E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe world is watching Syria very closely, worried that a desperate Bashir al-Assad might use his chemical weapons against his own people or his neighbors. The U.S. and other nations have warned Assad against launching a chemical attack, but they consider a preemptive strike against Assad's weapons to be high-risk. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Thursday that intelligence about Syrian chemical weapons "raises serious concerns" that the regime of Bashar Assad may use them against the country's own citizens.
"The whole world is watching, the whole world is watching very closely," Panetta said. "And the president of the United States has made it very clear, there will be consequences — there will be consequences if the Assad regime makes the terrible mistake by using these chemical weapons on their own people."
His comments came a day after U.S. officials told NBC News that the Syrian military had loaded the precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into aerial bombs that could be dropped from dozens of fighter-bombers. The defense chief, who was speaking at a news conference at the Department of Veterans Affairs, would not elaborate on what the potential consequences would be.
A member of the regime in Damascus, however, dismissed the assertions Thursday, saying he feared the United States and other Western powers could be trying to find a "pretext for intervention" in Syria's civil war, Reuters reported.
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.
Assad's deputy foreign minister Faisal Maqdad said Thursday that they would never kill Syrians with chemical weapons, dismissing the Western intelligence reports as "theater."
"Syria stresses again, for the tenth, the hundredth time, that if we had such weapons, they would not be used against its people. We would not commit suicide," Maqdad said, according a Reuters report that cited his comments on Lebanon's Al Manar television, the voice of the pro-Assad Hezbollah movement.
"In fact, we fear a conspiracy ... by the United States and some European states, which might have supplied such weapons to terrorist organizations in Syria, in order to claim later that Syria is the one that used these weapons," he added.
"We fear there is a conspiracy to provide a pretext for any subsequent interventions in Syria by these countries that are increasing pressure on Syria," he said.
Aref Hretani / Reuters
Children run along a street damaged by what activists said was a Syrian Air Force airstrike in the Aleppo district of Salaheddine on Wednesday.
Panetta echos Obama 'red line' warning
"The intelligence we have raises serious concerns" that Damascus was considering using chemical weapons, Panetta said Thursday.
"Without commenting on the specific intelligence ... we remain very concerned, very concerned that as the opposition advances, in particular on Damascus, that the regime might very well consider the use of chemical weapons."
A group of United States senators, including John McCain, discuss reports that the Syrian government has begun to prepare chemical weapons.
Obama and other NATO leaders have warned that using chemical weapons would cross a red line and have consequences, which they have not specified.
Four U.S. Senators on Thursday urged President Obama to send a strong message to Assad.
"We urge the President of the United States to make whatever military preparations are necessary to show Assad that the United States is fully willing and able to impose the consequences that he has spoken of in the event these weapons are used," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), speaking first. "For deterrence to work it must be based on a credible threat."
He appeared with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.).
"We are all saying to President Obama, who has stated that there will be drastic consequences for Assad and his government if they use chemical and biological weapons, we’re with you," said Lieberman. "There’s strong support across Congress if the president takes the strong action that’s necessary to prevent a very, very — historically horrific — humanitarian disaster in Syria.
There are limited options for military intervention by the United States in Syria. It has one of the most robust air defense systems in the world — supplied by key ally Russia — but one option could be sending cruise missiles to attack regime targets.
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.
Germany's cabinet approved stationing Patriot anti-missile batteries on Turkey's border with Syria, a step requiring deployment of NATO troops that Syria fears could permit the imposition of a no-fly zone over its territory.
Slideshow: Syria uprising
Syria loads chemical weapons into bombs; military awaits Assad's order
Syria regime 'reeling, armed to the teeth' with chemical weapons
More weapons in Syria could trigger 'all-out war'
The 20-month-old battle between Assad and opposition forces has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met in Dublin on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and international Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi to try to restart a U.N. peace process for Syria. Prior to the meeting, she said she expected to raise the chemical weapons threat.
Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com
Clinton has said that in addition to the possible use of chemical bombs by "an increasingly desperate" Assad, Washington was concerned about the government losing control of such weapons to extreme Islamist armed groups among the rebel forces.
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.
U.S. officials said Washington was considering blacklisting Jabhat al-Nusra, an influential rebel group accused by other rebels of indiscriminate tactics that has advocated an Islamic state in Syria and is suspected to have ties to al-Qaida.
In other developments reported by Reuters:
- Syrian state TV said a\n explosion in front of the Damascus headquarters of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent killed at least one person on Thursday.
- Activists said the army pummeled several eastern suburbs of Damascus, where the rebels are dominant, with artillery and mortar fire. The suburbs have been cut off from the city's water and electricity for weeks, rebels say, accusing the government of collective punishment.
- Rebels say they have surrounded an air base two-and-a-half miles from the center of Damascus, a fresh sign the battle is closing in on the Syrian capital.
- Rebels said they were battling soldiers on the road to Damascus International Airport, 12 miles out of the capital, where several airlines have canceled flights due to security concerns.
Maqdad, in his interview on Thursday, argued that reports of such advances were untrue. "What is sad is that foreign countries believe these repeated rumors," he said. Rebel and state claims about the military situation cannot be verified independently. But residents inside the capital say the sound of shelling on the outskirts has become a constant backdrop.
Reuters contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
- EXCLUSIVE: US behind Afghan 'insecurity,' Karzai says
- Sex mobs target Egypt's women
- Researchers: North America least likely region for terrorism
- Africa's lion population plummets, study finds
- North Korea pays tribute to Kim Jong Il's 'threadbare' parka
- ANALYSIS: Egyptians warn Morsi is no friend of US
- Bread and expired milk: School lunch scandal sparks outrage in China
- Experts: Antarctica, Greenland ice melting into sea
Leave a Comment:
Just let Saudi Arabia have Syria to add to their expanding Muslim Kingdom.
December surprise ?
Still love Professor Obama?
Educate yourself here
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/12/obama-administration-silent-after-egyptian-constitution-ushers-in-slavery/
The President tried to help the Syrian people fighting for freedom and democracy months ago, the conservatives blocked his efforts, Obama has been a huge factor in the movement of democracy sweeping the middle east, conservatives in America will have this blood on their hands, liberals have been trying to help the Syrian people but Nazi conservatives are going to let a bunch of them die just to spite the President cause he doesn't hate gay people.
GUY
read about Egypt and then we should ALL block Obama FAILED foreign policies
The Professor is a global JOKE
The only things sweeping the Middle East are: 1) weapons from Iran; 2) nuclear technology from North Korea; 3) the Arab Brotherhood; 4) the destruction of American consulates; and 5) Hamas.
We have no dog in the fight in Syria,they are not a friend,not an ally and we have no business sticking our nose or our overstretched,underfunded and under-appreciated by this administration (left-wing dictatorship) military into a conflict with Syria. Some on the left might think they can score some easy beni's in the we are the world mantra.However let me assure you as Reagan found out in the eighties when he thought american air-power could punish the Assad's they do in fact have the best air defences in the middle east and know how to use them. For all you idiot lib's out there Syria is not Iraq and alot of american pilots will be killed if we tangle with Syrian air-defences. It's just not worth it ,just for Obami to score some points with the humanist-socialist crowd at the U.N..
All middle east countries that want to set up democracies and tumble illegal governments are our friends. In case you haven't noticed the younger generation in those countries are starting to realize (largely due to the USA electing a man named Obama) that they are being lied to by their governments about the Jews and the west.
Why would they want to set up a democracy?? Ours is failing miserably because no one will hold the elected responsible.
Part of this pretext are the messages being sent to the public via the controlled media. They're softening the soil and planting the seeds for what is to come. Don't be surprised when the headlines read how missiles were fired from destroyers overnight into Dasmascus- it all starts from there.
We should have helped the people fighting for freedom in Syria months ago, the conservatives blocked that to spite the President, thank God he got re-elected and can now help those fighting for freedom, something conservatives hate. Conservatives only want democracy and freedom for straight, white, rich Christians. Everyone else can die as far as they are concerned.
@ Pro ....Why would we do that when we can just bunker bust Assad's compound and kill him ?
Average guy you are being stupid .....There is no good way to get involved in Syria.....and your beloved President was not going to do anything before until the election was over. Lets be real ....
PValdes- Why do that when the whole country could be overrun? Then we can move American commerce in, you know, open up strip malls with a Starbucks on each end, Macy's, JCP, etc.
Pro ....I got you ....just like Iraq. Ok
Oh no, not a another War? We need to take care of a lot of problems here first, let the world help Syria. Sorry guys, that's my opinion. I remember when they were dancing in the streets on 9/11/2001, let's send them a few tanks and some missiles and guns to go with whatever else the world decides to send them and let them fight it out, if they win they win if they lose they lose. It should not become our War.
Would it be so difficult for someone with a high powered rifle to put a bullet between the eyes of Assad? I'm truly surprised that hasn't been done already. I think the U.S. needs to play second or third fiddle to Russia in this particularly nasty situation - maybe a KGB agent with a keen eye and hair trigger reflexes.
This is a distraction. Whilst our eyes are on Syria and weapons they don't intend to use the Iranians are hoarding weapons in the underground. Tensions of Iran's building it's weapons capabilities were excellently diminished by the tactic of a presentation of their new [tiny blue] submarines. Do NOT underestimate these nations.
Dumbo can't quit sucking his thumb long enough to make a decision on anything. And our pretend president continues to pretend.
What a joke, the whole world is laughing at us....
Blah, Blah Blah blah Bluh......Fear not Syria....you will only get a string of rhetorical bullsheet tossed your way from Obama and Hillery........Neither has any balls.....Hillary is excused.
This is Obama and Clinton's fault. IF they had not been secretly sending weapons to the terrorists who are causing this civil war, this would not be happening.
If any people are killed by these weapons that blood and all that has already been spilled is on Obama's and Clinton's hands.
They had no business sending weapons to terrorists who were trying to over throw a government that we did recognized at that time.
Obama and Clinton will have a lot of blood to answer for.
The Syrian government has nothing to fear from the US, as long as the Great Pretender is in the Oval Office.
Obama is going down the same road as George Bush.They have WMD! Dont you folks worry we will spend more than George Bush..haha
LOL. The Syrian optometrist fears the Illinois community organizer.
What next, a pillow fight at the UN?
I guess that's why Assad's chemical warfare division issued a threat to use them on youtube.
Is this essentially any different than Karzai in Afghanistan, or Morsi in Egypt, ........ except that Karzai and Morsi are paying Lobbyists who are paying off some of the Politicians in the United States.
It has been quite clear for the past year that when Assad falls, we get another Iran and Egypt, with radical muslims in charge. As much as I hate to see pro Iranian Assad in power, he is better than the alternative. Look at history of US meddling in the ME and you will see my point.
Funny how I do not hear the liberal uproar over WMD. Well of course intelligence has told us Assad has the weapons so it must be true, only when Bush was president and intelligence told us the same thing, all we heard were the liberals screaming like @!$%#s about the lies the lies even though Saddam had WMD and used them on his own people. Hypocritical mother @!$%#ers
It is believed that these are the Iraqi WMDs that were moved to Lebanon and Syria before US invasion of Iraq.
You forget. It's different rules when the liberals are playing. The Party of Hypocrites.
I can't speak for liberals, but you might want to consider what you're saying. IF this is used to launch an all-out ground assault AND thousands of American soldiers die AND hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians die AND trillions of dollars are spent AND no weapons are ever found... AND THEN no liberals create an uproar.
Then yeah: they'd be hypocrites.
But we won't know for a few years, I'm guessing.
The right wing crazies love their conspiracies. But these same people think that Acorn (closed in 2010) helped Obama steal the election last November. They think the sun rotates around the earth. Evolution is a myth etc.
Every country has it's right wing crazies. We just seem to have more of them. Why do you think that Fox is #1? It's the only network catering to the uneducated, uninformed and mentally challenged.
Funny how no liberals believe there are any crazy left wing nuts. And if Fox is number 1, that should tell you something more than you posted; as most of those descriptions are exactly what most liberals are.
Amazing how this is just like when General Powell was on tv describing photos of Iraq's so called chemical and weapons of mass destruction which after Iraq was attacked that it was all fake and made up. I raq never had weapons of mass distruction or chemicals. Don't think they can fool anyone on this one after the last one with iraq
Barry, Hillary and Leon. Wow. I think the old Kingston Trio was more believable.
Oh, please!
Panetta, or democRATs in general, threatening sanctions against anybody is akin to Clinton threatening to "punch Bill Safire in the nose" for calling he and his wife "pathological liars". Anyone with a brain knows how that turned out. Both Clinton's are liars and Bill's a coward.
DemocRATs start wars, but republicans end them and are stuck cleaning up the mess. Under this leadership, the United States will be attacked again, even more horrifically, because the Obama Administration are appeasers, worse than Neville Chamberlain was with Hitler.
So what do we do. Interfere as usual with every other country's issues, or just let it play out. Do we wait until thousands of people are murdered by this nut, or do we send in a few drone strikes to take Assad out? Big question. I say leave them alone and let Russia, Israel and the others deal with it.
Gee I didn't know Syria had WMD - whre di they get them? Rumor was 10 years ago that the mysterious WMD that the libs claim now never existed (despite intel at the time - does that sound familar??) were shuttled out of the country to Syria. Could these WMD be those? Two days ago MSNBC reports nothing to worry about, the intel says this isn't happening - now the intel changes? Is our intel that horrible that we don't know what the hell is going on over there? Isn't this the same intel sources as Benghazi? Why should the American publkic be expected to believe one and not another? Just more crap from this admin that has failed miserably domestically and with foreign policy.
So America's gonna be really mad when Syria uses chemical weapons.
That's good to know.
Too bad we didn't elect a President of the United States of America in 2008... we wouldn't be reading this right now.
I know Obama scared them to death, NOT. Please, what an incompetent President. Other countries are just laughing at him.