http://news.antiwar.com/2013/04/22/200-us-troops-in-jordan-could-become-20000-for-syria-invasion/
Even the 20,000 deployment is one of the more modest schemes among the many different plans considered by the Pentagon for a Syrian invasion, and in December they conceded one of the plans involved a minimum of 75,000 troops.
The two corridors are meant to give Israel access to Syria for the purposes of dronesurveillance, but Jordan has also agreed that Israel can use them to attack Syria in the future if they choose.
South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham went so far as to say that Hagel “would be the most antagonistic Secretary of Defense towards the state of Israel in our nation’s history.”
Likud lawmaker Tzahi Hanegbi said Israel has no more than a month or two for stopping a nuclear Iran.
Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser and Israel’s next ambassador to Washington, told a group of American Jewish leaders Sunday that the time for action against Iran’s capacity to build a bomb – which he termed an existential threat to Israel - must be counted in months.
Piling on the gloom, Brig. Gen Itay Brun reported that the Syrian army had started using chemical weapons against rebel forces, including Sarin and other paralyzing substances, without the world lifting a finger to stop it.
2. The dissonance between Washington and Jerusalem on the issue of a nuclear Iran was present in Hagel’s talks in Israel. President Obama tried telling Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - recipients of the new US arms package - that his pledge to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear bomb means he is willing to wait until Tehran has assembled all the components for a weapon.
Israel refuses to wait for Iran to reach that threshold and insists that the moment to strike is now.
The Obama administration’s first response to the revelations by Israeli spokesmen came from Secretary of State John Kerry in Brussels.
200 US Troops in Jordan Could Become 20,000 for Syria Invasion
Intervention Options All Involve Huge Occupation Force
by Jason Ditz, April 22, 2013
Last week’s announcement of another 200 US troops being deployed to Jordan with an eye on Syria could rapidly become 20,000, officials say, if the decision is made by President Obama to move beyond external aid to rebels to overt military intervention.
Even the 20,000 deployment is one of the more modest schemes among the many different plans considered by the Pentagon for a Syrian invasion, and in December they conceded one of the plans involved a minimum of 75,000 troops.
When unveiling the 200 troop plan, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel did not immediately lay out the 20,000 option for the Senate, but rather has focused on warning the Senate against such a war, saying that it would rapidly escalate far beyond anything they presently envision.
Indeed, Hagel’s testimony reflected a growing rift between the Pentagon’s leadership and the State Department, which under John Kerry has grown increasingly eager to intervene in Syria. Hagel’s testimony has focused on avoiding heedlessly starting a “lengthy and uncertain” war.
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/04/22/jordan-agrees-israel-can-use-airspace-to-attack-syria/
Jordan Agrees: Israel Can Use Airspace to Attack Syria
Deal Will Allow Israel to Avoid Lebanon Overflights
by Jason Ditz, April 22, 2013
In a deal that will allow Israel to stop violating Lebanese airspace on a regular basis (if they do is another matter), Jordan has agreed two open two airspace corridors to Israeli planes and drones through their country.
The two corridors are meant to give Israel access to Syria for the purposes of dronesurveillance, but Jordan has also agreed that Israel can use them to attack Syria in the future if they choose.
The deal reportedly came at the behest of US President Barack Obama, who pressed Jordan’s King to allow Israel the access. Jordan has also been hosting a growing US military presence along the Syrian border, currently focused on training rebels but also with an eye on a ground invasion to “secure” Syria’s chemical weapons.
Previous Israeli attacks on Syria have used southern Lebanon’s airspace, though naturally without the Lebanese government’s permission. Such overflights have been a regular source of condemnation from UN troops deployed to southern Lebanon to oversee the periods between Israeli invasions.
http://www.infowars.com/chuck-hagel-green-lights-israeli-attacks-on-syria-and-iran/
Chuck Hagel Green Lights Israeli Attacks On Syria and Iran
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
April 23, 2013
Infowars.com
April 23, 2013
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel did penance for his perceived sins against Israel. The former senator from Nebraska was criticized during his confirmation process by the likes of John McCain for not joining the march to war against Iran. Hagel’s opposition to sanctions against Iran were considered antisemitic.
Chuck Hagel talks with Israeli soldiers, April 23, 2013. Photo: Secretary of Defense.
All doubt was put to rest on Tuesday when Hagel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Hagel green lighted an attack on Iran, dispersing any remaining doubt about his past. The Wall Street Journal described Hagel’s transformation as a “recasting” and said he “expanded a U.S. charm offensive aimed at Israel while advancing an Israeli objective – trying to convince Iran that it faces a realistic military threat as it continues to rebuff Western diplomatic efforts.”
During a news conference delivered from Israel’s military headquarters, Hagel stressed that Israel and the United States are in “complete” agreement on Iran policy. He reiterated that Israel, as a sovereign state, has a right to attack Iran for its as of yet unsubstantiated nuclear weapons program.
He said there’s no “daylight” or “gap” between the United States and Israel when it comes to taking out Iran’s nuclear reactors (and, although unstated, its military and civilian infrastructure). In order to accomplish this, Hagel said the United States has agreed to sell Israel more military hardware, including V-22 Osprey transport aircraft and air refueling tankers that will be used in the coming attack. Hagel insisted the arms deal is meant to send a message to Iran.
Sending advanced refueling tanker planes, crucial for an attack, is something not even the neocon administration of George W. Bush was willing to do.
Oddly, U.S. officials believe affirming Israel’s desire take out Iran and selling it more sophisticated military technology will make an attack less likely.
In addition to backing Israel’s “sovereign” right to attack Iran, Hagel demonstrated the Obama administration’s support for Israeli attacks inside Syria. Hagel and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon flew within five kilometers of the Syrian border and approximately 30 miles from Damascus in an Israeli Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
On Monday, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Jordan has decided to allow Israel to use its airspace to stage raids inside Syria. The newspaper noted two routes that will be opened to Israel – a southern route from the Negev and a route through Amman. The agreement will allow Israel to avoid flying over southern Lebanon.
In January, Israel bombed a Syrian military research center in Jamraya. “We don’t think [Syria] should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon,” Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak told international diplomats in Germany after the attack. He said the attack, which killed five people, was “proof that when we say something we mean it.”
This article was posted: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 6:42 am
http://www.debka.com/article/22920/Tehran-and-Assad-slide-past-US-and-Israeli-red-lines-%E2%80%93-nuclear-and-chemical
Tehran and Assad slide past US and Israeli red lines – nuclear and chemical
DEBKAfile Special Report April 23, 2013, 7:13 PM (GMT+02:00)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was hardly out of Israel’s door Tuesday, April 23, when a spate of awkward data came spilling out in Tel Aviv.
Iran has crossed the last red line Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu laid down before the UN Assembly last September, said the well-informed former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin. None of the measures for halting Iran’s race for a nuclear bomb have worked, he said. For a while, Tehran was impressed by the Israeli prime minister’s warning, but then went back to uranium enrichment at top speed. By now, Iran has certainly gone past the limit set by Netanyahu.
Likud lawmaker Tzahi Hanegbi said Israel has no more than a month or two for stopping a nuclear Iran.
Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser and Israel’s next ambassador to Washington, told a group of American Jewish leaders Sunday that the time for action against Iran’s capacity to build a bomb – which he termed an existential threat to Israel - must be counted in months.
Piling on the gloom, Brig. Gen Itay Brun reported that the Syrian army had started using chemical weapons against rebel forces, including Sarin and other paralyzing substances, without the world lifting a finger to stop it.
All the red lines had suddenly been knocked over by Iran’s rapid progress toward a nuclear weapon and by Bashar Assad who, backed by Tehran, mocked US President Barack Obama’s warning just a month ago that “proof of chemical weapons use would be a game changer.”
Responding to the Syrian development, Pentagon spokesman George Little, who arrived in Amman Tuesday with the US Defense Secretary, commented: “The Pentagon is continuing to assess reports on the matter and the use of such weapons would be entirely unacceptable.”
For some months, DEBKAfile has been reporting that Iran had trampled over Netanyahu’s red lines for its nuclear program and moved on. On March 19th DEBKAfile’s sources confirmed the finding of concrete evidence that the Syrian army had launched chemical warfare against rebel forces.
It is hard to believe that the Israeli chorus on these matters was spontaneous. Assuming that the various knowledgeable spokesmen shared the same choir master, they must be assumed to have been delivering the same message. It came in three parts:
1. The Israel’s military and defense leaders were not overly impressed by the $10 billion arms package the defense secretary delivered this week. The items listed are useful but don’t top their list of priorities. This coolness was reflected in comments by Israeli military chiefs this week, which underlined the IDF’s ability to deal with Iran’s nuclear facilities on its own and even handle the fallout of this attack coming in the form of joint retaliation by Iran, Syria and Hizballah.
2. The dissonance between Washington and Jerusalem on the issue of a nuclear Iran was present in Hagel’s talks in Israel. President Obama tried telling Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - recipients of the new US arms package - that his pledge to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear bomb means he is willing to wait until Tehran has assembled all the components for a weapon.
Israel refuses to wait for Iran to reach that threshold and insists that the moment to strike is now.
3. The revelation that Bashar Assad has flouted the US president’s warning against chemical warfare was intended to push Washington into military action against Syria which may unfold at some point into a strike against Iran.
The Obama administration’s first response to the revelations by Israeli spokesmen came from Secretary of State John Kerry in Brussels.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not confirm comments by the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons, he said Tuesday.
"I talked to Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning. I think it is fair for me to say that he was not in a position to confirm that in the conversation that I had," Kerry told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "I don't know yet what the facts are."
Kerry had been asked about comments by Brigadier-General Itai Brun, an Israeli intelligence analyst, at a Tel Aviv security conference that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons, probably nerve gas, in their fight against rebels.
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