Saudi Clerics Call for Jihad Against Syrian Government, Russia, Iran

Dozens of Islamist Saudi Arabian clerics have called on Arab and Muslim countries to "give all moral, material, political and military" support to what they term a jihad, or holy war, against Syria's government and its Iranian and Russian backers.

Although the clerics who signed the online statement are not affiliated with the government, their strong sectarian and anti-Christian language reflects mounting anger among many Saudis over Russian and Iranian involvement in Syria's civil war.

Russia last week started airstrikes against Syrian opposition targets that it describes as aimed at weakening the jihadist Islamic State group, a move Riyadh has denounced. The clerics' statement compared it to the Soviet Union's 1980 invasion of Afghanistan, which prompted an international jihad.

"The holy warriors of Syria are defending the whole Islamic nation. Trust them and support them … because if they are defeated, God forbid, it will be the turn of one Sunni country after another," the statement said.

Riyadh, along with Turkey and other Gulf states, is a main supporter of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, but it is also worried about the rise of jihadist groups such as Islamic State among the opposition.

Saudi jets have joined airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria, while the government has decreed long prison terms for anyone who supports the group, whose sympathizers have killed dozens in attacks in the kingdom this year.

The bloodshed in Syria, part of a wider struggle for regional supremacy between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran, has aggravated sectarian anger across the Middle East and drawn religiously motivated foreign fighters to both sides.

You realize that Israel would be next, as would Central Europe, and likely beyond that.

This is going to lead to a nuclear conflict in the ME. Containing it to the ME will be extraordinarily difficult.

Finally, we have a full armored division in SA. 400 tanks and 15,000 men, more than likely. Probably more than that. They have to come home first before all this shooting starts.

By the way, if Russia’s got the kind of numbers the Iranians claim they have there, they could be on the northern border of SA in two weeks. Maybe less.

The Persians will end up taking over Mecca. The Russians will likely take Riyahd and Medina.

This will be very, very ugly for all concerned. Turkey will also end up being overrun as well.

I believe the Iranians wanted nukes not because they want to use them on the west, but because they want détente with the Russians. “If we do this thing together, what’s to stop Russian tanks from simply turning around and invading Iran?”

If the Iranians had nukes, the Russians are quite sure the Iranians would use them on Russia should the Russians renege on their deal (they have a perfect record on the topic of reneging on deals).

If Iran gets nukes, they have a hedge on their new partners, and they get to finally knock SA out of the box, along with the Sunnis. Persia achieves regional superpower status, oil goes back up above $120/BBL and the Russians get a lock on energy shipments to China and Europe.

Israel, eventually, loses; all metaphysical things being equal. I’m betting God comes Israel’s defense as promised, however you can’t base your national security plan on that sort of promise. Plan like its up to you, pray like its up to God.

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