Syria, US Trade Allegations Over Ambassadors

US Envoy's Visit to Hama Seen as Provocative

Tensions between the Obama Administration and Syria’s Assad regime seem to be on the rise tonight, with both nations condemning one another’s ambassadors, accusing them of untoward behavior in a time of unrest.

For Syria, this centered around the US Ambassador’s visit to Hama, a city which has been the site of massive protests and violence crackdowns in recent days. The government accused the ambassador of inciting violence with the visit.

Which was angrily condemned by the US State Department, which termed the claim “absolute rubbish.” The visit was clearly aimed at riling up protests, however, and seemed quite successful in drawing a massive crowd.

At the same time, the Syrian Ambassador to the United States was summoned by the Obama Administration over allegations that his aides were filming public protesters in the US, which they termed an effort to “intimidate” them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.