Saudi-Qatar crisis puts Syria rebels in tricky position

BEIRUT: A diplomatic crisis pitting Saudi Arabia against Qatar has position, analysts say, after rivalries between Gulf backers had already weakened the opposition.

Both Sunni-ruled monarchies sided with the protesters in with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations.

the mostly Sunni rebels when - tween the armed opposition and troops loyal to President Bashar al- Assad, who hails from the arch-rival Iran.

has been plagued by rivalries between Riyadh and Doha, as military intervention in support

forces led to a series of setbacks for the rebels, including their landmark loss in December of second city Aleppo.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and allies, including the United Arab Emirates, severed or reduced diplomatic ties with Qatar over accusations the emirate sup has denied.

the Syrian opposition in a very awkward position politically, as nobody wants to have to take sides publicly nor can afford to alienate either side,” said Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

stronghold of Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus said he hoped the crisis between Doha and Riyadh was just “a temporary storm.”

‘ Sensitive’ issue

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have supported the revolution of the Syrian people and shown solidarity throughout years of tragedy,” the rebel official said.

In a sign of the embarrassment the crisis is causing, several rebel groups approached by Agence France-Presse refused to comment, saying it was a “sensitive” issue.

up in relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia will have a limited

major financial impact, nor a military one since the US and - port for factions that previously were close to Qatar or to Saudi Arabia,” Sayigh said.

Riyadh “reduced its funding sharply starting” from the sum intervention in Yemen” earlier in the year, he said.

fractured rebellion controls just torn country, with backing from - dan and the United States.

Pro-Doha rebels including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham group are present in the north of the country.

In Eastern Ghouta, pro-Doha - side the pro- Riyadh Jaish alIslam rebel alliance.

Rebels in the south, meanwhile, are trained by Amman and Washington.

- al-Sham group and which some analysts and Syrian factions say has links with Qatar, although Doha has denied this.

Tensions in Eastern Ghouta?

Qatar led most mediation efforts to obtain the release of hostages held by the group formerly known as Al- Nusra Front.

In Eastern Ghouta, even before the Gulf crisis, factions supported by Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia on the other had already clashed,

Raphael Lefevre, a researcher at latest Saudi-Qatari crisis could well spark further tensions between rival groups in the rebel enclave.

- bodies, each by supporting different factions and leaders, something which largely contributed to paralyzing and fragmenting the Syrian opposition,” he said.

But the consequences of the latest spat “could be much bloodier, especially as the two countries support rival rebel factions in areas already marked by a great degree - gime violence such as the Eastern Ghouta,” Lefevre said.

however said “local dynamics - mine alliances” in Eastern Ghouta.

He said Ahrar al-Sham risked - entation of Qatari politics,” even if it continues to enjoy support from mediator in the Gulf dispute.

- Negotiations Committee is based in Riyadh, while the National Coalition work out of Istanbul.