says U.S. troops in Jordan ‘message to Assad’

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli party Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz said Saturday, June 22 that the U.S. decision to leave hundreds of American troops in Jordan is a direct message to Syrian President Bashar Assad: "We are here and we can intervene."

Speaking at a cultural event in the South Sharon Regional Council, Mofaz said that "in Syria the governing apparatus is disintegrating. There is a clash between world powers, between Sunnis and Shi'ites, and, of course, Iran is involved up to its neck."

Mofaz stated that, with Russia threatening to arm Assad, the Americans cannot "sit on the sideline with their hands tied."

"The fact that there are American forces in Jordan signals that the U.S. is interested in deterring the Syrians and the Assad regime, and is prepared to take further steps in the future," he added, according to The Jerusalem Post.