At least 20 people were killed Monday morning as government tanks rolled into Homs, Syria, to battle opponents of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Although Arab League monitors have already arrived, there seems to be no sign of Assad carrying out his pledge to halt his offensive against protesters in a bid to start peace talks.

These tank attacks come just after two deadly suicide bomber attacks rocked the Syrian capital Friday, killing at least 30 people. The attacks targeted the State Security Directorate and an intelligence building in Damascus, according to state news agencies. While no group is claiming responsibility for the bombings, the government is blaming al Qaeda.

Considering the recent arrival of Arab League monitors, however, it is possible that state news agencies are falsely blaming al Qaeda in an attempt to make the government look like a victim, instead of a perpetrator, of terrorism.

“It is important to remember that a propaganda war is well under way in Syria,” writes geopolitical think tank Stratfor. “The Syrian regime’s focus in this propaganda war is to portray the opposition as Islamist terrorists to illustrate the risks a foreign military would face should it intervene to help the opposition” (December 23).

Regardless of who perpetrated the bombings, the fact remains that Syria is on the brink of civil war. For the last nine months, Sunni opposition groups, inspired by the success of North African protesters, have risen up against Assad’s Shiite-dominated government. According to the latest UN estimates, over 5,000 people have already died in this conflict.

With Arab dictatorships crumbling across the Middle East, the prospect of a regime change in Syria carries heavy regional implications.

Currently, the Assad regime is Iran’s most important ally in the Middle East. As former Israeli negotiator Itamar Rabinovich wrote earlier this year, “Syria is the keystone of the pro-Iran axis. Weakening the Assad regime, to say nothing of its collapse, would be a blow to Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.”

As such, both Turkey and Saudi Arabia would love to see Sunni protesters overthrow their Shiite overlords and pull Syria out of the Iranian axis. Such a development would greatly strengthen Iran’s enemies. Syrian opposition chief Burhan Ghalioun has already pledged to cut military ties with Iran should he come to power.

This is why the Iranian mullahs are going through such intense efforts to support the Assad regime. Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mohammad Reza Ra’ouf Sheibani has pledged his country’s official support for Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad. On the unofficial side of things, rumors abound that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has troops on the ground supporting the Syrian government. It is also rumored that the Iranian government directed the Shiite prime minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki, to offer what support he could to the embattled Assad regime.

Regional and sectarian violence in the Middle East is increasing. Yet, as the world holds its breath awaiting the outcome of this conflict, students of Bible prophecy can know the eventual outcome. A divorce between Iran and Syria is inevitable.

Psalm 83 and Daniel 11 reveal that the Middle East will be divided into two camps in the end time. One camp will be a radical Islamic camp, headed by Iran and including such nations as Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. The other camp will be a more “moderate” Islamic camp that will eventually align itself with a German-led European empire, just as the grand mufti of Jerusalem allied with Hitler during World War ii. This second camp will include such nations as Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

So whether Syria’s turn away from the radical Islamic camp is the result of Assad’s having a change of heart toward the West or the result of his regime being replaced by more moderate Sunni Islamic leadership, the outcome will be the same: Syria will turn away from the Iranian mullahs and Europe will gain an ally in a future quest for Middle Eastern dominance.

For more information on the Syrian protests and how they will ultimately affect you, read “Why Iran Is Sweating Bullets” by columnist Brad Macdonald and “A Mysterious Prophecy” by editor in chief Gerald Flurry.