Syria - Update and Information thread

reply to post by bekod
update www3.nhk.or.jp... from the link

Obama to give military aid to Syrian opposition

The US government has concluded that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in the country's civil war. The White House says President Barack Obama will provide direct military support for Syrian opposition forces.

White House deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters on Thursday that US officials assess that President Bashar al-Assad's government has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin. He said they were used on a small scale against the opposition multiple times. He added that 100 to 150 people are believed to have been killed by the chemical.

Rhodes said Obama decided to provide direct military aid to the opposition, without giving details.

Suspicions about the use of chemical weapons in Syria first came to light in March. Britain and France say the Assad government has used such weapons against the opposition.

Syrian opposition forces have urged the United States to provide them with weapons.

Rhodes said Obama plans to discuss the issue with other world leaders at next week's Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. Britain and France support the provision of weapons to the Syrian opposition.

Jun. 14, 2013 - Updated 03:01 UTC

not in the news JM of AZ does victory dance on WH lawn, brings rain to AZ.

Pretty sure we all knew that they'd make this call eventually. I'm not buying it though, Assad knows he is done if he was to use them.

Syria responds ; Shameful worldnews.nbcnews.com... from the link

'Shameful': Syria accuses US of lying over chemical weapons to justify joining war

After publicly declaring Syrian president Bashar al Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people, senior officials say the U.S. will now provide direct lethal aid to opposition forces. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
By Marian Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

LONDON -- Syria said Friday that the United States was lying about the regime's use of chemical weapons, while Russia called the claims unconvincing as the two-year-old conflict took a dramatic new turn.

"The United States, in resorting to a shameful use of pretexts in order to allow President Obama's decision to arm the Syrian opposition, shows that it has flagrant double standards in the way it deals with terrorism," Syria's foreign ministry said.

The White House announced on Thursday that it believed President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons -- including the nerve agent sarin -- multiple times over the past year.

As a result, President Barack Obama will provide "military support" to a major opposition group in Syria, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.
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Syria has maintained that "terrorists" are using the chemical weapons.

Russia, which has opposed sanctions and vetoed UN Security Council resolutions to put pressure on Assad, reacted with skepticism to the White House's announcement.

President Vladimir Putin's senior foreign policy adviser said Friday that the information the U.S. has "does not look convincing."

Yuri Ushakov said more U.S. military support for Assad's opponents would undermine joint efforts to bring together Syrian government and opposition representatives for peace talks.

According to the United Nations' human rights office, the two-year-old war in Syria has killed almost 93,000 people, although it says the real number is likely to be much higher.

The United Kingdom, which says it provided evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria to a United Nations investigation, had not decided whether to arm the rebels, a government spokesman said Friday.

"Nothing is off the table," the spokesman said, adding that the U.K. was "in urgent discussions with [its] international partners."

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was eager to host the G8 summit next week in Northern Ireland. "We should use the G8 to try and bring pressure on all sides to bring about ... a peace conference, a peace process, and a move towards a transitional government in Syria," he said.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the UN Security Council to "achieve a united approach."

But France raised the concern that a Security Council resolution, such as the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria, would face opposition from some members.
Slideshow: Syria uprising

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A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

Launch slideshow

"The problem with this type of measure is that it can only be put in place with approval from the international community," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said Friday.

NBC's Albina Kovalyova and Reuters contributed to this report.

well what did you expect... Syria admits to it?

Hizbollah leader vows to keep fighting in Syria www3.nhk.or.jp... from the link

The leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hizbollah has pledged to continue military support for Syria's government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Hassan Nasrallah addressed a meeting in Beirut on Friday.

Nasrallah justified Hizbollah's dispatch of troops to Syria, saying many foreign forces have sided with Syrian anti-government forces.

He said Hizbollah members will be wherever they need to be and will continue to be responsible for what they assumed responsibility for.

Syrian government forces backed by Hizbollah have been stepping up their offensive. They recaptured the strategic town of Qusair in the central region last week.

Starting in the 1980s, Hizbollah resisted the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. The Israeli military withdrew from the area in 2000.

The group fought a war with Israel in 2006 and declared victory. This has drawn praise from some parts of the Arab world.

The group now faces rising criticism of its military support for the Assad government.

Jun. 15, 2013 - Updated 01:23 UTC

all I can say is Now that the US is in it, welcome to the second Afghan war.

As if this comes as a surprise www3.nhk.or.jp... from the link

Russia opposes US plan to arm Syrian opposition

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told US Secretary of State John Kerry that direct US military support for rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could escalate violence in the region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that Lavrov told Kerry in a telephone conversation that US accusations that Assad's government has used chemical weapons are not backed up by verified facts.

A White House spokesperson said on Thursday that President Barack Obama will provide direct military support for Syrian opposition forces.

The decision comes after US officials concluded the Assad government used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, in the country's ongoing civil war.
Russia's presidential office said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin will discuss the Syrian situation with US President Obama on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit to be held in Britain next week.

The United States and Russia are planning to hold an international conference on Syria, bringing together representatives of the Assad administration and the Syrian opposition. But the differences between the 2 host countries over Syria have become conspicuous.

Jun. 14, 2013 - Updated 23:58 UTC

US arms the rebels, Russia arms the Syrian Gov... cold war still enforce

seems to be a dead issue now that the US is going in with weapons and aid for the rebels, lost cause for the Gov theirs and ours, it well be a war that will lead to US ground forces going in fighting Russia Iran Syria and Hezbollah forces.
John McCain does cart wheels across White House lawn, film at 11

reply to post by bekod


Not necessary that what going to happen , if USA wanted to intervene , they would have done that long ago , there is excuses such as the armed groups taking cover in residential areas to fight the Syrian army and accusing the goverment for the killings that happended because of them ,as i said before all the dependence is on the armed groups or otherwise it will be a big war because the syrian army can strike back and is supported ,and the fact of the US reaction about chemical weapons use not meeting the expectations of those who want intervention, proves that USA has no intentions to get involved in an unpredictable war that will serve JUST israel alone .


All claims or reports from the opposition should not be believed ,it's an Israel plan executed by it's Arab allies with media deception going with it , no confusion should be left .

reply to post by elyaeno
your missing the bigger picture US, Russia will "butt heads" over this, as it is starting www.presstv.ir... form the link

Russia not to permit no-fly zone over Syria: Foreign Ministry
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich (file photo)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich (file photo)
Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:48PM GMT
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Reports that the US government was preparing to impose a no-fly zone over Syria were fuelled after Pentagon confirmed on Saturday that the US will keep its F-16 warplanes and Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in Jordan after the end of the joint drill this month."
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Related Viewpoints:

US raises false flag on Syria

Russia will not permit the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Syria, Foreign Ministry spokesman says following reports that US and its allies are planning such a move.


“I think that we will not permit in principle such a scenario,” Alexander Lukashevich said at a news briefing on Monday.

"We saw with the example of Libya how such a zone is introduced and how such decisions are implemented. We do not want a repeat of this in respect to the Syria conflict,” he added.


Reports that the US government was preparing to impose a no-fly zone over Syria were fuelled after Pentagon confirmed on Saturday that the US will keep its F-16 warplanes and Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in Jordan after the end of the joint drill this month.

"All these maneuvers about no-fly zones and humanitarian corridors are a direct consequence of a lack of respect for international law," Lukashevich added.

The remarks came ahead of planned talks between US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the Syria crisis on the sidelines of G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against any effort to impose a no-fly zone over Syria.

“You don’t have to be a great expert to understand that this will still violate international law, and we really hope that our American colleagues will align their actions in accordance with the approach of the Russian-American initiative in preparation for the conference (on Syria),” he said.

On June 14, Obama ordered his administration to provide the militants with weapons, a day after the US claimed that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the militants and thus crossed Washington’s “red line.” Damascus has rejected the allegation as “lies.”

The delivery of the weapons, which include assault rifles, shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and antitank missiles, would be carried out through the CIA, reports say.

Last week, a US defense official also stated that Washington would keep a unit of US Marines on amphibious ships off the Red Sea coast after consultations with Jordan.

The US-based Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the no-fly zone could be implemented from Jordan.

SAB/SS

and the US view from the link

US urged to impose Syria no-fly zone www.presstv.ir...
Russia warns US over Syria no-fly zone www.presstv.ir...
‘US makes plans of Syria no-fly zones’ www.presstv.ir...
‘Syria no-fly zone decision rests with UN’ www.presstv.ir...
US, allies setting stage against Syria www.presstv.ir...
‘France, allies mull Syria no-fly-zone’ www.presstv.ir...

I would post all the related links in full, but as you can see it wold be overwhelming to this thread, but there might be an Iraq styli invasion in the works www.presstv.ir... from the link

US, allies setting stage for Iraq-like invasion of Syria
Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:2PM GMT
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Related Interviews:

'US pursues vicious goals in Syria'
‘US forces Turkey to act against Syria’

The United States and its allies are stepping up pressure on Syria by accusing Damascus of using chemical weapons against foreign-backed militants, Press TV reports.


Analysts believe that the war rhetoric against Syria is very similar to the media propaganda launched by the US and its allies ahead of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

On Friday, the US President Barack Obama claimed the world cannot stand by and permit the use of chemical weapons in Syria, calling for an investigation into the issue.

“We have varying degrees of confidence about the actual use, but there are a range of questions around how, when, [and] where these weapons may have been used,” Obama said.


The US president added, “We are going to be pursuing a big investigation ourselves and we’re going to be consulting with our partners in the region as well as the international community and the United Nations,” he added.

Similar claims have been also made by Israeli and British officials, who say there is evidence that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons.

Tel Aviv has urged its Western and Arab allies to intervene in Syria quickly. The calls have been echoed by the members of the so-called Syrian National Coalition. They have called on the US to establish no-fly zones in northern and southern Syria and to launch strategic strike against Syrian military.

“I think it is only natural for us to achieve some of the demands that we’ve made. Some of these demands are the no-fly zone on the north and southern parts of Syria; we have also asked for strategic strikes,” said Khaled Saleh, a member of the foreign-backed Syrian National Coalition.


But Syria has rejected the allegations as false and fabricated. Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said it is the foreign-backed terrorists that have used chemical weapons against innocent civilians near Aleppo.

Al-Zohbi added that Damascus wants an investigation into the use of chemical weapons to be carried out by Russian experts.

Other international players also reacted to the allegations with the EU saying that definitive evidence is required to prove that Damascus has used such weapons.

China said it is against the use of the chemical weapons by any country, adding it is also against any military intervention in any country.

Analysts believe that the West and Arab support for the militants in Syria contradict their claims that they are seeking democracy in the region. It is widely believed the military campaign in Syria is part of a foreign-backed project to bring about major geopolitical changes in the Middle East in favor of the West and allies especially Israel.

GJH/SAB/SS/SL

Now for a spin: could this be the start of a US/ China, Israel war Vs Russia and anti Israel nations? It is a spin on things to come.

Syrian war planes in action. This event happened yesterday.

Who is responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Preparations for a new military advance of the Syrian army on the rebels' positions accentuate greatly the issue of responsibility for earlier detected cases of chemical weapons use. There has been only confirmed fact of chemical warfare poisonous agents use in the region Khan al-Assal, north of Aleppo, dating 19 March. All the other evidence is based on the testimonies of the victims exclusively and the symptoms described don't match the ones with the injured in GB attacks.
The samples from Khan al-Assal made it possible to identify sarin and diisoprophylftor-phosphate. This information was released by the source in the chemical laboratory making tests ordered by the U.N. Commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria. The agents studied turned out to have been produced outside Syria and were all of small storing term due to lack of stabilizing additives in them. Furthermore, extraneous materials contained in them were identical to the ones collected in 2002 on the Canadian testing ground following the decompression of the sarin shell.
It was determined that a self-made unguided rocket had been used to carry GB agents, the rocket being blasted with hexogen. That shell couldn't be an authorized item In Syrian army arsenal. Its closest analogue is "Bashair-3" shell produced by Assad's opponents in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
If it were the case involving the use of chemical weapons by government troops they would have employed the GB agents of Syrian make and authorized munition to ensure accuracy and safety of fire. The evidence got in wake of expertise exclude such a possibility.
The detention by Turkish security service of the Syrian fighters trying to deliver sarin load into Syria adds more meat to the experts' conclusions. According to mass media of Turkey, the guilty were released under the pressure of the western secret.
Reluctance of the USA and France to allow for the strongly forwarded by the U.N. Commission probe into the chemical weapons use in Syria resulted in the predictably unacceptable demands for Damask.
Now, experts have every ground for worry. Extremists may well employ their skills of handling GB agents to prepare new terrorist. Great Britain and France are said to be potential targets in the terrorists' hit list owing to their vigorous participation in special missions against Muslim countries and international terrorist organizations.

reply to post by Aznour

If your going to copy and paste please add a source,and maybe a few words of your own
I have no doubt both sides of the conflict have used chemical munitions.

reply to post by Aznour


Mass destruction weapons in Syria is just rubbish, bunch of lies imo. What is true is that Obama is getting obsessed with those wars and he needs some good argument to start it in Syria.
Our companies working for war also have a watering mouth for Syria. Those fat cats are gaining weight stuffing their pockets with money. And the rest of America, small potatoes so to say, have nothing at all! We don't need that war in Syria!

Just seen this and has some very good information in it, well worth the watch. It details the lies that the MSM are pushing about Syria