The Syrian Crisis

[pmaitra]

Syria acting to safeguard chemical weapons, says Russia

Syria has acted to consolidate its chemical weapons into "one or two" places to prevent rebels capturing them, Russia's foreign minister says.

Source: BBC News - Syria acting to safeguard chemical weapons, says Russia

 

[SajeevJino]

NATO says Syria regime firing 'Scud-style missiles'​

NATO has accused the Syrian regime of firing Scud-style missiles at rebels, amid Russian criticism that the West's "dangerous" stance risks bringing chaos to the country and beyond.North Atlantic Treaty Organisation chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday called the Syrian army's use of missiles against rebels an act of desperation

"I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles; we strongly regret that act," Rasmussen said. "I consider it an act of a desperate regime approaching collapse."

The latest launches were detected on Thursday, a source close to NATO said, and that was corroborated by an activist in the rebel-held town of Marea in the northern province of Aleppo.

Abu Hisham told AFP he had been awakened to "the sound of a very loud explosion. It was raining heavily and there were many clouds, so we knew it was unlikely to be aerial bombardment."

"The first missile fell outside Marea. Had it hit the town it would have caused a massacre. The second, my friends told me, fell outside (the nearby town of) Tel Refaat."

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday denounced the West's "dangerous" stance in support of Syrian rebels seeking to unseat President Bashar al-Assad.

"Our Western colleagues have started dividing terrorists into 'bad' and 'acceptable.' That is very dangerous," he said in an interview with the English-language Russia Today channel.

Lavrov reiterated Moscow's position that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide their own destiny without outside agencies seeking to help oust the regime.

"We are not in the business of regime change," he insisted.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow, one of the last supporters of the Assad regime, wanted to avoid "chaos" in Syria, calling for political talks between all parties to take the war-torn country towards a democratic regime.

"We are interested in this because this is all very close to our borders. We really would not like to see any potential changes in Syria to lead to the chaos we are witnessing in other countries of the region," Putin stressed after an EU-Russia summit in Brussels.

For the second time in two days, Putin denied propping up Assad's regime and appeared to acknowledge the possibility of change, saying: "We do not advocate the government of Syria."

In Damascus, Palestinian refugees streamed back to the Yarmuk camp after a reported deal to keep it out of the conflict, following fierce clashes earlier this week and briefly on Friday.

An AFP correspondent heard sporadic shooting, and a main road was blocked with boulders to keep out cars, although a van full of passengers still entered through a side street.

The fighting forced about 100,000 of Yarmuk's 150,000-strong population to flee, with many taking refuge in Damascus parks and squares, said the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees.

Hours after they returned on Friday, fighting again flared in the camp for about an hour and a half, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The fighting pitted anti-regime Syrian and Palestinian rebels against members of the pro-regime popular committees," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The clashes were between fighters who had not withdrawn from Yarmuk despite a reported agreement after talks that began on Wednesday aimed at removing both rebel and government fighters from the camp.

Newspapers in neighbouring Lebanon said an agreement had been reached under the auspices of Mokhtar Lamani, the representative of UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

The UN's World Food Programme said it was to start providing food to 125,000 "vulnerable Palestinians and displaced Syrians" in and around Yarmuk.

Elsewhere, violence raged in flashpoints across Syria, with the Britain-based monitor saying at least 82 people were killed.

And a rebel attack on an electricity pylon caused a power outage in several areas of Damascus, state television said.

Despite the violence, protesters took to the streets in several anti-regime areas, renewing calls for the fall of Assad's regime, it said.

Last week a former Syrian officer said regime forces had fired Scuds, despite the government denials.

Former first lieutenant Aaraba Idriss, who defected 10 months ago and has joined the rebels, said serving officers told him the army fired "Golan-1" missiles, either Russian-made or Russian modified," with a range of up to 300 kilometres (180 miles).

NATO says Syria regime firing 'Scud-style missiles'

 

[Virendra]

Syria acting to safeguard chemical weapons, says Russia

Source: BBC News - Syria acting to safeguard chemical weapons, says Russia

Israel seems to be knowing a lot, from Pakistani nukes to Syrian Chemical weapons
Israel says Syria chemical weapons are secure for now | Reuters
Excerpts:
Reuters- Syria's chemical weapons are still secure despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday.
....
....
"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this. At the moment, chemical weapons are under control," Gilad said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems Israel is concerned about the safety of these weapons as the looming crisis risks their falling into Sunni rebels hands.
Once it happens, the cat would be on the lose and everybody would run for cover.
Question is - how do you avoid such a circumstance while also stabilizing a country torn apart between Assad and his enemies.
Oh and does it also mean that Israel is the fourth power rendering support for Assad after Russia, China and Iran ?? Bit early to say that I guess.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[pack leader]

Israel seems to be knowing a lot, from Pakistani nukes to Syrian Chemical weapons
Israel says Syria chemical weapons are secure for now | Reuters
Excerpts:
Reuters- Syria's chemical weapons are still secure despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday.
....
....
"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this. At the moment, chemical weapons are under control," Gilad said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems Israel is concerned about the safety of these weapons as the looming crisis risks their falling into Sunni rebels hands.
Once it happens, the cat would be on the lose and everybody would run for cover.
Question is - how do you avoid such a circumstance while also stabilizing a country torn apart between Assad and his enemies.
Oh and does it also mean that Israel is the fourth power rendering support for Assad after Russia, China and Iran ?? Bit early to say that I guess.

Regards,
Virendra

no support we will napalm the factory and lunch sites if all else fails
we still hope for Russian forces to remove the chemicals they made them to begin with

 

[W.G.Ewald]

no support we will napalm the factory and lunch sites if all else fails
we still hope for Russian forces to remove the chemicals they made them to begin with

Countries other than Russia as well.

Syria began developing chemical weapons in 1973, when the Egyptian government reportedly gave Syria artillery shells capable of delivering chemical weapons. Syria has an extensive chemical weapons program, and a variety of delivery methods: missiles, rockets, artillery shells, and air-dropped munitions. The country has been dependent on assistance in procuring important precursor chemicals and equipment from Russia, Egypt, West Germany, France, Iran, North Korea, and possibly other countries over a period of 20 years. Syria has been able to acquire an offensive chemical weapons capability that continues to be the regime's strategic deterrent against Israel, and was rebuilding its chemical weapons capability in 2009, according to satellite images analyzed by Jane's Intelligence Review. Russia has delivered millions of protective masks to the Syrian military.

The Syrian Crisis and Chemical Weapons

 

[Armand2REP]

Who needs chem weapons when you can cluster bomb at will?

 

[SajeevJino]

Terrorists Release Second Film Showing Chemical Weapons Test in Western Syria​

Armed rebels released a second film on the Internet which shows them testing a poisonous chemical agent on an animal in Western Syria, media reports said.

[video=youtube_share;kJigRd1KXTQ]http://youtu.be/kJigRd1KXTQ[/video]

The footage shows terrorists testing a chemical substance on a rabbit in the coastal city of Latakia, the Lebanese television al-Manar reported.

In related development, the armed rebels used chemical weapons in their attacks against the Syrian army in Darya district of Reef (outskirts of) Damascus earlier today.

"The terrorists have already thrown three cube-shaped plastic bags towards the (Syrian) army's forces that killed seven forces due to the gases emerging from the bags," a commander of the Syrian Presidential Guard told the Iran-based Arab-language Al-Alam news channel.

The commander noted that a yellow button is installed on the bags and by pushing that a yellow gas came out and those who inhaled it died after nearly one hour.

Since several weeks ago, different media had reported about the presence of chemical weapons in Syria and the possibility of its use by armed rebels.

Earlier this month, a senior member of the Iranian parliament had warned that based on developments during the last 21 months of crisis in Syria, the terrorist groups are much more eager to use chemical weapons than the Syrian army.

The remarks were made by Head of the Parliament's Education and Research Commission Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi in an interview with the Parliament's news agency.

"The situation on the ground and what has happened over the past 21 months indicate that the possibility of using chemical and unconventional weapons by the rebels in Syria is much higher than the Syrian government," Zahedi said.

A shocking video posted on YouTube and other Internet networks showed al-Qaeda terrorists who are active in Syria within the framework of the Free Syrian Army are preparing to use chemical weapons against Syrian Shiites. The video showed the group testing chemical weapons on lab rabbits.

On the video, it appeared to be a nerve gas that rebels used on the rabbits. Then about a minute later, the rabbits were seen having convulsions.

The person carrying out the test, said in the video, "You saw what happened? This will be your fate, you infidel Alawites, I swear by ALLAH to make you die like these rabbits, one minute only after you inhale the gas."

Earlier, the Syrian Foreign Ministry had warned that the armed rebels might use chemical weapons against the civilian population and the Syrian army.

"Terrorist groups may resort to using chemical weapons against the Syrian people... after having gained control of a toxic chlorine factory in the Eastern Aleppo," Syria's state SANA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying

The ministry was believed to be referring to the Syrian-Saudi Chemicals Company (SYSACCO) factory near Safira near Aleppo, which was taken over earlier this week by the armed rebels from the terrorist group Al-Nusra Front, affiliated to the al-Qaeda.

Terrorists have tried hard in the last several days to make Syrian cities unsafe for citizens, but the army has purged them from most neighborhoods and districts, killed tens of them and arrested many others.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.


Fars News Agency :: Terrorists Release Second Film Showing Chemical Weapons Test in Western Syria

 

[SajeevJino]

Syria unrest: Air strike on bakery 'kills dozens'​

Dozens of people have been killed and many wounded in a government air strike on a bakery in Syria's central Hama province, opposition activists say.

The incident took place in Halfaya, a town recently captured by rebels.

If activists' reports of 90 deaths are confirmed, this would be one of the deadliest air strikes of the civil war.

Syrian state TV blamed an "armed terrorist group" for the attack, saying the group had then filmed the incident to blame it on government troops.

Rebels have been fighting President Bashar al-Assad for 21 months, with opposition groups saying more than 44,000 people have been killed.

The latest violence comes as the joint United Nations-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, arrived in Damascus to discuss ways to end the unrest.

'Women and children'

One activist in Halfaya, Samer al-Hamawi, told Reuters news agency: "There is no way to really know yet how many people were killed. When I got there, I could see piles of bodies all over the ground.

"We hadn't received flour in around three days so everyone was going to the bakery today, and lots of them were women and children. I still don't know yet if my relatives are among the dead."

Unverified video footage purportedly of the incident's aftermath showed graphic images of bloody bodies strewn on a road outside a partially destroyed building.

Rescuers were trying to remove some of the victims buried beneath piles of bricks and rubble.

Several badly damaged motorbikes could be seen scattered near the site of the attack which had drawn a number of armed men to the area.

The UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said more than 50 of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise.

Rebels of the Free Syrian Army have been making a concerted push recently to take areas of Hama province.

Five days ago they declared Halfaya a "liberated area" after taking over army positions there.

BBC News - Syria unrest: Air strike on bakery 'kills dozens'

 

[SajeevJino]

Russian forces take Syrian chemical, biological weapons under control​

The chemical warfare threat looming over Syria's civil war and its neighbors has taken an epic turn with the announcement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday, Dec. 22, that "the Syrian government has "consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being." He added that Russia, "which has military advisers training Syria's military, has kept close watch over its chemical arsenal."

debkafile's military and intelligence sources report: The Russian foreign minister's statement was a message to Washington that the transfer of Syria's weapons of mass destruction to one or two protected sites was under Russian control. This had removed the danger of them falling into the hands of the al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra ,which had come ominously close Friday, Dec. 21, when the Islamists spearheaded a Syrian rebel assault for the capture of the al-Safira military complex and Bashar Assad's chemical and biological stores.

Lavrov did not go into detail about how this arsenal was removed and to which locations. But his reference to "Russian military advisers training Syria's military" clearly indicated that Russian forces were directly involved in removing the WMD out of the reach of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists.
His assertion that they were "under control" indicated that Russia was also involved in safeguarding them.

debkafile's Moscow sources add: Russia's military intervention in the Syrian civil war achieved four objectives:

1. The prevention of Western or Israel military action for seizing control of Syria's chemical and biological weapons arsenals;

2. The prevention of Western military intervention in the civil war behind the forces dedicated to the removal of Bashar Assad. The Russian military is now engaged in the dual mission of guarding his WMD arsenal and his regime;
3. The Russian military presence in Syria delivers a heavy swipe to the rebels;
4. Russia's intervention and military presence have laid the groundwork for Moscow and Washington to work out an accord that will bring Syria's civil war to an end.


Russian forces take Syrian chemical, biological weapons under control

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Assad Reportedly Using Chemical Weapons - Business Insider

Just hours after Syrian forces bombed a line of starving residents waiting for bread, reports came out near Homs that government forces used chemical weapons on rebel forces.

The U.S. said in August that such a move by the Assad regime would constitute a "Red Line" and shift its military position. Obama amplified the warning again in early December when news of chemical weapons preparation came out of Syria.

Now it's clear even the American public considers it unacceptable: a Washington Post poll out last week states 63 percent of Americans support military involvement against Syria if chemical weapons are used.

All of which makes the most recent reports out of Homs even more concerning. While there is no official confirmation The Times of Israel reports at least six rebels are reported dead and 60 injured after opposition forces say "poison gas bombs" were dropped on the rebel held town of Homs.

There is video here on YouTube via Al Jazerra from "a field clinic in the city," of exposed victims explaining and exhibiting their reported symptoms.

Al Jazeera reports seven people have died in Homs after inhaling a poisonous gas "sprayed by government forces in a rebel held Homs neighborhood".

From Al Jazeera:

Activists also told Al Jazeera that scores of others were affected in al-Bayyada neighbourhood. Side effects reported include nausea, relaxed muscles, blurred vision, and breathing difficulties.

Residents said they did not know the nature of the gas sprayed.

"The situation is very difficult. We do not have enough facemasks. We don't know what this gas is but medics are saying it's something similar to Sarin gas," Raji Rahmet Rabbou, an activist in Homs, told Al Jazeera.

This Google+ page claims to have the names of those killed so far in the attack.

At 12:31 p.m. local time in Homs and 5:31 a.m. in New York, so far, it's only the Times of Israel reporting off of Al Jazeera. So again, there are no official confirmations of chemical attacks. Al Jazeera says it was a sprayed gas and The Times writes of gas bombs.

News from Haaretz is now out reporting it spoke to a Syrian activist who says government jet fighters dropped the "poisonous material" on Homs.

Iris Mentus at American Jihad Watch twitter stream posted the gas may be chlorine at about 7 p.m. yesterday evening. But again, it's supposition, the gas has not ben identified. And attacks not officially confirmed.

The Chechen Center, a self-described "pro-Russian newspaper also tweeted "Parts of Syria are currently under chemical attack. Most reports seem to indicate chlorine attacks similar to those in Iraq in 2007."

It was that year Iraqi insurgents packed a truck with explosives and chlorine gas, before detonating it in southern Baghdad killing two people and sending 32 others to the hospital with chemical poisoning.

If it is chlorine, it should be easy to determine. It moves in a green cloud, has a strong odor and is water soluble. The last part is good news for anyone on the receiving end of chlorine because covering the nose and mouth with a wet cloth goes a long way to diminishing the danger. U.S. Army manuals direct those exposed to chlorine to "Mask and Move"

While not the most lethal chemical weapon, chlorine's psychological effects following an attack are legendary. And for a rebel group already on the edge of exhaustion, hunger, cold, and despair there's no doubt that will be the case in Syria if the attacks are in fact genuine.

 

[pmaitra]

Russian presence in Syria poses problems for US

Russian advisers are helping the Assad regime to operate their air defences, making any intervention by the US extremely complicated, it has emerged.

Moscow has sent military advisers and surface to air systems to Syria, the Guardian reports.

Their presence means that any air strike by the US could result in Russian casualties, which in turn could spark serious diplomatic consequences.

Russia has been supporting the Assad regime since the uprising began 21 months ago.

The death toll from the war is now estimated to be more than 40,000 and there are growing fears that the desperate Assad regime is preparing to use of chemical weapons against its own people.

The US, UK, France and Turkey have warned that the use of chemical weapons would lead to military intervention.

However, any moves by the international community against the regime will be complicated by the presence of the Russians.

Guy Ben-Ari, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told the Guardian that Russian military advisers were training crews in Syria, as well as providing missile launch and radar systems.

"There is just no domestic capacity to run these systems."

The Guardian said unnamed sources had confirmed the presence of Russian air defence crews within Syria.

Source: Russian presence in Syria poses problems for US - Telegraph

 

[IBSA]

Terrorists Release Second Film Showing Chemical Weapons Test in Western Syria​

Armed rebels released a second film on the Internet which shows them testing a poisonous chemical agent on an animal in Western Syria, media reports said.

[video=youtube_share;kJigRd1KXTQ]http://youtu.be/kJigRd1KXTQ[/video]


Fars News Agency :: Terrorists Release Second Film Showing Chemical Weapons Test in Western Syria

Poor rabbit... what animals has to do with the war??? They are innocents and a new victim of war now.

I hope if Assad decides to use chemical weapons, he tests his weapons on FSA made POWs

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Poor rabbit... what animals has to do with the war??? They are innocents and a new victim of war now.

 

[Armand2REP]

Quit worrying about rabbits in a basement and get back to the war!


Konkurs

 

[SajeevJino]

Syria military police chief defects to opposition​

Syria's military police chief has announced his defection from President Bashar al-Assad's regime, accusing the army of having turned into "murderous gangs," in a video posted online.

"I, General Abdel Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, commander of Syrian military police, announce that I am defecting from the regime army, to join the people's revolution," the military-clad officer said.

"The army has deviated from its essential mission, which is to protect the country, and it has morphed into murderous, destructive gangs," Shallal charged in the video circulated by opposition activists on Wednesday.

"The destruction of cities and villages, and the commission of massacres against our people, defenceless civilians, who took to the streets calling for freedom" prompted Shallal to defect, he said.

Shallal, whose functions are limited to disciplining soldiers, is not a well-known figure.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited sources close to Shallal as saying he was set to retire in January, and its head Rami Abdel Rahman said he has already left Syria, like many other senior military defectors.

According to reports on online platforms, he left Syria for Turkey.

"This man was pushed to the sidelines a long time ago," one Syrian activist said online, adding that Shallal was "suspected of collaborating with insurgents."

Shallal "withdrew military police checkpoints from the roads, and he was good to people," another activist wrote online.


Syria military police chief defects to opposition

 

[SajeevJino]

Syria militants use chemical weapons against Syrian forces​

Militants fighting against the Syrian government have used chemical weapons against the army in Daraya near the capital, Damascus, military sources say.

According to a commander of the Syrian Presidential Guard, at least seven Syrian soldiers were killed on Saturday after they were attacked by a chemical weapon which produced a toxic yellow gas.

The soldiers were reportedly killed within an hour after inhaling the gas.

Foreign-backed militants have repeatedly threatened to use chemical weapons against the army and pro-government civilians in recent days.

They have also threatened to contaminate Syria's drinking water supply in a bid to kill all Alawite Shias and the supporters of President Bashar al-Assad.

The threat was made in a video posted on YouTube in which militants tested water contaminated with a lethal mixture on lab rabbits. The rabbits stopped breathing and their chests swelled shortly after drinking the poisoned water.

The militants had earlier released a footage in which lab rabbits were killed by inhaling poisonous gas.

The militants' use of chemical weapons come as the US and its allies have alleged that the Syrian government possesses the deadly weapons and is prepared to use them against militants.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.

A recent UN report has revealed that militants from 29 countries have so far infiltrated into Syria to fight against the Damascus government, most of whom are extremist Salafists.

The Syrian government has repeatedly said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

PressTV - Syria militants use chemical weapons against Syrian forces


from the Israel Media

Iran reports Syrian rebels using chemical weapons - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[amoy]

from the Israel Media

Iran reports Syrian rebels using chemical weapons - Israel News, Ynetnews

My gut feeling is Israel would prefer Assad to the rebels, who's an unpredictable mixture.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...-begin-military-exercises/UPI-28061356471609/

MOSCOW, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- About a dozen Russian warships are conducting a large-scale strategic exercise in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a Russian military leader said.

The operations include docking at several foreign ports of call, including Tartus, Syria, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Tuesday.

 

[Snuggy321]

so called "freedom fighter"

 

[Snuggy321]

Double post

 

[pmaitra]

Syria faces 'hell' if no deal to end crisis - UN envoy

Syria faces a stark choice between a political solution to end 21 months of bloodshed or "hell", United Nations peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has warned.

Mr Brahimi, speaking after talks in Moscow, said the conflict had become more militarised and sectarian.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed talks were the only solution.

Mr Lavrov said the opposition's demand for Mr Assad's removal was "wrong" and their refusal to talk to the Assad government a "dead end".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20866868