Showing posts with label Chemical weapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chemical weapons. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
BREAKING NEWS
End Of Days News
BREAKING NEWS: Reporters inside Syria reveal Evidence of Chemical Weapon Use, John Kerry Denies it
Two Le Monde reporters who spent two months concealed in the Damascus district of Jobar attested first hand to the effects of chemical weapon against Syrian rebels: “The men cough violently. Their eyes burn, their… Read More →
BREAKING NEWS: US demands immediate Hizballah withdrawal from Syria
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday night it was “unacceptable” and “dangerous” for Hizballah to send fighters into Syria.”We demand that Hizballah withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately,” she said at a regular daily… Read More →
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Medics Have Treated Hundreds Of Syrian Rebels For 'Symptoms Of Chemical Exposure'
End Of Days News
Medics Have Treated Hundreds Of Syrian Rebels For 'Symptoms Of Chemical Exposure'
The battle for Qusair, near Homs, is one of the most crucial. Photograph: Reuters *Syria Medics Treat Hundreds Of Rebels For 'Symptoms Of Chemical Exposure' -- The Guardian* *Detailed account of Syria conflict include claims that suggest chemicals and toxic gases have been used on battlefields.* Medics working in six rebel-held districts near Damascus have treated several hundred fighters for symptoms of chemical exposure since March, a detailed investigation has found, adding fresh impetus to claims the Syrian regime has resorted to the banned weapons. A reporter from the Fr... more »
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Israeli home defense drill to focus on missile and chemical threats
End Of Days News
DEBKAfile May 21, 2013, 6:05 PM (GMT+02:00)
Home Defense Minister Gilead Erdan disclosed Tuesday that the annual “Steadfast Home Front – 1” exercise starting next Sunday will postulate equal risks to the military and home fronts. He said this eventuality was only now a question of time.
Addressing a news conference, the minister said the exercise would stage scenarios of large population centers and strategic facilities under attack from thousands of missiles from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Chemical strikes will also be rehearsed. Maj.Gen. Eyal Eisenberg, head of the IDF Home Front Command, said a chemical strike would challenge the IDF’s command and control capacity. The IDF is keeping a close watch on events in Syria from the northern border, he said. “We wouldn’t be practicing a massive missile war scenario unless we believed the enemy had the operational capability to attack Israel’s civilian population.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Turkey Sends Team To Screen For Chemical Weapons On Syria Border
End Of Days News
ISTANBUL, May 9 (Reuters) - Turkey has sent a team of eight experts to the border with Syria to test wounded victims of the country's civil war for traces of chemical and biological weapons, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday.
Turkey started testing blood samples last week from Syrian casualties brought over the border for treatment to determine whether they were victims of a chemical weapons attack.
The civil defence team, equipped with a specialist vehicle which can detect evidence of chemical, biological and nuclear substances, has been stationed at the Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli, Anatolian said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposing rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons.
Britain said on Thursday it believed it was "very likely" that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons, but that it had "no evidence to date" that the rebels had used them.
Washington has long said it views the use of chemical weapons in Syria as a "red line". But, wary of the false intelligence that was used to justify the 2003 war in Iraq, the United States says it wants proof before taking any action.
In this image from video broadcast on Syrian state television Wednesday, April 17, 2013, President Bashar Assad speaks during an interview. (AP Photo/Syrian State TV via AP video)
ISTANBUL, May 9 (Reuters) - Turkey has sent a team of eight experts to the border with Syria to test wounded victims of the country's civil war for traces of chemical and biological weapons, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday.
Turkey started testing blood samples last week from Syrian casualties brought over the border for treatment to determine whether they were victims of a chemical weapons attack.
The civil defence team, equipped with a specialist vehicle which can detect evidence of chemical, biological and nuclear substances, has been stationed at the Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli, Anatolian said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposing rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons.
Britain said on Thursday it believed it was "very likely" that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons, but that it had "no evidence to date" that the rebels had used them.
Washington has long said it views the use of chemical weapons in Syria as a "red line". But, wary of the false intelligence that was used to justify the 2003 war in Iraq, the United States says it wants proof before taking any action.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
White House to Congress: Assad has used chemical weapons. Israeli jets down Hizballah drone opposite Haifa
End Of Days News
Earlier Thursday, Israel Air Force F-16 warplanes downed a Hizballah drone 8 kilometers out at sea from the big port of Haifa. It flew south from the direction of Lebanon. Witnesses on Haifa’s Mt. Carmel watched the smoke trails of the Israeli jets and heard exploding rockets.
Israeli Navy ships are out searching for debris in the Mediterranean Sea.
In a remarkable reversal, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Abdu Dhabi Thursday afternoon, April 25, that the US intelligence community believes the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people, determining with "varying degrees of confidence" that Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces have used the nerve agent sarin against civilians and forces fighting to remove Assad from power.
The White House is informing Congress about the chemical weapons use now, Hagel said, hours after he voiced reservations about the assessment Tuesday by senior Israeli military intelligence officer Brig. Gen. Itai Brun that the Assad regime had begun to practice chemical warfare.
Earlier Thursday, Israel Air Force F-16 warplanes downed a Hizballah drone 8 kilometers out at sea from the big port of Haifa. It flew south from the direction of Lebanon. Witnesses on Haifa’s Mt. Carmel watched the smoke trails of the Israeli jets and heard exploding rockets.
Israeli Navy ships are out searching for debris in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israeli army spokesman issued a statement: An attempt by an unmanned aerial vehicle to enter Israel’s air space was thwarted. The UAV was identified flying from the north past the coast of southern Lebanon and continuing south. It was tracked continuously until it was downed by Israeli fighter planes and attack helicopters.
They went into action after the drone was identified as not coming from a friendly source. The Air Force gave the order to shoot it down.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “We take an extremely grave view of this attempt to violate our borders and will continue to guard them and keep our citizens safe.” He added, “We are watching events in Syria and Lebanon with extreme concern. Syria is breaking up and Lebanon is unstable. Both places pose not inconsiderable perils to Israel – two emanating directly from Syria. The first is the possible transfer of sophisticated weaponry to terrorist organizations and the second, attempts by terrorists to break through our borders and attack our towns and villages. Israel stands ready to counteract any threats from Syria or Lebanon by sea, air and land.”
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Israel’s Def Min inspects Golan position. Al Qaeda nears Syrian chemical depot
End Of Days News
This prompted an urgent visit by Israel’s top security officials to the Golan border for a close assessment of the situation.
In fierce battles with Syrian troops, Al Qaeda’s al-Nusra front is spearheading the rebels’ advance on the Syrian army’s biggest chemical weapons depot at the Al-Safira military and air defense base near Aleppo in the north. By Tuesday, April 2, the assault force had come within 1.5 kilometers of its target.
This prompted an urgent visit by Israel’s top security officials to the Golan border for a close assessment of the situation.
The group surveying the situation from the IDF position at Tel Hazaka was led by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yair Golan.
On his first visit to the Golan border, the defense minister said that Israel had in the past and would in the future prevent the proliferation of weapons that could “threaten us.”
Yaalon was the first leading Israeli figure to state clearly that Israel would act to prevent the proliferation of Syria’s chemical weapons – whether to the al Qaeda or Hizballah terrorist organizations.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Al Qaeda brigade captures Syrian-Israeli-Jordanian border junction
End Of Days News
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this sensitive area fell to al Qaeda in a fierce battle waged with the Syrian army’s 5th Division in the village of Sham Al-Jawla. Control of this village has opened the way for the jihadists to reach the Syrian Golan sector from the south and for direct access to the Syrian-Israeli-Jordanian borders.
The highly strategic intersection of the Syrian, Israeli and Jordan borders, just east of the Golan, was captured by the Al Musanna Brigade of al Qaeda’s Syrian arm, Jabhat al-Nusra on Passover Eve, Monday, March 25, DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report.
This put the jihadists directly opposite 14 Israeli southern Golan villages and at a distance of 5-6 kilometers from one of Israel’s earliest kibbutzim, Ein Gev, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this sensitive area fell to al Qaeda in a fierce battle waged with the Syrian army’s 5th Division in the village of Sham Al-Jawla. Control of this village has opened the way for the jihadists to reach the Syrian Golan sector from the south and for direct access to the Syrian-Israeli-Jordanian borders.
On a second front, al Qaeda fighters have seized control of Wadi ar-Ruqqad, a 70-kilometer long waterway which forms the Golan’s eastern boundary.
This wadi rises at a point north of Quneitra on the Syrian side of the Golan, flows south through a shallow gulch to become a waterfall which drops south west into a 20-kilometer basalt tunnel of which 6 kilometers run through Israeli territory. Ar Ruqqad waters then flow into the Yarmuk River up to the point where the Syrian, Israeli and Jordanian borders connect.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Witnesses report onset of chemical warfare in Syria
End Of Days News
Extensive preparations by Syrian army units for launching chemical weapons against rebel forces have been sighted in the northern town of Homs, Western intelligence agencies told DEBKAfile’s military sources Tuesday, March 19.
Damascus paved the way for resorting to unconventional weaponry with an accusation run by the state news agency SANA Tuesday that Syrian rebels had fired a rocket containing chemical substances in the Khan al-Assad area of rural Aleppo, allegedly killing 15 people, mostly civilians.
Rebels quickly denied the report and accused regime forces of “firing a chemical weapon on a long-range SCUD, after which 20 people died of asphyxia and poisoning.”
Neither of the accusations could immediately verified.
But a Reuters photographer said he had seen people come into two Aleppo hospitals with breathing problems after the attack. They claimed people were suffocating on the streets.
Western intelligence sources reckoned that for the Assad regime, Homs, the scene of fierce battles between government and rebel forces in recent days, is likely to be the first place where the Assad government resorts to chemical warfare. A rebel victory there would be a grave setback for the regime because it would sever the main highway linking the Syrian military forces fighting in the towns of Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo and Idlib.
Monday and Tuesday, therefore, heavy government reinforcements from the South and Damascus were piled onto the embattled town, along with large numbers of warplanes and attack helicopters, in an all-out effort to cut short the rebel advance.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the importance Assad attaches to carrying the day in Homs is represented by the elite units he has assembled in and around the city: Heavy armored forces of the 4th and 5th Republican Guard Divisions were imported from Damascus and the 18th and 19th Divisions are there too, issued in the last few hours with chemical warfare gear.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Intelligence chief: Assad ready to use chemical weapons
End Of Days News
Israel’s military intelligence chief on Thursday said Syria’s embattled president, Bashar Assad, is preparing to use chemical weapons.
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi told a security conference in the coastal town of Herzliya that Assad is stepping up his offensive against rebels trying to oust him.
He claimed Assad is making advanced preparations to use chemical weapons, but has not yet given the order to deploy them. He did not disclose information about why he thinks Assad is preparing to use them.
Kochavi spoke for the better part of an hour, detailing the effects on Israel of the transformation of the Middle East in recent years.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Joint US-Israel-Turkish-Jordanian HQ to operate in Syria in chemical war
End Of Days News
A new US-led contingency headquarters for joint US, IsraelU, Jordanian and Turkish operations will go into action inside Syria if any or all these allies should come under chemical or biological attack.
Agreement to establish this headquarters was finalized at the talks US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held with visiting Israeli defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon Tuesday, March 5.
debkafile’s military sources report that Hagel spoke of a chemical war in Syria in terms of an imminent and realistic eventuality. Washington expected the Syrian rebels close to al Qaeda to initiate this type of warfare and the Syria army to fight back in kind. Such an exchange could quickly spill over the Syrian borders to its neighbors, it was likewise predicted.
The abduction of 21 UNDOP Filipino UN observers Wednesday, March 6, by the Islamist Martyrs of the Yarmouk, is now seen as tying in closely with the next plans of the Islamist militias of the Syrian rebel force, headed by Jabhat al-Nusra, which are to cement their grip on the Syrian Golan, eastern Syria and the Upper Euphrates, where the important towns of Deir Azor and Abu Kemal are situated.
Therefore, the parties involved in their release refute the optimistic accounts of the blue-helmeted hostages’ early release issuing from Damascus, UN headquarters in New York and Middle East capitals.
By strengthening their holdings in eastern Syria, the Islamist militias believe they would pave the way for the creation of an al Qaeda-dominated territorial entity, the first of its kind, ranging from the eastern outskirts of Damascus to the northern approaches to Baghdad.
Jabhat al Nusra, al Qaeda’s most effective combat force in Syria and Iraq, is determined to go through with this plan, even if it necessitates fighting with the chemical or biological weapons they have managed to get hold of.
The kidnappings of UN observers have attracted worldwide attention and put the Islamist camp now dominating the Syrian rebel movement on the map as a force to be reckoned with and respected – internally and internationally.
A new US-led contingency headquarters for joint US, IsraelU, Jordanian and Turkish operations will go into action inside Syria if any or all these allies should come under chemical or biological attack.
Agreement to establish this headquarters was finalized at the talks US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held with visiting Israeli defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon Tuesday, March 5.
debkafile’s military sources report that Hagel spoke of a chemical war in Syria in terms of an imminent and realistic eventuality. Washington expected the Syrian rebels close to al Qaeda to initiate this type of warfare and the Syria army to fight back in kind. Such an exchange could quickly spill over the Syrian borders to its neighbors, it was likewise predicted.
The abduction of 21 UNDOP Filipino UN observers Wednesday, March 6, by the Islamist Martyrs of the Yarmouk, is now seen as tying in closely with the next plans of the Islamist militias of the Syrian rebel force, headed by Jabhat al-Nusra, which are to cement their grip on the Syrian Golan, eastern Syria and the Upper Euphrates, where the important towns of Deir Azor and Abu Kemal are situated.
Therefore, the parties involved in their release refute the optimistic accounts of the blue-helmeted hostages’ early release issuing from Damascus, UN headquarters in New York and Middle East capitals.
By strengthening their holdings in eastern Syria, the Islamist militias believe they would pave the way for the creation of an al Qaeda-dominated territorial entity, the first of its kind, ranging from the eastern outskirts of Damascus to the northern approaches to Baghdad.
Jabhat al Nusra, al Qaeda’s most effective combat force in Syria and Iraq, is determined to go through with this plan, even if it necessitates fighting with the chemical or biological weapons they have managed to get hold of.
The kidnappings of UN observers have attracted worldwide attention and put the Islamist camp now dominating the Syrian rebel movement on the map as a force to be reckoned with and respected – internally and internationally.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Syrian jets bomb northern air base seized by Islamist-led rebels
End Of Days News
Tuesday night, Feb. 12, he Syrian Air Force began bombing the large al-Jarra air base which rebels led by Islamist battalions conquered near the northern city of Aleppo. Bashar Assad has ordered the destruction of the dozens of fighter-bombers on the ground in the captured base. Most are Czech-made L-29 trainer planes which his air force has been using to pound rebel positions in built-up areas of the cities. But still in hangars are also Sukhoi Su-22M bombers and Mig-23 interceptors which too have been pressed into service for striking rebel-held territory.
The loss of the al-Jarra air base is a major blow for Assad’s forces, depriving them of the ability to hunt down and wipe out rebel forces from the air. Now the remnants of his air force are entrusted with somehow destroying their own planes, which are housed in bomb-proof hangars of the captured air facility.
As for the rebels celebrating their feat in those hangars, they might have used the air fleet they seized to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus, except that none of them are trained fliers. What they have done is to launch a recruitment campaign in Muslim countries for air crews with experience in flying Russian-made warplanes and helicopters.
Their headhunters are scouring the former Soviet republics and East Europe with large Muslim communities for Muslim pilots who served in the air forces of their own countries. Even those trained fighters, however, never served on advanced Sukhois or Migs, only on light trainers.
In Damascus, debkafile’s military sources report that the 4th Division (which acts as the Republican Guard) managed Tuesday to shore up the defensive lines that the rebels had breached in the eastern sector in the last day or two and throw back their advance into the heart of the capital. The rebels can only shell the Jobar district of central Damascus from outside, but are prevented from breaking through to their ultimate target.
debkafile’s sources and most Western observers sources fear that as his setbacks in battle pile up, the Syrian ruler is likely to decide that the only way to save his regime is to turn his chemical weapons against the rebel forces.
Tuesday night, Feb. 12, he Syrian Air Force began bombing the large al-Jarra air base which rebels led by Islamist battalions conquered near the northern city of Aleppo. Bashar Assad has ordered the destruction of the dozens of fighter-bombers on the ground in the captured base. Most are Czech-made L-29 trainer planes which his air force has been using to pound rebel positions in built-up areas of the cities. But still in hangars are also Sukhoi Su-22M bombers and Mig-23 interceptors which too have been pressed into service for striking rebel-held territory.
The loss of the al-Jarra air base is a major blow for Assad’s forces, depriving them of the ability to hunt down and wipe out rebel forces from the air. Now the remnants of his air force are entrusted with somehow destroying their own planes, which are housed in bomb-proof hangars of the captured air facility.
As for the rebels celebrating their feat in those hangars, they might have used the air fleet they seized to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus, except that none of them are trained fliers. What they have done is to launch a recruitment campaign in Muslim countries for air crews with experience in flying Russian-made warplanes and helicopters.
Their headhunters are scouring the former Soviet republics and East Europe with large Muslim communities for Muslim pilots who served in the air forces of their own countries. Even those trained fighters, however, never served on advanced Sukhois or Migs, only on light trainers.
In Damascus, debkafile’s military sources report that the 4th Division (which acts as the Republican Guard) managed Tuesday to shore up the defensive lines that the rebels had breached in the eastern sector in the last day or two and throw back their advance into the heart of the capital. The rebels can only shell the Jobar district of central Damascus from outside, but are prevented from breaking through to their ultimate target.
debkafile’s sources and most Western observers sources fear that as his setbacks in battle pile up, the Syrian ruler is likely to decide that the only way to save his regime is to turn his chemical weapons against the rebel forces.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Psalms 83: Israelis Grab Gas Masks amid Syrian WMD Fears
End Of Days News
TEL AVIV, January 31 (RIA Novosti) - The demand for gas masks almost tripled in Israel in January amid concerns about the safety of the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile, the Ynet news portal said on Wednesday.
The Israel Postal Service, charged with free distribution of non-conventional warfare protection equipment, said the number of Israelis who decided to update their gas masks and ABC kits has almost tripled in the past month.
The Postal Service said the number of daily orders has spiked from an average of 200 a day to 500 a day.
ABC (atomic, biological, and chemical) kits have been distributed in Israel since 1991. They contain a gas mask and atropine pens, which are periodically updated according to their respective expiration dates.
The demand was possibly fuelled by concerns expressed by top state and defense officials over the possibility that radical groups may gain control of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday expressed his concerns about the weapons of mass destruction in Syria, with the country "increasingly coming apart” as a result of the 22-month-long civil conflict. Vice premier Silvan Shalom said an Israeli preemptive strike to prevent Syrian chemical weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah was possible.
IAF Chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel warned on Tuesday that “given [Syria’s] massive [WMD] arsenals Israel may find itself dealing with nonconventional weapons on its borders."
The Israel Postal Service, charged with free distribution of non-conventional warfare protection equipment, said the number of Israelis who decided to update their gas masks and ABC kits has almost tripled in the past month.
The Postal Service said the number of daily orders has spiked from an average of 200 a day to 500 a day.
ABC (atomic, biological, and chemical) kits have been distributed in Israel since 1991. They contain a gas mask and atropine pens, which are periodically updated according to their respective expiration dates.
The demand was possibly fuelled by concerns expressed by top state and defense officials over the possibility that radical groups may gain control of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday expressed his concerns about the weapons of mass destruction in Syria, with the country "increasingly coming apart” as a result of the 22-month-long civil conflict. Vice premier Silvan Shalom said an Israeli preemptive strike to prevent Syrian chemical weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah was possible.
IAF Chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel warned on Tuesday that “given [Syria’s] massive [WMD] arsenals Israel may find itself dealing with nonconventional weapons on its borders."
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Western sources: Israeli aircraft target Hizballah missiles in Zabadani. S. Syria
End Of Days News
Israeli warplanes carried out overnight sorties up until Wednesday, Jan. 30 against missile and arms convoys standing ready in southern Syria for transfer to Hizballah in Lebanon, according to Western sources.. debkafile’s military sources report that the consignments were destroyed. The Lebanese army reported the heavy presence of an approximate 12 Israeli jets over its territory during the night up until 0200 hours Wednesday. Our sources report that it was suspected in Israel that Syria and Hizballah would take advantage of the rainy and overcast weather conditions in the last 24 hours to push advance weapons systems across the border from Syria into Lebanon.
The operation aimed at giving teeth to Israel’s longstanding threat ever since 2011 to hit military targets in Syria if necessary to prevent the handover of those sophisticated missiles to Hizballah.
It was also a warning that Israel would again send its bombers to destroy chemical weapons or nerve gas to prevent them reaching the hands of Hizballah or any other terrorist groups.
Israeli warplanes carried out overnight sorties up until Wednesday, Jan. 30 against missile and arms convoys standing ready in southern Syria for transfer to Hizballah in Lebanon, according to Western sources.. debkafile’s military sources report that the consignments were destroyed. The Lebanese army reported the heavy presence of an approximate 12 Israeli jets over its territory during the night up until 0200 hours Wednesday. Our sources report that it was suspected in Israel that Syria and Hizballah would take advantage of the rainy and overcast weather conditions in the last 24 hours to push advance weapons systems across the border from Syria into Lebanon.
The operation aimed at giving teeth to Israel’s longstanding threat ever since 2011 to hit military targets in Syria if necessary to prevent the handover of those sophisticated missiles to Hizballah.
It was also a warning that Israel would again send its bombers to destroy chemical weapons or nerve gas to prevent them reaching the hands of Hizballah or any other terrorist groups.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
As Syria totters, Israel places Iron Domes in north
End Of Days News
Israel deployed two Iron Dome batteries in the
north on Sunday, at least one of them near Haifa, stationing the missile
defense system in the north of the country for the first time amid
growing fears that Syrian chemical weapons may be turned against Israel.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
summoned Home Front Defense Minister Avi Dichter for a special
discussion regarding Syria’s chemical weapons and Israel’s preparedness.
The emergency meeting between Netanyahu and
Dichter had to do with recent developments regarding the stockpile of
weapons held by the Syrian regime, Ynet reported. Dichter is acting as
interim defense minister while outgoing Defense Minister Ehud Barak
heads home from the Davos Economic Forum.
Haifa was targeted by Hezbollah — a terror
group and Iranian proxy based in Lebanon – during the second Lebanon
war in 2006. The city and its port are considered by many to have
strategic importance.
Israel previously expressed concern about the possibility of chemical weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah or other terror groups.
Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday
the transfer of such weapons to Hezbollah would cross “a red line,” that
Israel couldn’t ignore.
Such a scenario “would be crossing a line that
would demand a different approach, including even action,” Shalom told
reporters. Asked whether this might mean a pre-emptive attack, he said:
“We will have to make the decisions.”
The deployment of the anti-missile battery may
signal a new peak in fears by Israeli officials that the country could
come under attack from Syrian weapons.
Israeli officials also feared the possibility of Scud missiles or other advanced weapons reaching Hezbollah, Channel 2 reported.
In October, Israel deployed a Patriot
anti-missile battery to the port city, two days after a drone airplane,
reportedly launched by Hezbollah, penetrated Israel’s airspace.
Over the weekend, Turkey also activated a
number of Patriot missile batteries supplied by NATO along its border
with war-torn Syria.
Last week the defense establishment announced it had successfully tested an upgraded version of the homegrown Iron Dome platform, intercepting medium-range missiles.
Meant to protect strategic assets and heavy populated areas, the
Iron Dome system proved effective during Operation Pillar of Defense,
intercepting 84 percent of the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip at
residential areas in Israel’s south and center.
Calling for a broad coalition
to deal with the threats Israel has to face, earlier in the morning
Netanyahu warned about possible deterioration in the north and a
possible escalation from Syria.
“We
must look around us, at what is happening in Iran and its proxies and
at what is happening in other areas, with the deadly weapons in Syria,
which is increasingly coming apart,” Netanyahu told ministers Sunday
morning.
Syria is believed to have one of the world’s
largest chemical weapons stockpiles, and some fear the arms may find
their way into the hands of terrorists should the Assad regime fall.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Washington ignores “compelling” evidence of Syrian chemical warfare
A leaked State
Department report by US diplomats in Turkey, which made a “compelling
case” that Bashar Assad’s forces had used poison gas, was cited by the
online magazine Foreign Report Tuesday. It was dismissed by National
Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor, who said there was no evidence
had taken new steps toward using chemical weapons.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
We get involved and start screaming about chemical weapons, the entire country of Syria said that we were the ones saying that they were going to use them and they said they have no intent! We put the idea in their head then opt out! They screwed the middle east! Well middle east that man does not represent all of us here in America! He is a disgrace and my prayers are with you!Team Obama won’t act to prevent Assad’s use of chemical weapons
WASHINGTON — The United States, despite repeated pledges to the
contrary, has ruled out military intervention to stop Syria from using its
chemical weapons.
The administration of President Barack Obama has acknowledged that the
U.S. Army would not be deployed to stop President Bashar Assad from firing
CW at either Sunni rebels or neighboring states. Officials said the
administration has concluded that Washington could not prevent Assad from
using his CW arsenal.
“The act of preventing the use of chemical weapons would be almost
unachievable,” Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said. “You would have to have such clarity of intelligence, you know, persistent surveillance, you’d have to actually see it before it happened. And that’s unlikely, to be sure.”
At a news conference on Jan. 10, the U.S. military leadership dismissed
contingency plans of sending ground troops to prevent a Syrian CW attack. Over the last two months, the Defense Department has issued several warnings that Assad could decide to fire CW missiles and artillery shells.
But Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington has not prepared
ground intervention options for Syria. Panetta said Assad has spread his CW assets throughout the country amid rebel advances.
“We’re not talking about ground troops,” Panetta said.
[On Jan. 14, Syrian rebels reported an attempt by an Iranian weapons
plane to land at Aleppo international airport. The rebels said they opened
fire, forcing the Iranian aircraft to seek another landing area.]
Officials said Washington would work with other NATO allies to respond
to any CW attack by Assad. They said the Czech Republic was approached on
its capability to counter non-conventional weapons.
“I think the greater concern right now is what steps does the
international community take to make sure that when Assad comes down, that
there is a process and procedure to make sure we get our hands on securing
those sites,” Panetta said. “That I think is the greater challenge right
now.”
contrary, has ruled out military intervention to stop Syria from using its
chemical weapons.
The administration of President Barack Obama has acknowledged that the
U.S. Army would not be deployed to stop President Bashar Assad from firing
CW at either Sunni rebels or neighboring states. Officials said the
administration has concluded that Washington could not prevent Assad from
using his CW arsenal.
unachievable,” Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said. “You would have to have such clarity of intelligence, you know, persistent surveillance, you’d have to actually see it before it happened. And that’s unlikely, to be sure.”
At a news conference on Jan. 10, the U.S. military leadership dismissed
contingency plans of sending ground troops to prevent a Syrian CW attack. Over the last two months, the Defense Department has issued several warnings that Assad could decide to fire CW missiles and artillery shells.
But Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington has not prepared
ground intervention options for Syria. Panetta said Assad has spread his CW assets throughout the country amid rebel advances.
“We’re not talking about ground troops,” Panetta said.
[On Jan. 14, Syrian rebels reported an attempt by an Iranian weapons
plane to land at Aleppo international airport. The rebels said they opened
fire, forcing the Iranian aircraft to seek another landing area.]
Officials said Washington would work with other NATO allies to respond
to any CW attack by Assad. They said the Czech Republic was approached on
its capability to counter non-conventional weapons.
“I think the greater concern right now is what steps does the
international community take to make sure that when Assad comes down, that
there is a process and procedure to make sure we get our hands on securing
those sites,” Panetta said. “That I think is the greater challenge right
now.”
Friday, January 11, 2013
Almost impossible to prevent Assad from using chemical weapons, US Army chief says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has largely
ruled out sending in ground troops to secure Syrian chemical weapons
under hostile circumstances, but the Pentagon could provide some forces
if the Assad regime ever agrees to a peaceful transition, Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that it will be nearly impossible to
prevent the Syrian government from using its chemical weapons, so the US
must rely on deterrence and continue warning Syria that using them
would be unacceptable.
“The act of preventing the use of chemical
weapons would be almost unachievable,” Dempsey said during a Pentagon
press conference. “You would have to have such clarity of intelligence,
you know, persistent surveillance, you’d have to actually see it before
it happened, and that’s — that’s unlikely, to be sure.”
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Panetta says
his biggest concern is how the US and allies would secure the chemical
and biological weapons sites scattered across Syria and ensure the
components don’t end up in the wrong hands if the regime falls,
particularly under violent conditions. He said the US is preparing no
options for having US ground troops in that country if the regime falls
while under attack.
But, he added, “you always have to keep the
possibility that, if there is a peaceful transition and international
organizations get involved, that they might ask for assistance in that
situation.”
There are widespread worries among allies and
countries in the region that if Syrian President Bashar Assad is
toppled, Islamic extremists could gain control of Syria’s stockpile of
chemical weapons, which includes sarin and mustard gas.
And there are
lingering worries that Assad might use his chemical weapons, perhaps on
his own people, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime.
President Barack Obama has said the regime’s
use of chemical weapons against the rebels would be a “red line” and
change his “calculus” about possible military intervention there.
Fears escalated early last month when US
officials said there was evidence that Syrian forces had begun preparing
sarin, a nerve agent, for possible use in bombs. But Panetta later said
that it appeared the Syrian government had slowed its preparations for
the possible use of the weapons.
The Pentagon has put together a variety of
options for securing the weapons under a range of circumstances, Dempsey
said. And he acknowledged the US has been in contact with NATO allies,
such as the Czech Republic, who have developed capabilities for handling
chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
But Dempsey said no specific
request has been made of the Czech Republic.
At least 60,000 people have died during
Assad’s two-year crackdown on rebels, according to a recent UN estimate.
Opposition fighters have seized large swaths of territory in northern Syria, and on Thursday activists said they now control parts of a strategic air base. But despite significant rebel advances on the battlefield, the opposition remains outgunned by government forces and has been unable to break a stalemate on the ground.
Opposition fighters have seized large swaths of territory in northern Syria, and on Thursday activists said they now control parts of a strategic air base. But despite significant rebel advances on the battlefield, the opposition remains outgunned by government forces and has been unable to break a stalemate on the ground.
Panetta on Thursday said he believes there is a strong likelihood that Assad will ultimately leave power.
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