Posted on 08/28/2013 7:06:18 AM PDT by kristinn
As the war drums for Syria get louder, let this thread serve as a repository for news, background, Tweets, photos, video, on-the-ground reports, etc., as was done recently with Egypt.
That seems normal going into holiday weekend.
REUTERS
Syria envoy alleges rebel gas attack, demands U.N. investigation
UNITED NATIONS - Syria’s U.N. envoy on Wednesday requested that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon order a U.N. team of chemical experts currently in Damascus to investigate three rebel attacks in which he said Syrian soldiers inhaled poisonous gas.
Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari told reporters he asked Ban “to mandate immediately the investigation team present now in Damascus to investigate three heinous incidents that took place in the countryside of Damascus on the 22nd, 24th and 25th where members of the Syrian army inhaled poisonous gas.”
http://rt.com/news/syria-investigate-un-chemical-116/
Breaking news
Syria asks UN to immediately investigate three new ‘chemical attacks’ by rebels
Syria asks UN to immediately investigate three new ‘chemical attacks’ by rebels
Published time: August 28, 2013 16:18
The Syrian government demands that the United Nations immediately investigate three alleged chemical attacks carried out by rebel groups out on Damascus outskirts last week, Syrian envoy to the UN says.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Here is Stratfor’s take. Keep in mind this outfit usually tows the State Dept narrative. This outfit is full of retired State Dept people and Tradecrafters.
Rumors and Disinformation Ahead of a Syria Intervention
August 28, 2013 | 1537 GMT
Amid the flurry of diplomatic, political and military activity taking place as the United States prepares for what now feels like an inevitable punitive strike against the Bashar al Assad regime in Syria, a fog of rumors has emerged concerning the whereabouts of al Assad and about the potential pre-emptive flight of Syrian and Russian officials from the country. Washington itself has leaked information to media sources in hopes of avoiding the mistakes of previous administrations and building a solid case to persuade a skeptical American public of the need for intervention.
It is important to evaluate such reports with a healthy dose of skepticism, but it is equally important not to dismiss them. Understanding the motives behind the deliberate release of disinformation, half-truths and other leaks can help shed light on the situation. The sheer amount of information being produced will obscure the reality on the ground leading up to a potential strike, and the only way to cut through the haze will be to evaluate the totality of it.
Analysis
A flurry of questionable reports has emerged recently about the al Assad regime. On Aug. 26, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported that families related to some of the top officials in the al Assad regime were “fleeing” the country, flying out of Latakia airport to an unknown location. Then on Aug. 28, a privately owned, little-known Egyptian outlet called al-Nahar, citing a source in the Iranian Foreign Ministry who spoke to Iranian state television, reported that al Assad had arrived at Khomeini airport for an unexpected visit in Tehran on Aug. 27, accompanied by close advisers and members of his family. The report spread rapidly on social media and was quickly picked up by many English-language media sources speculating on the purpose of such a visit. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi quickly denied the report. And on Aug. 28, the generally reliable Al Arabiya media channel cited activists in a report that indicated Syria was vacating key security centers and relocating them in secret locations and next to targets that would attract civilian casualties, such as schools.
These rumors have not yet been substantiated. The reports of al Assad’s sojourn in Iran could be part of an information operation designed to destabilize the regime, or they could simply be the work of an overeager journalist hoping to gain attention with a catchy headline. But if the reports are true, they would be a sign that the Syrian army is losing its cohesion. In that case, reports of defections and Syrian rebels pressing their advantage would be expected. However, if the Al Arabiya report about Syrian forces relocating is true, it would be a sign that the Syrian military is still holding together.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph, among others, reported Aug. 27 that a Russian aircraft had landed in Syria carrying 20 tons of humanitarian aid and that it carried out 100 Russians on the return voyage. That the flight occurred is not in question. Rather, it is unclear who was on the flight; it is probable that Russian citizens were merely vacating the country before a potential U.S. strike, but the presence of high-level Syrian officials and their families aboard cannot be ruled out with the current information.
For its part, the United States has also been using the media to try to shape the narrative of impending military action against Syria. The push began with Secretary of State John Kerry’s strident comments on Aug. 26 and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s subsequent comments that the United States was “ready to go” should President Barack Obama order military action. The administration has not yet released the evidence it claims proves the use of chemical weapons in the country, but there has been an avalanche of leaks about the upcoming strike. NBC News reported that missile strikes against Syria would last three days; The Washington Post indicated that long-range bombers could participate; CNN said Obama wanted to take action before his trip to St. Petersburg for the G-20 summit Sept. 5-6; and The New York Times even published what it claimed was insight on the initial target list.
If the United States were going to attack Syria in any way that would alter the balance of power in the Syrian civil war, it would not be telegraphing such strikes. Obama’s red line on chemical weapons has trapped the United States; it does not want to militarily intervene, but it cannot sit idly by after having been so explicit about what would trigger military action.
These leaks are about the administration telling a war-weary public that this will not be a protracted affair while giving Washington time to try to secure a broad coalition of support at the United Nations or with the Arab League. Neither Russia’s and China’s intransigence on approving a military intervention in Syria nor the Arab League’s ambivalent public statement Aug. 27 bode well for the success of securing such support, but it is important for the administration to show that it exhausted all options before taking action.
In the days leading up to the potential U.S. military strike, rumors about everything from al Assad’s whereabouts to the precise targets the United States means to attack will reverberate louder and louder. Parsing the source and intent behind such information will help clarify the reality on the ground and how events will evolve. Knowing who decided to release it a piece of information and why is just as important as knowing whether it is true.
Comments? Send them to responses@stratfor.com
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“Leaked emails [in the UK] have allegedly proved that the White House gave the green light to a chemical weapons attack in Syria [by rebels] that could be blamed on Assad’s regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country. A report released on Monday contains an email exchange between two senior officials at British-based contractor Britam Defence where a scheme ‘approved by Washington’ is outlined explaining that Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to use chemical weapons [to form a pretext for military action].”
When this WMD business started, I wrote a post on the Egyptian thread comparing Syria to Rabaa (MB sit-in) in Cairo.
To summarize: the MB called for the West to save them in Egypt. The MB shot their own people in the back and put the bodies in shrouds for the cameras. They staged demonstrations with actors to be videotaped “being killed and injured” to spread in the West. The video is also on the Egyptian thread. When the sit-in was broken up, the MB claimed 2,000 dead and 100,000 injured in a couple of hours. So far, the number killed in Egypt is around a thousand! Just didn’t work for the MB!
The MB tried to do the same thing in Syria. It wasn’t good enough. They needed to cross 0b0z0’s red-ass line. They tried six month ago, 0b0z0 looked the other way when a little WMD was used by the MB.
NEXT, A BIG ONE TO FORCE EVERYONE TO ATTACK ASSAD WAS REQUIRED!
What is written in your post agrees with the “NEED FOR A PRETEXT!” I also posted at the time that AQ and MB LOVE ANNIVERSARIES!
What would be a better anniversary than 0b0z0’s announcement of his red-ass line?
On that anniversary, the WMD was released by the MB in Syria!
Case closed.
http://rt.com/news/rebel-tunnel-damascus-chemical-940/
Syrian rebels use toxic chemicals against govt troops near Damascus - state media
Published time: August 24, 2013 10:12
Edited time: August 24, 2013 18:40
Syrian rebels have used chemical weapons against regime forces in the Damascus suburb of Jobar, where soldiers discovered stockpiles of toxic poisoning antidotes, state media reports.
According to SANA citing “an official source” suffocation cases among army soldiers have been reported.
The source told the agency that army unit pushed into the area, where soldiers were attacked, and seized a warehouse containing material labeled ‘Made in KSA’ as well as a large number of protective masks.
In addition, the army discovered a stockpile of chemical poisoning antidotes with ‘The Qatari-German Company for Pharmaceutical Industries’ label on them.
Clashes have been reported between rebels and regime forces in Jobar.
That’s a whole lot of words for Stratfor to say “We don’t know either...”
O giving arms and ammo to both side? Let Allah sort Em out !
See? Ask and ye shall receive. LOL
But, in a sense, if the US Regime attacks the Syrian regime, at a minimum it is Muslim-directed killing of Muslims.
That’s why they are a think tank where all useless desk jockeys go when put out to pasture LOL
OPERATION DESERT CLOWNOPERATION DESERT CLOWN OPERATION DESERT CLOWN  |
That’s taking ‘Diversity’ to a new low.. O is a criminal party in the eyes of the ICJ.. but.. his Nobel gives him a free pass.
sadly, his constituencies will not be immune to the coming doom that awaits us all if he is allowed to continue to act with impunity.
'The sole beneficiary'... of this use of poison gas against civilians 'in rebel-held territory' are the rebels and of course the Muslim Brotherhood's behind this...you are correct but until the people see this is the Brotherhood and understand who they are it will always be how the press presents the "picture".
Assad has nothing to gain by gasing his own people....Syria is playing out with the same characters we saw in Egypt....Muslim Brotherhood is on a roll of anger now and would love to see the US fight for them....Al-queda is all for the US intervention in Syria....
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