ASSESSMENTS

In Qatar, Possible Retaliation for Syrian Opposition Support

Jun 8, 2012 | 10:00 GMT

In Qatar, Possible Retaliation for Syrian Opposition Support
Qatari firefighters outside Doha's Villaggio Mall on May 28

-/AFP/GettyImages

Summary

Sunni Bahraini lawmaker Salman bin Hamad al-Shaikh claimed that sleeper cells run by Syrian and Iranian intelligence were responsible for the May 28 nursery fire at the Villaggio Mall in Doha, Qatar, which killed 19 people, including 13 children. A Stratfor source in the Qatari government said a Lebanese Shiite was in custody on suspicion of arson, but this allegation remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates reportedly has expelled 1,000 Lebanese Shia for suspected ties to Hezbollah. 

The detention of the Lebanese Shiite suggests that Hezbollah, a proxy group for the Syrian and Iranian regimes, was involved in the Villaggio fire. So far, there is no evidence to confirm such involvement. But recent actions and statements from Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which supports opposition rebels in Syria — are anomalous. Given the tensions in the region, Iran and Syria may be using proxies to induce the GCC to end its support for the rebels.

Conflict appears to be escalating between Qatar and other GCC states and Iran and Syria....

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