The Syrian Civil War

[$teve]

'Syria has a very dangerous stockpile of chemical weapons' - US Congressman
22 December 2012 Last updated at 10:09 GMT Help

Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks to the BBC's Frank Gardner about US concerns over Syria's weapons.

He said they had a "very dangerous stockpile of chemical weapons", and some of them had been put in the condition that they could be used "at a moment's notice".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20823725

Interesting video at attached link.

[raptureholic]

Looks like Israel is starting to get more involved with the Syria crisis. I wonder how much further this can go before an all out war takes place? I am more and more convinced as each day passes by that on top of all the random mass shootings taking place in our country, the middle east on the verge of an all out war and of course all the other signs signaling our Lord's soon return, that our Lord's soon return could be at any moment and I'm literally at the edge of my seat to hearing the trumpet call of God! I get goose bumps just thinking about being in the presence of our Lord Jesus!!!

PM: Israel preparing for major changes in Syria

Netanyahu reiterates Israel closely monitoring the "dramatic developments" in Syria and is preparing for possible action.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=297021

[sparks]

So now we have a group that hates Israel,the USA.Russia ,and Iran. Obama and the EU backs this group. Are you kidding me? Egypt , Syria , Iraq, which may end up being the head of the snake and the USA has a part in them all in the name of demacracy. I think we are at a point where only God can get us out of this. There is no longer away out without him.

[$teve]

I await more corroborating evidence but if chemical weapons are being used and there is proof of such, regardless of extent of injury and deaths, then that presents a breach of the 'red line' for international intervention.


Rebels say Assad regime used chemical weapons in attack
By Stuart Winer
December 24, 2012, 8:26 am

Rebel forces in Syria claimed Sunday that regime forces used chemical weapons in an attack on Homs, killing six people and injuring dozens more with poison gas.

Qatar-based satellite channel Al Jazeera reported 10 people suffered serious injuries from the chemical attack, including blindness and paralysis, and over 50 more suffered other injuries.

Opposition activists posted a video online that they claimed shows a victim of the alleged chemical attack suffering from breathing difficulties.

The international community has raised concerns that Syria’s large chemical weapons store could be used against the rebels, or fall in opposition hands. Reports have ramped up over recent weeks that embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad has been preparing to use chemicals as the country’s 21-month-old civil war rages on.

The US has called the use of chemical weapons a “red line” that may invite international intervention. On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Syrian government had moved the chemical weapons from many arsenals to just “one or two centers” to properly safeguard them.

The attack came on a particularly deadly day for Syria. Near Hama, another rebel stronghold, more than 60 people were killed in an air strike on a bakery. Opposition sources said over 180 people were killed around the country on Sunday.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/rebels-...ttack-on-homs/

[$teve]

Syria regime and rebels both claim use of chemical weapons
Published December 24th, 2012 - 10:20 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Syrian opposition groups have accused the regime of using chemical weapons against rebels in Homs, while the regime said rebel fighters used poison gas against the army in Damascus on Sunday.

The accusations were traded a day after Israel had said it considered Syrian stocks of chemical weapons “secure”.

Videos posted online claimed to show the effects of an unknown agent on an opposition fighter in the Al Bayada district of Homs. In the video uploaded to Youtube, activist footage showed a young man in a makeshift medical clinic receiving treatment. The man struggles to draw breath and appears in significant discomfort.

The unidentified narrator said the men “saw flames in the sky” from an explosion, after which people "suffocated". A medic treating the patient says the man has inhaled poisonous gas, adding that he thinks its effects are similar to cyanide, including causing temporary blindness and restriction of airflow to the lungs.

The authenticity of the video could not be verified.

Meanwhile Syria accused opposition fighters in the Damascus countryside of using chemical agents against regime forces on Sunday.

A commander of Bashar al-Assad’s Presidential Guard said seven members of the military were killed when rebels threw “three cube-shaped plastic bags” filled with poisonous gasses at them. He added that a “yellow button” on the bags triggered the release of gas.

Earlier in the month Syria claimed a video posted on Youtube showed a militant group testing chemical agents on rabbits and threatening their use against Alawite Syrians.

A senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday that potentially lethal chemical arms in Syria were secure. Syria told the United Nations in early December that it would never use chemical weapons but warned that opposition fighters could use them, following international threats of military intervention.

http://www.albawaba.com/news/syria-c...weapons-458972

[$teve]

Russia: 'political suicide' if Assad uses chemical arms
24 December 2012

AFP - Russia said on Monday it would be "political suicide" for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if it used chemical weapons against the armed opposition.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview released by the English-language state television channel RT that Assad had given Moscow repeated assurances he had no plans to order such an attack.

"I do not believe Syria would use chemical weapons," Lavrov said in comments translated by the channel into English. "It would be a political suicide for the government if it does."

http://www.france24.com/en/20121224-...-chemical-arms

[Poppycat]

Oh $teve, this is terrible but I suppose inevitable in that al-Assad will use all at his disposal before quitting.

[Joseph The Carpenter]

I find it hard to believe Assad would use one shell or attack only fifty people. In my opinion he will either attack all the FSA positions or all the FSA positions and ISRAEL.

[CarlaL48]

Thank you again, dear Steve, and you, too, dear Lucid, for keeping us up to date on happenings in the Middle East. You are both faithful watchers and are in my prayers as we watch in awe the long-told prophecies unfold.

[JimFromOhio]

I find it hard to believe Assad would use one shell or attack only fifty people. In my opinion he will either attack all the FSA positions or all the FSA positions and ISRAEL.

Assad is an evil man, but I have to agree with Joseph The Carpenter. I don't think he would use his weapons on such a small number of people. I am more likely to believe that the rebels caused it to blame it on Assad. The rebels are just as evil as Assad. Either way we need to pray for the people of Syria.

[cricket55]

I find it hard to believe Assad would use one shell or attack only fifty people. In my opinion he will either attack all the FSA positions or all the FSA positions and ISRAEL.

I agree. He would not use just on shell or attack such a small group of people. When and if he uses them it will be in massive amounts.

[Lucid]

Thank you again, dear Steve, and you, too, dear Lucid, for keeping us up to date on happenings in the Middle East. You are both faithful watchers and are in my prayers as we watch in awe the long-told prophecies unfold.

[Rei]

{Mod Snip} Rule 14 {Mod Snip}

More talk of the potential use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Maranatha!

[Praying]

I smell a rat.

[$teve]

Assad said to be stocking up on artillery
Yoav Zitun, Roi Kais
Published: 12.26.12, 10:51 / Israel News

"Assad's current artillery acquisitions are the highest since 1973," a top military source told Ynet Wednesday, as war-ravaged Syria seems to be sinking deeper into civil war.

The nearly two-year conflict between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the pro-democracy opposition has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people.

According to the IDF, the escalating clashes between Assad's army and rebel forces have prompted the Syrian president to increase his artillery and anti-aircraft missile purchases; which Israel believes amounted to $2-$3 billion over the past two years – more than in the past 40 years combined.

IAF Chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said last week that "Syria has various weapon systems, including a vast arsenal of unconventional warfare. We have to be prepared for multiple scenarios."

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the United States and Russia are likely to formulate a plan for a power transition in Syria by February.

According to the report, the agreement will allow the UN Security Council to sponsor a transitional government as part of the United Nations' efforts to stem the bloodshed in the war-ravaged country.

The paper alleged that Russia – which has so far blocked any Security Council resolution against Damascus – has come to terms with the fact that Assad's regime is beyond redemption and is now interested in pursuing a solution that would stop Syria from slipping into anarchy.

Also on Wednesday, the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted a Syrian defector, who served in Assad's chemical warfare division, as saying that the Homs bombing in which sarin-like gas was used, was Assad's way of testing the waters vis-à-vis the international community.

The US, EU, NATO and the UN have all warned the Syrian president that using chemical weapons on civilians would carry serious international consequences.

The defector, identified in the report as Abd al-Salam Abd al-Razaq, said that a chemical weapon was used in the shelling, and that "using the gas in Homs was Assad's way of feeling the international community's pulse on the matter."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...324699,00.html

[$teve]

More than 45,000 killed in Syria conflict
AFP
Published: 12.26.12, 12:36 / Israel News

More than 45,000 people have been killed in Syria since the outbreak in March 2011 of an anti-regime revolt that became a bloody insurgency after a brutal crackdown on dissent, activists said Wednesday.

"In all, we have documented the deaths of 45,048 people," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that more than 1,000 people were killed in the last week itself.

Giving a breakdown, he said those killed included "31,544 civilians, 1,511 defectors, 11,217 soldiers and 776 unidentified bodies."

The Observatory, which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground, counts non-military combatants who have taken up arms against the regime as civilians.

The actual number of people killed in Syria's spiraling conflict is likely much higher. "We believe the real number could be as high as 100,000," Abdel Rahman said.

"Many of the thousands missing in jails are feared dead. Both the army and rebel fighters are concealing many of their casualties," he added.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...324787,00.html

[$teve]

Top Syrian general reportedly joins opposition
Published December 26, 2012
Associated Press

BEIRUT – A pan-Arab TV station says the general who heads Syria's military police has defected and joined the uprising against President Bashar Assad.

Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal has appeared in a video aired on Al Arabiya TV saying he is joining "the people's revolution."

In the video aired late Tuesday, al-Shallal said the army deviated from its mission of protecting the nation and became "a gang for killing and destruction."

Dozens of generals have defected since Syria's crisis began in March 2011 but al-Shallal is one of the most senior and held a top post at the time that he left.

In July, Manaf Tlass, a Syrian general, was the first member of Assad's inner circle to break ranks and join the opposition.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12...#ixzz2G9gArA7M

[raptureholic]

Ok, now this is getting very interesting. We could see a major war soon in Syria. Something is for sure going on in the spiritual realm, with all the crazy weather around the world and major war soon to break out in the M.E. and other parts of the world, things are really picking up pace now. Just waiting for the trumpet blast!

IDF contingency plans may have to be activated soon

US, allies may have to activate military contingency plans to secure or destroy Syria’s arsenal of deadly chemical weapons.

http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThes...aspx?id=297317

[$teve]

Russia warns of 'bloody chaos' in Syria
By Damien McElroy, Ruth Sherlock and Robert Tait in Jerusalem
5:22PM GMT 27 Dec 2012

Mr Brahimi, the international Syrian peace envoy, challenged all sides in the conflict to work together to pave the way for democratic elections and sideline President Bashar al-Assad.

His proposal received strong backing from Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister who said negotiations were the only way to end the fighting.

"The alternative to a peaceful solution is bloody chaos. The longer it continues, the greater its scale – and the worse things get for all," he said.

After five days of negotiations with the regime in Damascus, Mr Brahimi claimed to have the outlines of a power-sharing pact but his proposals were instantly rejected by the main opposition council.

It has been angered by the suggestion that Mr Assad could stay on as figurehead despite the deaths of 45,000 in the fighting.

Urgh, not gonna happen.

Speaking before he prepared to fly to Moscow on Friday, Mr Brahimi also warned, however, that there must not be a "collapse of the state or the state's institutions" during any power-sharing period.

Yasser Tabbara, a spokesperson for Syria Opposition Coalition, said the terms outlined by the envoy were unacceptable.

"It has been the position of the coalition that we need to find a quick solution on the issue of Bashar al-Assad stepping down. The priority of the Coalition is to preserve lives and finish this with the least casualties. However, the plans proposed by Lakhdar Brahimi are out of touch with reality," he said. "The plan takes us back months and months, if not years."

Moaz al-Khatib, the Coalition leader, flatly dismissed Mr Brahimi's proposals in a Facebook posting earlier this week.

Moscow has engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity to promote power-sharing and its view that the conflict does not have a military solution.

Alarm over Syria's disintegration led to crisis talks between Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister and King Abdullah of Jordan over the fate of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal.

The meeting – the first between the two leaders in two-and-a-half years – was confirmed in anonymous briefings to the Israeli media after it was initially reported by the London-based Arabic newspaper, Al-Qods Al-Arabi.

It is believed Mr Netanyahu travelled to Jordan without the knowledge of Israeli diplomats.

Mr Netanyahu publicly predicted the collapse of Mr Assad's regime this week and warned of "implications" for Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Israel fears the weapons could fall into the hands of Islamists fighting Mr Assad or the Lebanese Shia group, Hizbollah, an ally of Iran.

Mr Netanyahu's government has twice sought Jordan's co-operation to attack the weapons facilities, according to the Atlantic magazine.

"Reports of this meeting in the press are quite credible," one Israeli official told The Daily Telegraph. "It makes a lot of sense to have top-level co-ordination [between Israel and Jordan] about non-conventional weapons, which are a matter of great concern here."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-in-Syria.html

[Lucid]

Nearly 400 Reported Killed in Deadly Day in Syria

MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti) –

At least 397 people were killed in Syria on Saturday in what could be the country’s bloodiest day since the start of the uprising 21 months ago, the opposition Local Coordination Committees (LCC) claimed on Sunday.

“By the end of Saturday the LCC managed to document 397 martyrs (including more than 20 children and 20 women),” the activist group reported on its website.

The LLC makes a daily death toll count in the Syrian conflict on its website.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20121230/178...dly-print.html

(From a Russian News Source? )

_____________

MOSCOW, December 29 (RIA Novosti) –

Russia is not supplying the Syrian authorities with offensive weapons or any kinds of weapons that could be used against civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

“We are not delivering offensive weapons to Syria. We are not delivering weapons which could be used in a civil war,” Lavrov said at a news conference following his talks in Moscow with UN and Arab League’s envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.

Lavrov also said that unlike other countries, Russia has no special task forces either in Syria or neighboring territories.

http://en.rian.ru/politics/20121229/178479802.html


Russian Military Denies Sending Commandos to Syria

MOSCOW, December 24 (RIA Novosti) –

The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Monday media rumors about sending commando units, air defense systems operators and military equipment to Syria.

“No decisions to send commandos on board Russian warships [to Syria] have been made,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters in Moscow.

He added that Russia had not sent air defense systems operators to Syria either.

“It’s all nonsense…and media speculation,” Antonov said.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20121224/178375936.html