[jhpigott]

With reports within the last 72 hours that Assad has mobilized a sizeable armored/mechanized force around Homs and with the US, UK and France all demanding Assad withdraw those forces, raising the spectre of foreign intervention - this Turkish report becomes more believable.

[jhpigott]

ping

[2banana]

Looks like the Syrians learned from Libya

[null and void]

So that’s where all the WMDs we watched being trucked across the Iraq-Syrian border ended up...

[EGPWS]

When do the “0bama lied, people died” chants start?

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The proper response is to advise all Syrian military officers and civilian leaders that the use of chemical weapons will result in the death penalty for all involved.

Summary (no trial) execution by whatever military force captures them.

[Mariner]

Assad and his henchmen know their ONLY chance of survival is to hold Syria.

Absent that, they all die horrible and humiliating deaths.

[Mariner]

Also of note: The US, Israel and NATO combined do not have the capability of getting ALL of these missile at once.

If a fight breaks out a lot of people are going to die. 10s of thousands.

[Gen.Blather]

Assad is taking risks just by arming the missiles. It appears that the loyalty of the military is slipping. An opposition group of former military recently pulled off a daring raid agaomst a high value loyalist military facility. The rebels will, rightly, fear those missiles. They may make capturing one a priority. Suppose they do and fire it. It hardly matters where it goes as the backlash will destroy Assad no matter where it lands.

That’s just one possibility. Leaks or accidents, depending on whether this is a two-part gas, can be as deadly as any rebel attack. It seems that with the situation as tense as it is Assad has unnecessarily raised the disaster potential. I think NATO learned its lesson in Libya. The probability that we’ll intervene is miniscule and Hillary would be smart to take that option off the table to see if the situation can be calmed down.

Turkey has overextended itself against the Kurds and Israel and is unlikely to pose a threat to Assad. But if a missile is launched into Turkey the Turks will have no choice but to respond and they can do any number of things under the table to destabilize Assad without taking overt, actionable military action.

[Mike Darancette]

Wars and rumors of wars.

[Eleutheria5]

I think we’ve just found Saddam’s WMD.

[ASA Vet]

ZZZZ

MI Ping!

[ASA Vet]

ZZZZ

MI Ping!

[halfright]

We’ll see your Chemical Weapons and ante up a nice mushroom maker.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

So, how’s that change working out for you?