Who would have done this?
/chuckles
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Who would have done this?
/chuckles
wait "Who COULD have done this?"
Gosh, I have no for sure real idea, really!
Eh, not sure why Israel would give a shit in Syria. Syria is too busy at the moment and isn't funneling weapons to it's proxy in Lebanon.
It's more likely to be rebels pissed off that the Russians are re-arming the Syrian government.
Oh, wait, it said that in the article. Here I am, Mr bring information to the table guy, and it's already there. doh.
Yeah, they said: "No claim of responsibility was issued for the killing of Trukhachev. But Syrian rebels have warned over the past four months that Russia could be targeted for its continued weapons shipments to Assad."
But, in my book if Israel can off a couple of Russian weapons merchants, so much the better for disrupting arms to hezbola as well as Syria. Syria is no friend of Israel either. The longer the internal conflict is on-going in Syria, the longer Israel has to get some things in place.
FNC has been reporting all day that Syria may be prepping chemical weapons for use.
I caught this today on the tube as well. I seen a statement had been made telling Assad don't do it.
I was wondering about him, it sounds like Damascus is getting closer to falling. I just can't see anyway out for this guy other than burning the whole house down. He can't say ok ok you guys win sorry no hard feelings?lol he is toast, strung up if he is lucky and if I was him and a total nut then I wouldn't think twice about using wmd as my parting gift.
I think that is a very distinct possibility.
Even with Russia's backing of him, at some point they will see supporting him as untenable, quietly drop support, and then start backing a new ruler. They aren't about to lose their basing at Tartus but they aren't going to get shackled to an unpopular and rapidly failing leader like Assad. He uses chems and they will throw him under the bus so fast your head will spin.
It's the same game they play with NK. We're seeing that now with them "condemning" NK's upcoming launch.
I think, Ryan, that you will see the Russians take this guy out if he uses chemical weapons. Just... a feeling.
Syria is being warned.. by everyone about the use of chemical weapons against their own people.
And it's a distinct possibility they will use them.
Assad is believing (according to Ralph Peters) the Russians will "get him out".
I think they will just "get him" if he uses them.
Syrian Chemical Weapon Use Would Spark World Reaction, NATO Says
By Jonathan Tirone and Indira A.R. Lakshmanan on December 04, 2012
NATO’s warning came a day after U.S. officials reported that satellite images showed Syrian forces moving chemical weapons into positions where they could be used more quickly. The officials, speaking under condition of anonymity, also said intelligence sources intercepted Syrian orders to prepare Sarin nerve gas for potential use.
“The possible use of chemical weapons would be completely unacceptable for the whole international community,” Rasmussen said today in Brussels, according to a transcript posted on NATO’s website. “If anybody resorts to these terrible weapons, I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community.”
The military alliance, which may deploy a missile-defense system along Turkey’s border with Syria, hasn’t become directly involved in the uprising. The 20-month-long conflict has killed more than 30,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
NATO’s warning over the possible use of chemical weapons echoes similar remarks by the U.S.
“I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: the world is watching,” President Barack Obama said yesterday in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington. “The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable, and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.”
Foreign ministers from NATO’s 28 members convened two days of meetings today in Brussels. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, an ally of Syria, also attended the meeting.
‘Great Concern’
“The Syrian stockpiles of chemical weapons are a matter of great concern,” Rasmussen said. “We know that Syria possesses missiles. We know they have chemical weapons and of course they also have to be included in our calculations and this is also the reason why it is a matter of urgency to ensure effective defense and protection of our ally Turkey.”
Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, after weeks of talks about how to shore up security on its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border as the conflict in Syria deepens.
Last week, Syrian warplanes attacked targets close to the Turkish border as officers from the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands arrived to evaluate possible sites for Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries.
‘Provocative’ Patriots
Syria has called the Patriot plan “provocative,” and its allies Russia and Iran have protested what they regard as a first step toward implementing a no-fly zone or military action against Assad’s regime. Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Turkey yesterday for meetings including with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The purpose of the possible deployment of Patriot missiles is to protect the Turkish population and Turkish territory against missile attacks,” Rasmussen said. “We have no intention to prepare offensive operations, so the purpose of this possible deployment is to ensure effective defense and protection of Turkey.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net; Indira A.R.
I can find nothing from Russia on this. They seem... "strangely quiet" about the whole thing.
Well, I found this... they are "concerned".
4 December 2012 Last updated at 13:31 ET Syria crisis: Nato approves Patriots for Turkey
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...0_64569999.jpg Mr Rasmussen said Nato was determined to protect Turkey
Continue reading the main story
Nato has approved the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries along Turkey's border with Syria.
The long-expected move emerged from a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels, and amid growing fears that Syria could use chemical weapons.
Nato's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the ministers had "unanimously expressed grave concerns" about the use of chemical weapons.
Syria has said it would never use such weapons against its own people.
The meeting of the 28-member Western military alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels follows a request from Turkey to boost its defences along the border.
In a statement, Nato said it had "agreed to augment Turkey's air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and to contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the alliance's border".
Continue reading the main story Analysis
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...2_64130801.jpg Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent
Nato's deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to south-eastern Turkey is essentially a gesture of reassurance to Ankara.
Turkey feels threatened by the growing crisis in Syria. Stray Syrian artillery shells have already come across the border on several occasions. Turkey fears that worse could follow.
Patriot is highly capable against both advanced aircraft and ballistic missiles. But Nato will underline that this is to be seen as a defensive deployment only. Patriot has no capacity to deal with stray shell fire.
While Patriot can reach into Syrian airspace, Nato is at pains to stress that this is in no sense a step towards establishing a no-fly zone over Syria. Nonetheless, Nato may also hope that there will be a deterrent effect that may dissuade Syria from operating its aircraft too close to the Turkish frontier.
Recent intelligence assessments have indicated Damascus is contemplating using ballistic missiles, potentially armed with chemical warheads.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Rasmussen told reporters that the foreign ministers had "unanimously expressed grave concerns" about the reports, saying: "Any such action would be completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international law."
He would not give further details on the deployment, but said it would ensure effective protection of Turkey against any missile attack, whether carrying chemical weapons or not.
Nato officials have previously made clear such a move would be purely defensive.
Rebel gains
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says Nato's move is an expression of solidarity with Turkey, and a signal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad he must not widen the war against his own people beyond Syria's borders.
Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons - including mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent - at dozens of sites around the country.
The CIA has said those weapons "can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile and artillery rockets".
Continue reading the main story http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...64552987_t.jpg
President Obama has previously warned President Assad he would face "consequences" if he used chemical weapons against his people.
A Nato team has already visited a number of sites in Turkey in preparation for the deployment of Patriot batteries, which could be used to shoot down any Syrian missiles or warplanes that stray over the border.
But analysts say any deployment - possibly supplied by the US, Germany or the Netherlands - could take weeks.
Activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country and another 2.5 million are internally displaced.
Syrian opposition fighters have reportedly made dramatic gains recently, and several government mortar shells - aimed at rebel targets close to the border - have landed across its 900-km (560-mile) border with Turkey.
Continue reading the main story Syria's chemical weapons
- The CIA believes Syria has had a chemical weapons programme "for years and already has a stockpile of CW agents which can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets"
- Syria is believed to possess mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent
- The CIA also believes that Syria has attempted to develop more toxic and more persistent nerve agents, such as VX gas
- A report citing Turkish, Arab and Western intelligence agencies put Syria's stockpile at approximately 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons, stored in 50 towns and cities
- Syria has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) or ratified the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)
Sources: CSIS, RUSI
- Fears grow over chemical weapons
- Could US remove Syria chemical weapons?
- Nato's missile shield 'up and running'
- Syria: Mapping the insurgency
Although the head of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi told AFP on Monday that the Syrian government could fall "any time", it still holds the capital, parts of the second city Aleppo, and other centres.
In other developments:
- A teacher and at least 28 students were killed when shelling hit their school inside the Wafideen refugee camp outside Damascus on Tuesday - state media said it was a rebel mortar attack but rebels blamed government troops.
- A journalist working for a state-run newspaper was killed near his home in Damascus, said state media.
- The UN said on Monday it was pulling "all non-essential international staff" out of Syria, with as many as 25 out of 100 international staff expected to leave this week.
- The EU has withdrawn its mission altogether - the ambassador and head of delegation Vassilis Bontosoglou left Damascus with his six remaining international staff members on Tuesday morning.
- Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi is said to have fled the country, amid reports he has been dismissed, ostensibly for making statements out of line with government policy.
Vladimir Putin: Moscow not defending regime 'nor acting as advocate'
Big News Network (UPI) Tuesday 4th December, 2012
BRUSSELS -- Russia agreed to try to sway Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, a Turkish official said, as NATO was to OK Patriot missile defenses for Turkey Tuesday.
A senior Turkish official told The New York Times after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Istanbul, Turkey, that Moscow was "softening" its "political tone" and would look for ways of getting Assad to relinquish power.
Russia has said it is not wedded to Assad, but the official suggested Moscow was now more motivated to find an alternative after Putin acknowledged Assad seemed unwilling to depart.
After the meeting, Putin told reporters, "We are neither protecting the regime in Syria nor acting as their advocate, but remain worried about Syria's future."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Moscow would meet intensively with Syrian opposition groups based inside the country in the coming month.
The possible Russian shift came amid a flurry of diplomatic and military activity.
Bogdanov said for the first time Russia was ready to evacuate tens of thousands of its citizens from Syria. He told ITAR-Tass Moscow would arrange for planes to help them escape Syria's increasing instability.
"Due to the situation, we recommend Russian citizens not to go to Syria," he said.
The United Nations also began pulling out non-essential staff from Syria and the European Union said it reduced activities in Damascus "to a minimum" as regime forces bombarded opposition strongholds with artillery and airstrikes in an increasingly desperate attempt to keep rebel forces from advancing into Damascus, the capital.
U.S. President Barack Obama warned Assad any use of chemical weapons against rebel forces or anyone else would be met with a severe international response.
"I want to make absolutely clear to [Assad] and those under his command: The world is watching," Obama said at a nuclear non-proliferation conference in Washington. "The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable."
A Western diplomat confirmed to the Times U.S. intelligence officials had grave concerns Syrian leaders would use missiles topped with chemical warheads in a desperate last effort to survive.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry repeated earlier statements on state television the regime "would not use chemical weapons, if it had them, against its own people under any circumstances."
Meanwhile, Lebanon's al-Manar satellite television reported Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi was fired for making statements that did not reflect the regime's position.
Activists said he defected to Beirut, Lebanon, where he met his family. He then flew to London, Syrian National Coalition presidential adviser Wael Merza was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying.
Makdissi's whereabouts could not immediately be independently confirmed.
Makdissi, part of Syria's Christian minority, previously worked at the Syrian Embassy in London.
Al-Manar said Makdissi was fired for saying in July Syria would use chemical weapons only against a foreign invasion. Syria prefers not to acknowledge having chemical weapons.
Separately, opposition activists said rebel forces shot down a Russian MiG warplane in a Damascus suburb, while Turkey dispatched F-16 jet fighters after two Syrian jet strikes on a border city sent refugees and shrapnel into Turkey, Ankara said.
The strikes in Ras al-Ain caused panic in the adjoining Turkish border-crossing town of Ceylanpinar, Ankara said.
At the same time, NATO foreign ministers were widely expected to give political backing Tuesday to Turkey's request for Patriot missile batteries.
Ankara requested the missile-defense systems last month to help it protect its border areas after learning Syria was considering using chemical weapons in Soviet Cold War-era Scud and North Korean SS-21 Scarab tactical ballistic missiles against rebel forces.
Those missiles could easily stray into Turkey, as Syrian army artillery shells and mortars have done, Turkish officials said.
The 28 NATO ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were to meet in Brussels Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Patriots, which diplomats say will be configured to shoot down ballistic missiles and not aircraft, will be provided by the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Well.. Syria is a big news item on FNC today
FNC reported earlier that Syria has indeed mixed what is believed to be Sarin and loaded it into weapons.
Syria Loads Chemical Weapons Into Bombs; Military Awaits Assad's Order
December 5, 2012
The Syrian military is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people and is awaiting final orders from President Bashar Assad, U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday.
The military has loaded the precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into aerial bombs that could be dropped onto the Syrian people from dozens of fighter-bombers, the officials said.
As recently as Tuesday, officials had said there was as yet no evidence that the process of mixing the "precursor" chemicals had begun. But Wednesday, they said their worst fears had been confirmed: The nerve agents were locked and loaded inside the bombs.
Sarin is an extraordinarily lethal agent. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces killed 5,000 Kurds with a single sarin attack on Halabja in 1988.
U.S. officials stressed that as of now, the sarin bombs hadn't been loaded onto planes and that Assad hadn't issued a final order to use them. But if he does, one of the officials said, "there's little the outside world can do to stop it."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated U.S. warnings to Assad not to use chemical weapons, saying he would be crossing "a red line" if he did so.
Speaking Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Clinton said the Syrian government was on the brink of collapse, raising the prospect that "an increasingly desperate Assad regime" might turn to chemical weapons or that the banned weapons could fall into other hands.
"Ultimately, what we should be thinking about is a political transition in Syria and one that should start as soon as possible," Clinton said. "We believe their fall is inevitable. It is just a question of how many people have to die before that occurs."
Aides told NBC News that Clinton was expected next week to officially recognize the main opposition movement, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, with which she is scheduled to meet in Morocco. Britain, France, Turkey and some key Arab leaders have already recognized the opposition.
Fighting intensified Wednesday in the 21-month civil war, which has left 40,000 people dead. The U.N. withdrew its personnel from Damascus, saying conditions were too dangerous.
The government said this week that it wouldn't use chemical weapons on its own people after President Barack Obama warned that doing so would be "totally unacceptable."
But U.S. officials said this week that the government had ordered its Chemical Weapons Corps to "be prepared," which Washington interpreted as a directive to begin bringing together the components needed to weaponize Syria's chemical stockpiles.
U.S. officials had long believed that the Syrian government was stockpiling the banned chemical weapons before it acknowledged possessing them this summer.
NBC News reported in July that U.S. intelligence agencies believed that in addition to sarin, Syria had access to tabun, a chemical nerve agent, as well as traditional chemical weapons like mustard gas and hydrogen cyanide.
Officials told NBC News at the time that the Syrian government was moving the outlawed weapons around the country, leaving foreign intelligence agencies unsure where they might end up.
Syria is one of only seven nations that hasn't ratified the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention, the arms control agreement that outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of such weapons.
Bombshells filled with chemicals can be carried by Syrian Air Force fighter-bombers, in particular Sukhoi-22/20, MiG-23 and Sukhoi-24 aircraft. In addition, some reports indicate that unguided short-range Frog-7 artillery rockets may be capable of carrying chemical payloads.
In terms of longer-range delivery systems, Syria has a few dozen SS-21 ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 72 miles; 200 Scud-Bs, with a maximum range of 180 miles; and 60 to 120 Scud-Cs, with a maximum range of 300 miles, all of which are mobile and are capable of carrying chemical weapons, according U.S. intelligence officials.
Companion Threads and Posts:
- Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Libya crisis: Benghazi
- The Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated both the Clinton and Obama Administrations
- Egyptians Hit by Dawning Realization that Obama's on the Muslim Brotherhood DICTATOR's Side-Not Theirs/Democracy
- The Left's Unholy Alliance with Islam
- Obama admin invites Russian paratroopers to practice killing terrorists on us soil
China And Russia ‘Celebrate’ Obama’s Victory
From Reuters:
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5...-5M7fXQG-S.jpg
KGB Operation "Bill Clinton"
Report: Russia to allow pre-emptive nukes while the America is forced to disarm
Oct 14 11:09 AM US/Eastern
By DAVID NOWAK
Associated Press Writer
http://eurodialogue.org/files/fckedi...gei-Lavrov.jpg
MOSCOW (AP) - A top Russian security official says Moscow reserves the right to conduct pre-emptive nuclear strikes to safeguard the country against aggression on both a large and a local scale, according to a newspaper interview published Wednesday.
Glenn Beck Names Valerie Jarrett As Barack Hussein Obama's 'KGB Handler'
You know what, the thought crossed my mind a few weeks back that Jarret was a KGB operative. I kept my mouth shut on that because I', skating on thin ice on some things already hahaha. But now that Glen Beck mentioned it, you know what, HE'S RIGHT
Martha McCallum (LOL I put Stewart this morning, geez, COFFEE!) from FNC just stated that they have CONFIRMED that Sarin Gas is being mixed for weapons in Syria.
I heard ABC state that they were putting together bombs at a military base someplace.
And this....
Syria loads chemical weapons into bombs; military awaits Assad's order
Pentagon sources tell NBC News that the Syrian military is awaiting final orders to launch chemical weapons against its own people after precursor chemicals for deadly sarin gas were loaded into aerial bombs. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
By Jim Miklaszewski and M. Alex Johnson, NBC News
Updated at 8:20 a.m. ET: The Syrian military is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people and is awaiting final orders from President Bashar Assad, U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday.
The military has loaded the precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into aerial bombs that could be dropped onto the Syrian people from dozens of fighter-bombers, the officials said.
As recently as Tuesday, officials had said there was as yet no evidence that the process of mixing the "precursor" chemicals had begun. But Wednesday, they said their worst fears had been confirmed: The nerve agents were locked and loaded inside the bombs.
Sarin is an extraordinarily lethal agent. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces killed 5,000 Kurds with a single sarin attack on Halabja in 1988.
U.S. officials stressed that as of now, the sarin bombs hadn't been loaded onto planes and that Assad hadn't issued a final order to use them. But if he does, one of the officials said, "there's little the outside world can do to stop it."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated U.S. warnings to Assad not to use chemical weapons, saying he would be crossing "a red line" if he did so.
So far, intelligence sources say, bombs loaded with the components of sarin haven't yet been loaded onto planes. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
Speaking Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Clinton said the Syrian government was on the brink of collapse, raising the prospect that "an increasingly desperate Assad regime" might turn to chemical weapons or that the banned weapons could fall into other hands.
"Ultimately, what we should be thinking about is a political transition in Syria and one that should start as soon as possible," Clinton said. "We believe their fall is inevitable. It is just a question of how many people have to die before that occurs."
Aides told NBC News that Clinton was expected next week to officially recognize the main opposition movement, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, with which she is scheduled to meet in Morocco. Britain, France, Turkey and some key Arab leaders have already recognized the opposition.
Fighting intensified Wednesday in the 21-month civil war, which has left 40,000 people dead. The U.N. withdrew its personnel from Damascus, saying conditions were too dangerous.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Co...380;7;70;0.jpgKevin Lamarque / AFP - Getty Images
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government was "inevitable."
The government said this week that it wouldn't use chemical weapons on its own people after President Barack Obama warned that doing so would be "totally unacceptable."
But U.S. officials said this week that the government had ordered its Chemical Weapons Corps to "be prepared," which Washington interpreted as a directive to begin bringing together the components needed to weaponize Syria's chemical stockpiles.
Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com
U.S. officials had long believed that the Syrian government was stockpiling the banned chemical weapons before it acknowledged possessing them this summer.
NBC News reported in July that U.S. intelligence agencies believed that in addition to sarin, Syria had access to tabun, a chemical nerve agent, as well as traditional chemical weapons like mustard gas and hydrogen cyanide.
Officials told NBC News at the time that the Syrian government was moving the outlawed weapons around the country, leaving foreign intelligence agencies unsure where they might end up.
Syria is one of only seven nations that hasn't ratified the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention, the arms control agreement that outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of such weapons.
Bombshells filled with chemicals can be carried by Syrian Air Force fighter-bombers, in particular Sukhoi-22/20, MiG-23 and Sukhoi-24 aircraft. In addition, some reports indicate that unguided short-range Frog-7 artillery rockets may be capable of carrying chemical payloads.
In terms of longer-range delivery systems, Syria has a few dozen SS-21 ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 72 miles; 200 Scud-Bs, with a maximum range of 180 miles; and 60 to 120 Scud-Cs, with a maximum range of 300 miles, all of which are mobile and are capable of carrying chemical weapons, according U.S. intelligence officials.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed President Obama's recent vow to take action if Syrian President Bashar Assad uses chemical weapons during the ongoing clashes within his country. U.S. officials are also concerned about the rising influence of extremist groups within Syria. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.