For the past week, US officials have kept up a flow of leaks to the media suggesting that Syrian President Bashar Assad was on the verge of ordering his army to unleash chemical weapons. The details built up as the week went by, starting with the detection of “unusual movements” of Syrian chemical weapons units, advancing to reports that the Syrians were “mixing precursor chemicals” for the nerve gas sarin and on Thursday, Dec. 6, that bombs had been made ready with sarin gas for loading onto Syrian Air Force fighter-bombers when Assad gave the word.
Saturday, Dec. 8, British Foreign Secretary William Hague reported evidence from intelligence sources that Syria is preparing to use chemical weapons. British intelligence sources added that Syria's chemical weapons are concentrated at five air bases and are being closely watched. They said contingency plans have been drawn up if they show signs of being readied to be loaded and used as weapons.
Who are the close watchers and what are the contingency plans?
Who are the close watchers and what are the contingency plans?
US, Israeli, Jordanian and Turkish special forces are spread out on the ground in Syria, armed with special gear for combating chemical arms. They are close enough to count the convoys carrying canisters, shells or bombs loaded with poison gas and their reports are supplemented by orbiting US military surveillance satellites and drones able to pinpoint the position of the chemical munitions at any given moment.
We seem to be witnessing a high-stake poker game between Washington and Damascus over a deck of chemical cards, each waiting to see who blinks first.
If the Americans attack, Assad will feel he is justified in releasing his poisonous gas over Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
If the Americans attack, Assad will feel he is justified in releasing his poisonous gas over Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
Large-scale Western naval and marines forces are therefore on elevated readiness for responding to any unexpected Syrian moves.
Those experts offer two theories about the destination of the chemicals weapons. One is that they are not destined for any of the battle fronts against the rebels, but for the Alawite Mountains; Assad is getting ready to retreat from Damascus and barricade himself in his mountain stronghold accompanied by the forces still loyal to him. Another theory is that from the Allawite Mts. near the coast, the Syrian ruler was planning to hit American and Turkish soldiers with chemical weapons as they came ashore.
Syrian rebels on Saturday uploaded to YouTube a clippurportedly depicting victims of a chemical weapons attack perpetrated by the regime. The video shows Syrian civilians, some apparently dead and others injured, whose faces were disfigured in a manner that could be caused by a chemical agent.
The rebels claim that the video was filmed in a suburb of Aleppo, where the Syrian regime reportedly maintains its largest depot of chemical weapons.
Citing intelligence reports, British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Saturday warned that the Syrian government might use its sizable stockpile of chemical weapons against the rebels fighting to overturn Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, AFP reported.
The London-based Sunday Times reported that Israeli commandos were on the ground in Syria, monitoring the regime’s chemical weapons depots.
“For years we’ve known the exact location of Syria’s chemical and biological munitions,” an Israeli source said was quoted as saying. “But in the past week we’ve got signs that munitions have been moved to new locations.”
On Wednesday, the London Times reported that the US, along with several key allies, was prepared to launch a military intervention in Syria should the Assad government resort to using chemical weapons against the rebels.
A military source told the Times that US forces could be ready “rapidly, within days,” if Syrian chemical weapons were activated, and implied that the necessary forces were already in the region.
Hamas has no intention of compromising with Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. Echoing comments made by President Shimon Peres earlier in the day, Netanyahu said Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal's comments in Gaza over the weekend exposed "our enemies' true face" once again.
"They have no intention of compromising with us; they want to destroy the state. They will fail, of course; in the annals of the history of our people, we – the Jewish People – have overcome such enemies," he continued.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Saturday night cancelled a decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked deadly violence, but did not delay this month's referendum on a new constitution as his opponents had demanded.
The announcement that Morsi had scrapped his Nov. 22 decree followed hours of talks on Saturday at his presidential palace, billed as a "national dialogue" but which was boycotted by his main opponents and had little credibility among protesters.
One opposition group dismissed Morsi's efforts at appeasement as the "continuation of deception."
His opponents have demanded Morsi scrap the vote on Dec. 15 on a constitution that was fast-tracked through an assembly led by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Liberals and others had walked out, saying their voices were not being heard.
Too little, too late: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi backed down on Saturday and annulled a controversial decree raising his authority above that of the judiciary, but demonstrators are threatening to continue their protests. Security forces have moved into place, and it appears that more clashes between rulers and ruled in Cairo are likely, despite similar scenes barely two years ago.
But Morsi's decision to reverse the decree, reached over the weekend, wasn't enough, offering “nothing new” and appearing to be “an attempt to dodge” opposition demands,” Popular Current spokeswoman Heba Yassin told Bloomberg News.
The groundswell of roaring opposition that grew over the past month vowed to keep up the pressure against a draft Constitution Morsi had also rammed through.
The groundswell of roaring opposition that grew over the past month vowed to keep up the pressure against a draft Constitution Morsi had also rammed through.
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