Saudi Arabia is reportedly pressuring Jordan to create a military zone for armed groups fighting against the Damascus government near its border with Syria.
According to an editorial in the pan-Arab newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi, Riyadh is exerting pressure on Amman to join the anti-Syria war by cutting off its financial aid to the country since March last year over Jordan’s refusal to support terrorist groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The editor believes that new Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan wants to force Jordan to agree to host the terrorist Free Syrian Army on its soil in return for the aid.
Senior Jordanian security and military officials have so far held several meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Salman Abdul Aziz over the financial aid cut but nothing has changed.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Arab countries are funding and arming terrorists groups fighting against the Syrian government. Turkey, Syria's northern neighbor, is also supporting anti-Syria groups by providing them with military bases on its soil and allowing weapons be smuggled into Syria.
Turkey has also set up a secret base near its border with Syria along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to send military supplies to anti-Syria groups.
"It's the Turks who are militarily controlling it (the base). Turkey is the main coordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom," Reuters quoted a Doha-based source as saying adding that Qatar has a key role in directing operations at the base with Qatari military intelligence and state security officials involved.
The US intelligence is also believed to be involved in the secret anti-Syria "nerve center" and that they are working through middlemen.
Syria has been the scene of violence by armed groups since March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including many security forces.
Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
