Posted on 07/11/2011 12:31:46 PM PDT by Eleutheria5
Protesters loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad briefly broke into the US embassy in Damascus on Monday, while security guards at the French embassy used live ammunition to prevent them gaining access, diplomats told Reuters. No casualties were reported in the attacks, which followed a visit by the US and French ambassadors to the city of Hama last week in support of the hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators there despite a harsh crackdown by Assad gunmen.
Assad accused the United States - and Ambassador Robert Ford - of trying to incite the populace against his regime, also saying the US flag was flown in support of the protesters.
But State Department officials on Monday formally condemned Syria for failing to protect the US embassy complex in Damascus from a violent assault it said was encouraged by a pro-government Syrian television station.
"A television station that is heavily influenced by Syrian authorities encouraged this violent demonstration," the State Department said in a statement.
"We strongly condemn the Syrian government's refusal to protect our embassy, and demand compensation for damages. We call on the Syrian government to fulfill its obligations to its own citizens as well," the statement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
By the way, does this answer any questions about why Israel doesn't want to surrender the Golan Heights?
OUR embassy is OUR turf (even if it is only the size of a postage stamp) in that country!!
Same with our embassy anywhre else or THEIR embassy HERE! You’d be nailed to the nearest fence with rail road spikes if you even TOUCHED THEIR embassy!!!
Our embassy is our sovereign turf and we have a right and DUTY to defend it. The French did the right thing, too bad Americans don’t know how this stuff works!
Our dimplomatic service, I see, is dummied-down right along with the rest of our society. NOW everybody is at ‘zero’ efficiency!!! ...and at ‘zero’ intelligence!
"A television station that is heavily influenced by Syrian authorities encouraged this violent demonstration," the State Department said in a statement
Totally owned and controlled by the regime no doubt.... "heavily influenced" is weasel words
Because they didn't breach the sanctuary. Had they done that, they would've been met by a Marine Security Guard detachment issuing out buckshot via Remington 870P shotguns in large quantities.
Did anybody else flash-back to Nov 4, 1979, when they saw that headline??
The security of the outside of the chancery is the responsibility of the local guards. The Marines are responsible for the inside. It wasn’t breeched, so they didn’t get shot.
“It wasn’t breeched, so they didn’t get shot.”
THAT day is near.
I sure hope “O” handles it better than he has handled anything else to date. Because ... getting your own embassy overrun is real ugly business!
Such standing orders are probably being changed from on high right now.
And Obama for having absolutely no clue in his job of Present and not taking the slightest oversight over the State Department.
Questions? What questions? I have one rhetorical question: Why are they even discussing the Golan Heights.
I do believe Assad is getting desperate. Does he really think the people will rally around him if he only gets into a shooting war with the US and France?
Not likely. This has been a policy for decades. The Marine detachments simply are not large enough to defend entire compounds. Plus, the inside of a chancery gives the tactical advantage to the Marines.
It’s a good policy overall. But if the host government isn’t going to own up their responsibility to protect the outside, it’s time for an evacuation.
Our ‘diplomats’ should have been out of there by now, anyway!
You miss my point.
New orders from on high would be “don’t resist”.
We’ll be lucky if he handles it as “well” as Carter did.
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