IRAN TO SEND TROOPS TO SYRIA TO SUPPORT PRESIDENT ASSAD

Iran will send 4,000 of its troops to Syria to aid president Bashar al-Assad's forces in its fight against rebels, according to the UK's Independent newspaper.

The "military decision" means that Iran is now "fully committed to preserving Assad's regime," wrote journalist Robert Fisk, citing pro-Iranian sources.

As well as sending Revolutionary Guards, Iran has reportedly proposed to open a "Syrian front" against Israel in the Golan Heights.

The decision was reportedly made before Iran's presidential election, and came as the US approved a move to arm the Syrian opposition.

Did anyone in the White House anticipate Iran's "military decision" before the president announced the plan to send light weapons to the rebels in Syria?  Or is the news from Iran another "Who would ever have expected...?" moment?  Why do we continue to meddle in the affairs of countries in the Middle East despite our miserable series of failures?  Many questions...