Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., warned Newsmax in a recent video that a U.S. intervention into Syria could cause World War III.
“That’s how they do business, and so if we’re going to go in there, we need to go in with very clear rules of engagement if we’re going to get Bashar al-Assad out of there,” warned West, who had been posted in several combat zones.
“But understand, you’ll be starting World War III or maybe World War IV. We don’t need to get into that”
West’s comments come amid heavy international outrage over a massacre of 108 civilians in Syria last week, a tragedy that has many calling for an the United States to take military action against Bashar-al-Assad.
Instead of jumping into the conflict with the intention of removing Syrian president Bashar-al-Assad from power, West proposed reaffirming our ties with Israel.
“Once we get rid of them, how do we fill the vacuum,” West said. “We need to understand the ramifications not just in the near term but in the long term.”
West warns the United States can ill afford another protracted conflict considering the state of the United States military and looming budget cuts.
