Qatar's Verbal Saber-Rattling Over Syria May Provoke WWIII – Media

Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah recently stated that his country might intervene in Syria on behalf of militants fighting President Bashar Assad. Such a move has the potential to lead to World War Three, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta claimed, citing some media outlets.

Khalid al-Attiyah's statement, at first glance, looks like a propaganda move, given that Qatar is a small albeit very rich country, Nezavisimaya Gazeta said.

It recalled that Qatar is already providing military, financial and political support to the Sunni opposition fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia and Turkey indicated their intent to get involved in a war against the Syrian government, Nezavisimaya Gazeta said; the newspaper quoted some media outlets as saying that all this could lead to the start of a Third World War.

In mid-October, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

During the talks, the Saudi side warned of the "dangerous consequences" of Moscow's "military intervention" in the Syrian conflict.

Thus far, these have only been verbal threats, Nezavisimaya Gazeta said; however, it noted that the intentions of countries supporting those fighting the Syrian government have already been supported by real action.

For example, Qatar has repeatedly been accused of sponsoring and supporting an array of Islamist terrorist organizations which are banned in Russia, such as al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra. Positions held by Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra militants are currently being bombed by Russian warplanes in Syria.

Meanwhile, Russian military expert Yury Netkachev has dismissed speculation about the Syrian crisis sparking World War Three.

He was quoted by Nezavisimaya Gazeta as saying that Saudi Arabia and Turkey wouldn't dare stage a direct intervention in Syria, but are likely to continue to provide Syrian opposition groups with arms and money.