Reuters: West may strike Syria within days
Now that US Secretary of State Kerry spoke publicly, there are more reports that the USA intends to take military action against Syria:
27 August 2013
(Reuters) – Western powers told the Syrian opposition to expect a strike against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces within days, according to sources who attended a meeting between envoys and the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul.
“The opposition was told in clear terms that action to deter further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime could come as early as in the next few days, and that they should still prepare for peace talks at Geneva,” one of the sources who was at the meeting on Monday told Reuters.
The meeting at a hotel in downtown Istanbul was between senior figures of the Syrian National Coalition, including its president Ahmad Jarba, and envoys from 11 core “Friends of Syria” alliance members, that included U.S. envoy Robert Ford, the top U.S. official handling the Syria file, the sources said. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/27/uk-syria-crisis-strike-timing-idUKBRE97Q0H420130827?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
27 August 2013
LONDON — In a sign of the increasing likelihood of a military strike on Syria, Prime Minister David Cameron summoned British lawmakers from their summer recess Tuesday for an emergency session on possible intervention in the Syrian conflict.
Cameron said the House of Commons would have a chance Thursday to debate and vote on Britain’s “response to chemical weapons attacks” in Syria. News reports said the British government is preparing contingency plans for some kind of armed intervention…
Britain’s participation in a possible airstrike could involve the use of its submarine- or aircraft-based missiles.
Along with France, Britain has been the most vocal advocate in Europe for punishing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad for suspected chemical attacks on rebels. Germany has also expressed support for forceful action.
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-britain-syria-response-20130827,0,4950997.story
WASHINGTON — U.S. military planners have a range of air, naval and ground assets that could be used against Syria in response to a suspected chemical attack that Washington blames on the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that President Barak Obama “believes there must be accountability” for the alleged use of chemical weapons in the August 21 attacks in several rebel-held Damascus suburbs. The Assad government has denied responsibility and blamed the killings of hundreds of civilians in those areas on rebels…
Turkey is home to two of the nearest air bases to Syria: Incirlik and Izmir. U.S. warplanes in Western Europe also could be positioned closer to the region by moving to Italy or Bulgaria.
Deploying U.S. fighter jets from Gulf air bases in Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would be trickier. Gulf states including Saudi Arabia oppose Assad, but any warplanes heading from their territory toward Syria would need permission to fly over one of three other Arab states.
In an interview with the French news agency Monday, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq will “not agree to any use of our airspace… to attack any neighboring country.”
The other nations, Egypt and Jordan, have not said whether they would allow overflights of their territory as part of any military action against the Syrian government. The Washington embassies of the two states did not respond to a VOA request for comment, but their governments have aligned themselves with opponents of Assad.
Pike said long flight paths from the Gulf to Syria also could require airborne refueling for U.S. warplanes. He said it would be “more straightforward” for the United States to use aircraft in Turkey or move its two aircraft carriers from nearby waters into the Mediterranean.
Ground forces
The U.S. military also has hundreds of personnel in Jordan, based at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center northeast of Amman.
The personnel include staff of the U.S. Central Command and members of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division who were sent to the kingdom earlier this year to help Jordanian troops respond to any attacks from Syria or a spillover of chemical weapons.
In addition to troops, the U.S. military sent Patriot air defense missiles and F16 fighters to Jordan for a military exercise in June, and kept them there when it was over. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-military-has-multiple-ways-to-strike-syria-in-potential-operation/1737526.html
Syria is not too please about this:
August 27, 2013
Damascus, Syria (CNN) — Syria’s foreign minister struck a defiant tone Tuesday amid growing international calls for a military response to the country’s suspected use of chemical weapons, denying his nation is hindering inspectors and warning Western leaders against an attack.
“Syria is not easy to swallow,” Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Tuesday at a news conference. “We have the materials to defend ourselves. We will surprise others.”…
While stopping short of directly accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government of a massacre, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called chemical weapons use a “moral obscenity” and said Syrian actions are “not the behavior of a government that has nothing to hide.”
“We know that the Syrian regime maintains custody of these chemical weapons. We know that the Syrian regime has the capacity to do this with rockets. We know that the regime has been determined to clear the opposition from those very places where the attacks took place,” he said…
Moallem rejected the accusations.
“They said the Syrian forces are the ones who used this weapon,” he said. “And I categorically denied this matter. I said there is no country in the world that uses weapons of mass destruction against its people. If anybody who has got any evidence, who can accuse our forces that they used this kind of weapon, I dare them to bring it out to the public.”
He said rebel forces were to blame for security concerns near the suspected chemical sites and argued Western leaders were using claims of chemical weapons use as an excuse to go after the Assad regime.
“We all hear the drums of war,” he said. “They want to attack Syria. I believe to use chemical weapons as a pretext is not right.” http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war/
As I reported yesterday, Syria is blaming the rebels/terrorists for the recent chemical attacks. Conflict is coming to the region. Here is a report from the Washington Post:
When Mr. Assad answered peaceful demonstrations with brutality, the administration did little beyond condemn the violence. Mr. Obama asserted that the dictator was doomed to fall, but Mr. Assad did not take the hint. Assisted by Iran, its terrorist proxy Hezbollah and weapons supplies from Russia, Mr. Assad went to war against his own people, indiscriminately firing missiles into civilian neighborhoods. More than 100,000 people have been killed, with millions more injured or displaced from their homes. Mr. Assad does not seem to be losing the war.
The dangerous outcomes that Mr. Obama worried might be precipitated by U.S. involvement have mostly come about in the absence of such involvement. Syria has become a haven for thousands of fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda. Violence has spread to neighboring states, especially Lebanon and Iraq. U.S. allies Turkey and, especially, Jordan are in danger of being overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Now, according to Doctors Without Borders and other credible sources, weapons of mass destruction apparently have been used on a scale not seen since Saddam Hussein went after his Kurdish population in 1988, with Mr. Assad seemingly calculating he has little to fear from crossing Mr. Obama’s “red line.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/syria-response-cant-rely-solely-on-military-action/2013/08/26/cafe7f5a-0e64-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html
Notice also the following:
Warnings from the east
Meanwhile, Assad’s allies Russia and Iran issued fresh warnings against military intervention.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday that such an intervention without consulting the United Nations Security Council could have “catastrophic consequences” for the region.
Russia also expressed regret over a decision by the US to postpone talks on Syria scheduled in the Netherlands for Wednesday.
The US said the meeting had been postponed due to “ongoing consultations” over the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria.
Separately, Iran repeated its opposition to any US attack by saying that a military intervention will engulf the whole region.
“There will definitely be perilous consequences for the region,” Abbas Araqchi, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/08/201382712233696198.html
The first wave of media coverage tried to pin the attack on the Syrian government, and the U.S. and France instantly came out condemning Assad. By August 24th the Pentagon had already announced plans for missile strikes, but even as they did their story was already falling apart again..The Syrian army came forward that same day with footage to back up their report that they had uncovered a massive chemical weapons cache in rebel tunnels in the Damascus suburb of Jobar. This is the exact neighborhood where the chemical attack took place..The Syrian government’s version of events is backed up with several other key bits of evidence…The stakes in this coverup are high. Both Russia and China have openly sided with Syria and Iran, and Russia has warned that thermonuclear war could result if the U.S. continues down this path. That’s a outcome that’s too horrific to even contemplate. However even if that worst case scenario is averted this is still a matter of life and death for the Syrian and Iranian people. http://stormcloudsgathering.com/leaked-documents-us-framed-syria-in-chemical-weapons-attack
The West has made final conclusions on what it seemingly intends to do faster than some of the facts would seem to have suggested. There may be many reasons for that.
Syria is Iran’s closest ally. If the West simply launches a few missiles, then maybe the region will essentially maintain the status quo for a time and Iran and others will not get involved. Yet, if the situation escalates next month (and a particular red horseman begins his ride), it could set the stage for the coming destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17:1) and a war that could be a prelude to the “peace deal” of Daniel 9:27.
The reality is that the cost to the USA, Israel, and/or the UK for a major regional war involving Syria and/or Iran will be higher than many in Israel believe. Between terrorist acts, sustained resistance, chemical weapons (Syria Reportedly Has Loaded Chemical Weapons into Bombs), biological weapons, EMP-type bombs (EMP attack can do more than knock-out electricity), and/or even disruptions of the internet (Iran Believed to be Behind Cyber-Attacks Against US Banks), Syria (along with its closest ally Iran, as well as allies such as Hezbollah) can inflict significant damage to their enemies.
Syria has made a variety of threats in the past (see Syria threatens Israel with ‘all options;’ Israel bolsters defenses; Russia and China express concerns). And while Israel and the USA will likely not be unscathed, the situation will not end well for Syria as ultimately its capital city Damascus will be destroyed per Isaiah 17:1. This could happen by the use of a thermonuclear attack by Israel, the USA, or even others.
Items of possibly related interest may include:
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What is the Book of Revelation trying to tell us about them? Does the first one deceive many? Here is additional information in the Spanish language: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? This video provides answers.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2013, 2014, or 2015? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? Why might Daniel 9:27 be referring to a type of peace deal? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? See also the video Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2013?
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.
 |
Tweet |
|