U.S. says it appears Syria planning another chemical weapons attack

[webfact]

U.S. says it appears Syria planning another chemical weapons attack

 

FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Croatian newspaper Vecernji List in Damascus, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on April 6, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it appears the Syrian government is preparing for another chemical weapons attack and it warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he and his military would "pay a heavy price" if it conducts such an attack.

 

The White House statement said preparations by Syria were similar to those undertaken before an April 4 chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians and prompted President Donald Trump to order a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.

 

Trump ordered the strike on the Shayrat airfield in Syria in April in reaction to what Washington said was a poison gas attack by Assad's government that killed at least 70 people in rebel-held territory. Syria denied it carried out the attack.

 

The strike was the toughest direct U.S. action yet in Syria's six-year-old civil war, raising the risk of confrontation with Russia and Iran, Assad's two main military backers.

 

U.S. officials at the time called the intervention a "one-off" intended to deter future chemical weapons attacks and not an expansion of the U.S. role in the Syrian war.

 

The United States has taken a series of actions over the past three months demonstrating its willingness to carry out strikes, mostly in self-defence, against Syrian government forces and their backers, including Iran.

 

The United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Twitter: "Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia and Iran who support him killing his own people."

 

Since the April military strike, Washington has repeatedly struck Iranian-backed militia and even shot down a drone threatening U.S.-led coalition forces. The U.S. military also shot down a Syrian jet earlier this month.

 

Trump has also ordered stepped-up military operations against the Islamic State militant group and delegated more authority to his generals.

 

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Sandra Maler and Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-27

[boomerangutang]

                           As much as we like to bash Bashar, he sure has hung in there, like a skipper on a ship that's been nearly destroyed.   Will Trump look the same in several years?   Clutching the mainmast by his fingernails, wrapped in torn sails and ropes, while the pulverized hull is listing 25 degrees, wedged on a coral reef, with all hands but Priebus and Bannon washed overboard......

[quadperfect]

32 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

                           As much as we like to bash Bashar, he sure has hung in there, like a skipper on a ship that's been nearly destroyed.   Will Trump look the same in several years?   Clutching the mainmast by his fingernails, wrapped in torn sails and ropes, while the pulverized hull is listing 25 degrees, wedged on a coral reef, with all hands but Priebus and Bannon washed overboard......

Sounds like you should write a nautical novel.

[FritsSikkink]

More BS stories to suit their political agenda.

[manarak]

19 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

More BS stories to suit their political agenda.

I don't believe it either.

[nausea]

Would Assad be so stupid? A false flag operation? "Cui Bono" (who benefits)?

[marko kok prong]

"and you tell over and over again my friend that you don't believe were on the eve of destruction"  Scott Mckenzie around 1968 i think. Both the USA and Russia are sabre rattling here,along with Iran,but it could turn very nasty very quickly.As for the butcher Assad,if it's was not for Russia,Iran and hezzbolah,he would be dead already.

[Grubster]

I think Assad really likes being the center of attention, and hopes this goes on forever.

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

More BS stories to suit their political agenda.

 

Interesting isn't it. The US can't spot those clever Russians hacking into their systems and "influencing" their elections; but they can tell what the Syrians are going to do before they do it.

 

Sorry, but their credibility sucks.

[ilostmypassword]

It's interesting how there's a special opprobrium reserved for chemical weapons while also in the mideast thousands of people, especially children, are dying of an epidemic created by the actions of a US ally.

[mjef]

2 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

"and you tell over and over again my friend that you don't believe were on the eve of destruction"  Scott Mckenzie around 1968 i think. Both the USA and Russia are sabre rattling here,along with Iran,but it could turn very nasty very quickly.As for the butcher Assad,if it's was not for Russia,Iran and hezzbolah,he would be dead already.

You're right, the "butcher" would be dead if it wasn't for Iran and Russia, and would be replaces by ISIS as in Libya and Iraq. Be careful what you wish for!

Edited June 27, 2017 by mjef

[retarius]

Once again zero evidence. Personally I believe Seymour Hersch more than the Pentagon. He has absolved the Syrian government of chemical weapons attacks with incredible investigative reporting....so much so that US/UK publishers won;t touch it. Hersch is a Pulitzer prize winning journo.  The Russians wanted a UN investigation of the last chemical attack, but the US blocked it.

In my opinion, this is the prelude to a false flag attack....ie another 'white helmet' staged 'chemical attack, with lots of video i.e. no one actually dies but a few hospitalizations. 

So this is the pretense for the US attacking Syria directly. Very bad news.

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Interesting isn't it. The US can't spot those clever Russians hacking into their systems and "influencing" their elections; but they can tell what the Syrians are going to do before they do it. Sorry, but their credibility sucks.

                       Yes, interesting.  Did a US satellite photograph Syrian air crew pouring chemicals (from canisters labeled, 'POISON') into bomb cases labeled 'chemical weapons.'  ?    

 

                        If Syria were planning a chemical bomb attack, you'd think they'd do it as clandestinely as possible, ....even going so far as to disguise the operation - to make it look like another faction was doing it.

[nasanews]

9 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

 As much as we like to bash Bashar, he sure has hung in there, like a skipper on a ship that's been nearly destroyed

What do you like about Bashar who have killed hundreds of thousands of his own people? 

Why this so much hate against people from different cultural and different faith, is it envy or is it revenge or is it hate and based on what?

When a crazy muslim blows him self up in a western society news never stop about bashing Islam but when Bashar uses chemicals against children the news again never stop complaining on how come this happen in our world.

I think many western people as bad hypocrites as the Satan him self, isn't it enough what your favorite mass murder Bashar have already done to his people?

 

[chilli42]

At least it's not that old chestnut Weapons of mass destruction

[Nigel Garvie]

6 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

                       Yes, interesting.  Did a US satellite photograph Syrian air crew pouring chemicals (from canisters labeled, 'POISON') into bomb cases labeled 'chemical weapons.'  ?    

 

                        If Syria were planning a chemical bomb attack, you'd think they'd do it as clandestinely as possible, ....even going so far as to disguise the operation - to make it look like another faction was doing it.

How clever the US is to know these things in advance. The thing they do know of course is what the White helmet branch of Al Qaeda are preparing as an excuse for another intervention.

In military terms when would you ever disclose intelligence about your adversary's intentions to the media, even the most stupid general on the planet would not do that.

Once more the minority Shia are to blame for everything while Trump crawls around licking the Sunni jackboot.

[Stargeezr]

If Assad does release any chemical weapons, drop a chemical bomb right into his personal home. Then send in a cruise missle to finish the job. This war criminal needs to be taken out of power.

Geezer

[simple1]

3 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

How clever the US is to know these things in advance. The thing they do know of course is what the White helmet branch of Al Qaeda are preparing as an excuse for another intervention. <SNIP>

BS conspiracy theory.

 

http://theconversation.com/who-are-syrias-white-helmets-and-why-are-they-so-controversial-66580

[FritsSikkink]

9 hours ago, nasanews said:

What do you like about Bashar who have killed hundreds of thousands of his own people? 

Why this so much hate against people from different cultural and different faith, is it envy or is it revenge or is it hate and based on what?

When a crazy muslim blows him self up in a western society news never stop about bashing Islam but when Bashar uses chemicals against children the news again never stop complaining on how come this happen in our world.

I think many western people as bad hypocrites as the Satan him self, isn't it enough what your favorite mass murder Bashar have already done to his people?

 

"when Bashar uses chemicals against children" where is the proof for that? 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

If Assad does release any chemical weapons, drop a chemical bomb right into his personal home. Then send in a cruise missle to finish the job. This war criminal needs to be taken out of power.

Geezer

No the USA should go get out of that country and stay out.

[Odysseus123]

28 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

No the USA should go get out of that country and stay out.

Yep.Trump must be sliding in the popularity polls again.

[Nigel Garvie]

9 hours ago, simple1 said:

BS conspiracy theory.

 

http://theconversation.com/who-are-syrias-white-helmets-and-why-are-they-so-controversial-66580

OK you think it's a conspiracy theory. Whether the white helmets would be involved in the latest US invention is open to question, fair enough. Interesting how clean the clothes of these white helmets shown in your link were - in a war zone as well - I don't imagine the picture was posed by any chance? Certainly while those of us whose brains are still working try to take an accurate view of the information we receive without jumping to conclusions, we are all bombarded daily with bias confirmation articles in the media. I would for example never take seriously something I read in the Daily Mail (Wikipedia agrees with me). However I do read a lot on the situation in Syria, particularly long established UK journalists like Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn who are widely acknowledged to be experts on the Middle East. The western establishment line on Syria was no longer believable long before the pathological liar called Trump turned up. This youtube clip is very enlightening  

 

[simple1]

27 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

OK you think it's a conspiracy theory. Whether the white helmets would be involved in the latest US invention is open to question, fair enough. Interesting how clean the clothes of these white helmets shown in your link were - in a war zone as well - I don't imagine the picture was posed by any chance? Certainly while those of us whose brains are still working try to take an accurate view of the information we receive without jumping to conclusions, we are all bombarded daily with bias confirmation articles in the media. I would for example never take seriously something I read in the Daily Mail (Wikipedia agrees with me). However I do read a lot on the situation in Syria, particularly long established UK journalists like Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn who are widely acknowledged to be experts on the Middle East. The western establishment line on Syria was no longer believable long before the pathological liar called Trump turned up. This youtube clip is very enlightening  

 

I'm aware of Tim Anderson, use to be in a relationship with one of his activist supporters when he was in jail, she became a Greens M,P,  (eventually went our own ways  due to political differences as I don't support the Greens agenda)  Anderson is now an apologist for the Assad regime, why anyone would interview him as a trusted source is frankly beyond me. Some wouldn't, but I too appreciate Fisk's reporting.

[friendofthai]

Colin Powell will never die. He will exist through centuries.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed. 

[Nigel Garvie]

13 hours ago, simple1 said:

I'm aware of Tim Anderson, use to be in a relationship with one of his activist supporters when he was in jail, she became a Greens M,P,  (eventually went our own ways  due to political differences as I don't support the Greens agenda)  Anderson is now an apologist for the Assad regime, why anyone would interview him as a trusted source is frankly beyond me. Some wouldn't, but I too appreciate Fisk's reporting.

There is of course also Jeremy Bowen, currently doing a series on ME on Radio 4 at 1:45pm. It is the breadth of these journalists' knowledge which is so informative. Tim Anderson I admit I know little of. The Middle East is in a tragic situation generally, and although I carry no brief for Assad, his enemies the Sunni Islamist Jihadis are vile, and some elements of them have received active support from the west (Ironic considering 9/11 and 7/7).  Assad's main fault is that he was one of their (Russia's) pet dictators rather than one of ours. Incidentally I have plenty of time for the Greens, but when science comes up their minds turn into humous!

[simple1]

17 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

There is of course also Jeremy Bowen, currently doing a series on ME on Radio 4 at 1:45pm. It is the breadth of these journalists' knowledge which is so informative. Tim Anderson I admit I know little of. The Middle East is in a tragic situation generally, and although I carry no brief for Assad, his enemies the Sunni Islamist Jihadis are vile, and some elements of them have received active support from the west (Ironic considering 9/11 and 7/7).  Assad's main fault is that he was one of their (Russia's) pet dictators rather than one of ours. Incidentally I have plenty of time for the Greens, but when science comes up their minds turn into humous!

I recommend you do some research into why Assad released Sunni Islamists at the beginning of the Arab Spring in Syria and other activities supporting terror organisations, including his own militia, Shabiha, crimes against humanity. The evil and hypocrisy emanating from Assad is astounding.

[Stargeezr]

Does anyone remember what happened in Syria before the ISIL bunch arrived. Oh yes there was a matter of Assad killing his own people in an up rising.  Forgot did you, well I have not. Assad is a murderer who had his own people killed, never forget that.  Saying that the USA has to get out because they are backing some of the fighters who are by the way going after ISIL is just what I expect to hear from an Assad supporter.

Geezer