Belmont Club » The Day of Disaster: Syria tries to distract world from its repression by sending protesters to storm Israeli border

Syria, Lee Smith wrote in his book The Strong Horse, is the one Sunni majority country in the Middle East which has bet that the "narrative of resistance" (the hatred for Israel) is stronger than the ties of the Sunni world. That calculation underlies its alliance with Shiite Hezbollah. It probably undergirds Syria's decision to let protesters storm its border with Israel leading to the death of at least 14 and the wounding of hundreds of others. Torn by internal dissension, Damascus seeks a solution by reminding the region that it is after all on the frontline with Israel.