海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Just days after Syria鈥檚 splintered opposition groups announced a unity bloc, violence escalated on the borders with Turkey and Israel, further raising concerns that Syria's civil war could spread outside its borders and destabilize the region.

Syrian warplanes struck the small Syrian city of Ras al-Ain, which shares a聽border with Turkey, for the second day today聽in an attempt to force out rebels who took control of the town last week, reports Reuters:

Meanwhile, in response to Syrian fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli forces said they retaliated with 鈥渄irect fire鈥� on Syrian artillery, according to a second Reuters report.聽

The unity pact reached by Syrian opposition groups to create the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was immediately praised by those in support of toppling President Bashar al-Assad (see 海角大神鈥檚 coverage of world reactions to the new organization here).聽And 10 countries including France, Jordan, the United States, and Egypt have expressed support for the coalition, according to Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and the Middle East who blogs at Syria Comment.

But some argue that even with a unified opposition, without aid in the form of weapons and firepower, the regime will continue to maintain power.

"Syria has more than enough weapons for fighting the rebels," Igor Korotchenko, a retired colonel of Russia's military general staff who is now editor of National Defense magazine, told The Associated Press. "As long as Bashar Assad has the money to pay his military, it will keep fighting."

The US has thus far discouraged sending weapons to Syria鈥檚 rebels; however, according to AP, 鈥渟ome opposition figures believe Washington could give its tacit support to others funneling weapons if the new broad-based rebel coalition holds together and gains international legitimacy, such as winning recognition from the Arab League and other groups.鈥�

The New York Times notes that in light of the conflict鈥檚 recent overflow into neighboring Turkey and Israel, some question whether Assad could be intentionally trying to broaden Syria鈥檚 civil war.

But "Assad is fighting for his survival. The enemy at this stage is not Israel. He has much bigger problems," former Israeli diplomat Alon Liel told The Wall Street Journal. And Israel has reasons 鈥� like an impending election 鈥� to avoid getting entangled in Syria鈥檚 war.

鈥淗igh-ranking Israeli military officials say their real fear is that a power vacuum in Syria near the Golan Heights border could be exploited by militants or Iran in the same way that armed groups have exploited a breakdown in security in the Sinai Desert,鈥� the Journal reports.

Despite the dire situation in Syria, and the pressure put on neighboring countries as a result of a growing refugee crisis, novelist Dima Wannous writes in The Washington Post that聽the revolution has made important gains.