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Subscribe to RSSPentagon 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.
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.
Kevin 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.
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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.
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Here we go WWIII starting with Syria Weapons of Mass Destruction move in by US Seals and Marines to stop them and then Iran gets involved and blasts Israel at same time Syria does. Only a matter of time with sick Muslims to start this. Only a matter of time before Egypt and it's Muslim Brotherhood get involved. Only a matter of time.
How many wars is Obama lining us up for anyways?! Iran, Syria, North Korea, China....maybe he should stop and look at his Noble Peace Prize!!!!
i call bull@!$%#. How do they know this but not what Libya is up to. Or anyone else for that matter. In my opinion,
America needs a manufactured reason to go in.
We have not been involved in a war in the past 4 years and if at all possible Obama will not get involved in another war during the next 4 years. Unlike republicans democrats learned something from that usless war in Vietnam.
prog.1 Very nicely said. By the way I am tucsand
You are an uninformed fool and could not be more wrong.
You are right. We are not in Afghanistan.
Stop playing games and blow'um the hell up...
The Benghazi branch of the illegal CIA covert "Syrian freedom fighters" (financed by the Saudi's) and their weapon systems are the one's who will use gas for the false flag Barry and Hil have ordered. NATO will rush in and before you know it, WW III! Wake up dumb sh^ts! 100,000 Ruskies in Syria aren't going to play patty cake. Barry and Hillary are f**ing CRAZY!
Ben, well told.
The turd and hilly set up this wonderful Syrian "democracy", and also the Egyptian. A hint of what's in store for us?
OMG it is really going to happen. The end of the world in sixteen days!
Why is Obama supporting the armed thugs fighting against Assad who have not only killed U.S. troops in Iraq on behalf of Al-Qaeda, but also advocate the imposition of sharia law across the entire middle east and the overthrow of the United States and its replacement with an extremist Muslim dictatorship? I can't see how this is to the benefit of Israel or the USA as so many would like to believe.
You Syrians are really rude. Do you realize that you're interrupting Mr. 0bama's post-election, 24/7 nonstop campaigning marathon?
C'mon Assad, can't you take a hint? The 0bama Administration needs a reason to justify giving away all those surface to air missiles, particularly those 'missing' MANPADS to your enemies.
It's up to you Mr. Assad, Come on,.. just get it over with, so that we Americans can get back to the important business of forgetting that 4 Americans were ignored to death in Benghazi, over some 'missing' missiles.
How many innocent people were killed as a result of George W.'s orders. The ambassador was not killed a a result of Obama's oders.
prog.1: Tell me everything that you think, but don't actyually know about Iraq. Then I'll come back and make you look foolish. Are you ready - go!
P.S. I don't recall President Bush ever not sending or 'not allowing' reinforcements to be sent in to save the lives of our fellow Americans.
I know enough for certain that there was no reason for this country to be involved in either of the Iraqi wars. For the most part Iraq was a stable country isolated from its neighbors with no friends in the area. Now Iraq is a friend of and supported by Iran who is supposed to be the greatest threat to this country. I know I was in the natioal guard until I got caught up in the 1st stupid war with Iraq and I know I did not reenlist because I did not want to be a mercenary.
But you're OK with 0bama backing the Syrian rebels? Why?
As long as it does not involve American soldiers or another war then it can be tolerated but not necessarly supported. He is no superman and cannot do everything right.
Then you do know, that there were in fact WMDs in Iraq. If you were over there - there is no way that fact escaped you.
Conservatives generally get to the same place as progressives but it just takes them many more years to get to that point. Many conservatives opposed immunizations for childhood diseases until they realized it saved the life of their own children.
What's a progressive?
Generally the opposite of a conservative. A progressive believes in going forward rather than backward.
I think the founding fathers were considered Progressive. It used to be a good thing to always think of progress or moving forward. Today Progressive seems to be a bad thing as it seems some people want to move backwards. See, Muslims, Jihadists, Extremeists, Creationists, etc. I think you get the picture.
First, the people he is going to gas are not "his" people. They are Iranian scum sent to foment trouble. Gas'm incinerate them, shoot them in the head, bury them alive. Get rid of them as one would put out slug bait.
So you mean to tell me that killing 40,000 people isnt crossing the red line yet? Wonderful.
The U.N. left because it was too dangerous? So its too dangerous for them, but not for the people of Syria?
And some people on here say "let them burn"? The people who say that are no less than Assad himself, killing women and children. Shame on you.
Obama will never act and will let Israel do the dirty work. Once the chemicals are mixed, it's toooo late to do anything about it. Obama failed again...
These bunch of idiots at the White House....Empty threats...wait until they move them, mix them....What do they want a hand-written invitation to the dumping of them on the people!
This is the same way exactly that President George H.W. Bush had lied to us with about the chemical weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They show a few photo's of a complex and show a photo that could be recent and it could be an old photo of what appears to be a chemical factory but with no real other physical proof. Are we going to go this again and just be repeating history over and over.
Bill Clinton"lied" about WMD in Iraq. Wait nobody did. They were there, and now Assad has them and is going to use them. I know that makes too much sense.
by "too much sense" you mean "no sense at all" I understand the code. Drink more Blamo!
Melisa: It's funny how many Americans still don't know what WAS found in Iraq,..and what still turns up from time to time. Don't rely on NBC for news. NBC has been in the opinion business for at least the last 20+ years.
WMDs were in fact found. Do some real research, drop the propagnda.
Most innocent than anything else was found.
Weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq to date:
1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium
1,500 gallons of chemical weapons agents
17 chemical warheads containing cyclosarin (a nerve agent five times more deadly than sarin gas)
Over 1,000 radioactive materials in powdered form meant for dispersal over populated areas
Roadside bombs loaded with mustard and " conventional" sarin gas, assembled in binary chemical projectiles.
The massive cache of almost 400,000 Iraq war documents released by the WikiLeaks Web site revealed that small amounts of chemical weapons were found in Iraq and continued to surface for years after the 2003 US invasion, Wired magazine reported.
The documents showed that US troops continued to find chemical weapons and labs for years after the invasion, including remnants of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons arsenal -- most of which had been destroyed following the Gulf War.
In August 2004, American troops were able to buy containers from locals of what they thought was liquid sulfur mustard, a blister agent, the documents revealed. The chemicals were triple-sealed and taken to a secure site.
Also in 2004, troops discovered a chemical lab in a house in Fallujah during a battle with insurgents. A chemical cache was also found in the city.
No better way to kick-start a lethargic world economy than a big war. The American propaganda machine has been priming the pump with "news leaks" of possible chemical hanky-panky.
Will the moronic masses of the American public never learn?
Oh god, please not another war, I have no money left. Let the stinking rich Saudi's stop this instead of sitting on their fat asses and pretending they give a @!$%#.
Primed is right, this has been cultivated for our consumption. Thanks NBC!
the world has gone mad....
and i'm in it.
we all are.
The last thing the US needs is to be drawn into a military conflict in Syria. It is very likely that when Assad's regime is overthrown it will be replaced by one comprised of Islamic Fundamentalists that will be no allies of the US. We can no longer afford to police the world and our attempts to do so in Iraq and Afghanistan have been complete and utter failures that have financially ruined our country.
Why wouldn't Assad lob some Sarin bombs into Israel, expecting a retalliation, and possibly reunite his people against a common enemy. Then after all he didn't use it against his own people. And maybe the Israelis might just kill off a considerable amount of his opposition.
Wow a lot of radicals on here today...
This is depressing... I'm going to go now.
But before I do, out of curiosity, why couldn't we just do the same thing we did with Libya? It seemed to work pretty well there... but I'm no expert.
What a load of propaganda. USA USA USA
the US cannot and should not police the Arab world
.
While the world watches to see if Assad will attack his own people, what he will do is prepare and then attack Israel starting the end of the world war!
Assad is a horrible dictator but he's not stupid. He knows there's a line in the sand and if he uses chemical weapons, there will be hell to pay.