Following the bouncing limited kinetic action ball.....

Intelligence Suggests Assad Not Behind Chemical Weapons Attack

Intercepted phone calls indicate Syrian government did not order attack

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
August 28, 2013

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Intercepted phone calls that will be presented by the Obama administration as proof that Bashar Al-Assad was behind last week’s chemical weapons attack in Syria actually suggest that the attack was not ordered by the Syrian government.

Phone calls by the Syrian Ministry of Defense intercepted by Mossad and passed to the US reveal that Syrian government officials, “exchanged panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons unit, demanding answers for a nerve agent strike that killed more than 1,000 people,” in the hours after last week’s attack.

Why would the Syrian Ministry of Defense be making panicked phone calls “demanding answers” about the attack if they had ordered it?

The fact that the highest levels of the Syrian government apparently had no knowledge of the attack strongly suggests that they did not order it, with the worst case scenario being that the attack was “the work of a Syrian officer overstepping his bounds,” writes Foreign Policy’s Noah Shachtman.

“We don’t know exactly why it happened,” a US intelligence official told Foreign Policy. “We just know it was pretty fucking stupid.”

So despite not knowing exactly what happened, why it happened, or who ordered it, while sabotaging the UN’s investigation of the incident, the US is about to launch cruise missile attacks and potentially enflame the entire region based on evidence that actually suggests the Syrian government had no idea who was behind the chemical weapons attack.

Meanwhile, previous evidence that suggests the US-backed rebels prepared and used chemical weapons on numerous occasions has been completely forgotten in the rush to war.

The last time the United Nations investigated evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, inspectors concluded that it was likely the rebels and not Assad’s forces who were behind the attacks.

In addition, leaked phone conversations that emerged earlier this year between two members of the Free Syrian Army contain details of a plan to carry out a chemical weapons attack capable of impacting an area the size of one kilometer.

There are also multiple other examples of video footage which shows US-backed rebels preparing and using chemical weapons.

The notion that Washington has any credibility when it comes to laying blame about weapons of mass destruction is ludicrous.

The last time the world believed the United States’ claims about Iraq’s non-existent WMD, hundreds of thousands of innocent people died as a result.

The Obama administration is about to launch the United States headlong into a conflict that could spark a new war in the Middle East, yet the very justification for the assault is being blithely accepted by the mainstream media, who have learned nothing from how their obsequious and unquestioning behavior prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq helped grease the skids for a decade of bloodshed and disaster.

http://www.infowars.com/confirmed-us-claims-against-syria-there-is-no-evidence/

CONFIRMED: US Claims Against Syria – There is no Evidence

Tony Cartalucci
Infowars.com
August 28, 2013

The Wall Street Journal has confirmed what many suspected, that the West’s so-called “evidence” of the latest alleged “chemical attacks” in Syria, pinned on the Syrian government, are fabrications spun up from the West’s own dubious intelligence agencies.

The Wall Street Journal reveals that the US is citing claims from Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency fed to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a repeat of the fabrications that led up to the Iraq War, the Libyan War, and have been used now for 3 years to justify continued support of extremists operating within and along Syria’s borders.

Wall Street Journal’s article, “U.S., Allies Prepare to Act as Syria Intelligence Mounts,” states:

One crucial piece of the emerging case came from Israeli spy services, which provided the Central Intelligence Agency with intelligence from inside an elite special Syrian unit that oversees Mr. Assad’s chemical weapons, Arab diplomats said. The intelligence, which the CIA was able to verify, showed that certain types of chemical weapons were moved in advance to the same Damascus suburbs where the attack allegedly took place a week ago, Arab diplomats said.

Both Mossad and the CIA are clearly compromised in terms of objectivity and legitimacy. Neither exists nor is expected to provide impartial evidence, but rather to facilitate by all means necessary the self-serving agendas, interests, and objectives of their respective governments.

That both Israel and the United States, as far back as 2007 have openly conspired together to overthrow the government of Syria through a carefully engineered sectarian bloodbath, discredits entirely their respective intelligence agencies. This is precisely why an impartial, objective third-party investigation has been called for by the international community and agreed upon by the Syrian government – a third-party investigation the US has now urged to be canceled ahead of its planned military strikes.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

In an email on Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice told U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power and other top officials that the U.N. mission was pointless because the chemical weapons evidence already was conclusive, officials said. The U.S. privately urged the U.N. to pull the inspectors out, setting the stage for President Barack Obama to possibly move forward with a military response, officials said.

The US then, not Syria, is attempting a coverup, with fabrications in place from discredited, compromised intelligence sources and the threat of impending military strikes that would endanger the UN inspection team’s safety should they fail to end their investigation and withdraw.

The Wall Street Journal also reiterated that the US is planning to fully sidestep the UN Security Council and proceed with its partners unilaterally:

…if the U.S. chose to strike, it would do so with allies and without the U.N., in order to sidestep an expected Russian veto.

The US proceeds now with absolute disregard for international law, all but declaring it has no intention of providing credible evidence of its accusations against the Syrian government. It is a rush to war with all the hallmarks of dangerous desperation as the West’s proxy forces collapse before the Syrian military. Western military leaders must consider the strategic tenants and historical examples regarding the dangers and folly of haste and imprudence in war – especially war fought to protect special interests and political agendas rather than to defend territory.

The populations of the West must likewise consider what benefits they have garnered from the last decade of military conquest their leaders have indulged in. Crumbling economies gutted to feed the preservation of special interests and the growing domestic security apparatuses to keep these interests safe from both domestic and foreign dissent are problems that will only grow more acute.

Outside of the West, in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran, leaders must consider a future where Western special interests can invade with impunity, without public support, or even the tenuous semblance of justification being necessary.

This post originally appeared at Land Destroyer Report

a bunch of lies will be forthcoming...... you just get the heads up by reading here !

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-28/obama-administration-release-proof-assads-culpability-early-thursday

Obama Administration To Release "Proof" Of Assad's Culpability As Early As Thursday

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/28/2013 08:30 -0400

Iraq

Obama Administration

Vladimir Putin

With the 22 Arab League member stopping well short of endorsing outside military action - though urging the UN to agree on 'deterrent' measures - the burden of proof for attacking the Assad regime remains firmly on the shoulders of the US.

As as the WaPo reports that the administration is planning to release evidence possibly as soon as Thursday, that it will say proves that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bears responsibility for what U.S. officials have called an “undeniable” chemical attack that killed hundreds on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.

The Obama administration believes that U.S. intelligence has established how Syrian government forces stored, assembled and launched the chemical weapons. This stands in direct opposition to Putin who said his government "did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place, or who was responsible."

The Syrian foreign minister warned thatthinking a US attack will change the balance of power is "delusional," and in an odd sense of Iraq deja vu, he added "if they want to attack Syria ...using the lie of chemical weapons is fake and not accurate."

Via WaPo,

The Obama administration believes that U.S. intelligence has established how Syrian government forces stored, assembled and launched the chemical weapons allegedly used in last week’s attack outside Damascus, according to U.S. officials.

The administration is planning to release evidence, possibly as soon as Thursday, that it will say proves that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bears responsibility for what U.S. officials have called an “undeniable” chemical attack that killed hundreds on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.

...

“We are prepared,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the BBC on Tuesday. “We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take. We are ready to go.” The assets include four cruise-missile-armed destroyers in the Mediterranean.

...

In a telephone call Tuesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government “did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place, or who was responsible,” a statement on Cameron’s official Web site said.

The Obama administration has rejected the possibility of rebel culpability, asserting that only the government has possession of the weapons and the rockets to deliver them.

...

The 22 league members stopped well short of endorsing outside military action, but they urged the U.N. Security Council to agree on “deterrent” measures.

...

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said Tuesday that charges of chemical weapons use by the government are “categorically baseless,” ... “We all hear the drums of war around us,” Moualem said. “If they want to attack Syria, I think that using the lie of chemical weapons is fake and not accurate, and I challenge them to show evidence.”

...

Polls taken before last week’s alleged chemical attack consistently showed Americans opposed to U.S. intervention in Syria.

http://ransquawk.com/headlines/un-inspectors-need-four-days-in-syria-to-conclude-their-investigation-and-time-to-analyse-their-findings-according-to-un-s-ban-ki-moon-28-08-2013

UN inspectors need four days in Syria to conclude their investigation and time to analyse their findings, according to UN's Ban Ki Moon

12:40 - Geopolitical - Source: Newswires

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-28/229030-us-rules-out-unilateral-military-action-in-syria-official.ashx#axzz2dAoA1bg7

WASHINGTON: The United States has ruled out unilateral military action against Syria and is conferring with allies on potential punitive strikes that could last for more than a day, a senior US official said Wednesday.
"Any military action would not be unilateral. It would include international partners," the senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

http://ransquawk.com/headlines/russia-says-premature-to-talk-about-un-security-council-response-to-alleged-chemical-attack-in-syria-before-inspectors-deliver-report-according-to-the-deputy-foreign-minister-28-08-2013

Russia says premature to talk about UN security council response to alleged chemical attack in Syria before inspectors deliver report according to the deputy foreign minister

Update details:

- UN chemical weapons inspectors today were due to start a second day of investigations in to the use of chemical weapons.

http://ransquawk.com/headlines/latest-update-on-syria-tensions-in-syria-rise-as-it-is-reported-that-possible-us-strikes-against-syria-could-extend-beyond-one-day-according-to-an-official-28-08-2013

LATEST UPDATE ON SYRIA: Tensions in Syria rise as it is reported that possible US strikes against Syria could extend beyond one day according to an official

- Overnight and throughout the morning various comments have come out from the US and Europe whereby US Defense Secretary Secretary has said that American forces are 'ready' to launch strikes on Syria if President Obama decides to attack. German Chancellor Merkel has said that it is time for a 'surgical strike' on Syria, whilst David Cameron is to put the issue before Parliament. UN inspectors have now reportedly reached rebel-held territory in Damascus to begin inspections. However, comments coming out of Iran by the Iranian Supreme leader Khamenei has said that intervention would be disastrous for the area and UN's Brahimi (member of joint special envoy for Syria) says he is also against military intervention in Syria.
- With regards to a timeline it is reported that the Obama Administration is planning to release 'undeniable' evidence of Syrian PM Bashar al-Assad's involvement in the chemical attack as soon as Thursday.
- In terms of oil markets, analysts at SocGen note that Brent may rise to USD 150/bbl if the Syria crisis cuts supplies, factors such as negative impact on GDP and potential scope for Saudis to ramp up production or even an emergency SPR release could limit price spikes. This follows Brent crude reaching its highest level since Feb (USD 117.34) as a result of the events in Syria.
- Of note, the US has inventories of crude oil and refined products, including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to cover 269 days of net imports, based on a rolling 12-month average. This is related to the IEA announcing in June 2011 that it would release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves around the world to combat any shortage. Back then, WTI was trading at USD 94.00 and Brent at USD 113.21. This compares to today’s WTI price of USD 110.20 and Brent at USD 115.88 per barrel respectively.

Syria Summary: The Latest So Far

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/28/2013 07:37 -0400

Crude

Iran

Israel

When it comes to Syria, there is a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what-have-yous. And uh, lot of strands to keep in Obama's head, man. Lot of strands in old Duder's head.

Here is the latest courtesy of Bloomberg:

U.S. ACTIONS:

Obama Begins Selling Action Ahead of Decision on Force
Obama Has Been Presented With ‘All Options’; video here
U.S., Allies Move Closer to Brink of Syria Military Action
U.S. to Release Syria Gas Attack Proof: Washington Post
Tomahawk Missile Launches Likely in U.S.-Led Attack on Syria
U.S. Said to Weigh Legal Justification for Attack on Syria

SYRIAN ACTIONS:

UN Syria Envoy Says Strikes Can’t Precede Council Decision
Rebels Used Chemical Weapons: AFP Cites Syrian Ambassador to UN
Syria Evacuates Troops From Damascus Military Base: Arabiya
Syria Foreign Minister Denies Chemical Attack to BBC
Assad Not in Iran, Mehr Says, Citing Iranian Foreign Ministry

INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS:

U.K. Drafts UNSC Resolution to Protect Syrian Civilians
Cyprus Says Hasn’t Heard From U.K. on Use of Bases for Strike
Iran’s Khamenei Says Syria Attack Would Be ‘Disaster’
Ban Ki-Moon Says Syria Now in Most Serious Moment of Conflict
Russia FM Says Rejects U.S. Assessment of Chemical Attack
Germany May Participate in Syria Action: Rheinische Post
German CDU Party Lawmaker Calls for “Surgical Strike”
Hollande to Meet Head of Opposition Syrian National Coalition
Recalls French Parliament to Discuss Syria, Spokeswoman Says
Israel Warns Iran, Syria Against Reprisal for U.S. Strike
Strike Would Lead to Retaliation on Israel, Iran Warns, According to NYT

MARKET REACTION:

WTI Crude Rises to Two-Year High on Syria
Oil Diverges From U.S. Stocks Most Since 2011 on Syria
Brent Crude May Spike to $150 on Syria Spillover: SocGen
Libya Compounds Syria Tension in Oil Market: Commerzbank
Bond Markets Price in Syria Strike, Not Wider Clash
European Stocks Fall to Almost 6-Week Low

http://rt.com/news/syria-crisis-live-updates-047/

International pressure has been building for a military strike on Syria in the wake of an alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb. The West has laid the blame at the feet of President Assad, as UN inspectors probe the site of the attack.

Wednesday, August 28

10:59 GMT: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, to back the UK resolution on Syria expected to be proposed later Wednesday. The resolution will condemn the chemical weapon attacks allegedly carried out by the Assad government and authorize “necessary measures” to protect civilians.

10:32 GMT: The UN’s Syria envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, said that international law is clear that a Security Council resolution is required for military action.

10:16 GMT: American and British warships deployed in the eastern Mediterranean may carry out a strike on Syria using cruise missiles as soon as in the early hours of Friday, according to Fox News.

9:40 GMT: Israeli intelligence has reportedly intercepted a conversation between Syrian officials concerning the use of chemical weapons, an unnamed former Mossad official told German magazine Focus. The content of the conversation was relayed to the US, the ex-official underlined.

9:20 GMT: The UK has drafted a resolution condemning the chemical weapons attack allegedly carried out by Bashar Assad forces and authorizing "necessary measures" to protect civilian population. The document is to be presented later on Wednesday at a meeting of the five permanent members of the Security Council in New York.

9:16 GMT: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that the UN inspection team in Syria needs“time to do its job.”

7:37 GMT: An al-Qaeda linked group has threatened a ‘volcano of revenge’ against the Syrian government and military targets in retaliation for the suspected chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb last week, Reuters reports.

"The meeting factions decided to carry out the "Volcano of Revenge" invasion in response to the regime's massacres against our people in Eastern Ghouta, the last of which was the chemical weapons massacre," the SITE Monitoring Group quotes a statement from a branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as saying.

"They have decided to strike the main joints of the regime in imprisoned Damascus, including security branches, support and supply points, training centres, and infrastructure," it continued.

The August 26 statement followed a meeting between the ISIL and eight Syrian factions.

05:45 GMT: David Cameron and Barack Obama have discussed the Syrian crisis in a phone conversation. It comes amid the UK and the US considering intervention into the country over the allegations that the Syrian authorities used chemical weapons against the population – something the Bashar Assad government denies.

03:12 GMT: Foreign Policy Magazine reports that US intelligence has intercepted communication that allegedly proves that government forces used nerve agent in the attack in Damascus last Wednesday. The publication claims that after the attack an official at the Syrian Ministry of Defense “exchanged panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons unit, demanding answers for a nerve agent strike." The publication speculates that this is the evidence which makes the US and its allies certain that Assad troops were responsible for the attack.

00:34 GMT: A powerful explosion has reportedly rocked central Damascus. There was no immediate information of any casualties.

Syria rejects allegations of using banned arms

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari

Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:32AM GMT

Related Interviews:

Related Viewpoints:

Israeli false-flag in Syria

Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari has rejected allegations of chemical weapons use by the government and accused foreign-backed militants of using banned arms to persuade foreign powers to attack the Arab country.

"Many facts tend to prove the innocence of the Syrian government, which has been subject to false accusations," al-Jaafari said on Wednesday.

Jaafari also said that such facts approve that "armed groups have used chemical weapons in order to bring about military intervention and aggression against Syria."

The West and Turkey "have enabled terrorist groups to create a laboratory for chemical weapons on Turkish territory with materials provided by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar... and to bring these chemical weapons to Syria for use," he said.

Al-Jaafari’s remarks come after the rhetoric of war against Syria gains momentum.

On August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

A number of Western countries, including the US, France, and the UK, were quick to adopt the rhetoric of war against Syria despite the fact that Damascus has categorically rejected the baseless claim, and announced later that the chemical attack had actually been carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation.

Iran, Russia and China, among other countries, have warned against foreign military intervention in Syria, which has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and many more displaced since the outbreak of the violence.

( I thought Israel intercepted the call and forwarded the intel to the US and West ? Compare Foreign Policy piece with Anti-War and Times of Israel pieces ...... )

http://news.antiwar.com/2013/08/27/quietly-israel-drives-us-attack-on-syria/

Quietly, Israel Drives US Attack on Syria

Israeli Spies Claimed Secret 'Proof' of Chemical Weapons Attack

by Jason Ditz, August 27, 2013

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Israel has clearly been quite comfortable with the idea of the US attacking Syria, but new revelations suggest that behind the scenes they have actually been the driving force on selling the Obama Administration on the narrative behind it.

The US has conspicuously insisted that the rebels’ story is “undeniable” even though they have never presented any proof of it, but the secret “proof” which is never put forth for public scrutiny apparently comes straight from Israeli intelligence.

According to the reports, Israeli military intelligence told the US they had wiretapped the Syrian government and heard them talking about using chemical weapons, insisting that “proved” that they were the ones who did it.

Israel has been pushing these stories multiple times, always citing dubious secret evidence that the public never gets to see. The administration, itself a big fan of secret proof that they don’t have to defend, has been only too eager to latch on to the idea, and it has now pushed them into an impending war.

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/27/exclusive_us_spies_say_intercepted_calls_prove_syrias_army_used_nerve_gas

Exclusive: Intercepted Calls Prove Syrian Army Used Nerve Gas, U.S. Spies Say

Posted By Noah Shachtman Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - 8:54 PM Share

Last Wednesday, in the hours after a horrific chemical attack east of Damascus, an official at the Syrian Ministry of Defense exchanged panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons unit, demanding answers for a nerve agent strike that killed more than 1,000 people. Those conversations were overheard by U.S. intelligence services, The Cable has learned. And that is the major reason why American officials now say they're certain that the attacks were the work of the Bashar al-Assad regime -- and why the U.S. military is likely to attack that regime in a matter of days.

But the intercept raises questions about culpability for the chemical massacre, even as it answers others: Was the attack on Aug. 21 the work of a Syrian officer overstepping his bounds? Or was the strike explicitly directed by senior members of the Assad regime? "It's unclear where control lies," one U.S. intelligence official told The Cable. "Is there just some sort of general blessing to use these things? Or are there explicit orders for each attack?"

Nor are U.S. analysts sure of the Syrian military's rationale for launching the strike -- if it had a rationale at all. Perhaps it was a lone general putting a long-standing battle plan in motion; perhaps it was a miscalculation by the Assad government. Whatever the reason, the attack has triggered worldwide outrage, and put the Obama administration on the brink of launching a strike of its own in Syria. "We don't know exactly why it happened," the intelligence official added. "We just know it was pretty fucking stupid."

American intelligence analysts are certain that chemical weapons were used on Aug. 21 -- the captured phone calls, combined with local doctors' accounts and video documentation of the tragedy -- are considered proof positive. That is why the U.S. government, from the president on down, has been unequivocal in its declarations that the Syrian military gassed thousands of civilians in the East Ghouta region.

However, U.S. spy services still have not acquired the evidence traditionally considered to be the gold standard in chemical weapons cases: soil, blood, and other environmental samples that test positive for reactions with nerve agent. That's the kind of proof that America and its allies processed from earlier, small-scale attacks that the White House described in equivocal tones, and declined to muster a military response to in retaliation.

There is an ongoing debate within the Obama administration about whether to strike Assad immediately -- or whether to allow United Nations inspectors to try and collect that proof before the bombing begins. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called the work of that team "redundant ... because it is clearly established already that chemical weapons have been used on a significant scale."

But within the intelligence community, at least, "there's an interest in letting the U.N. piece run its course," the official said. "It puts the period on the end of the sentence."

When news about the Ghouta incident first trickled out, there were questions about whether or not a chemical agent was to blame for the massacre. But when weapons experts and U.S. intelligence analysts began reviewing the dozens of videos and pictures allegedly taken from the scene of the attacks, they quickly concluded that a nerve gas, such as sarin, had been used there. The videos showed young victims who were barely able to breathe and, in some cases, twitching. Close-up photos revealed that their pupils were severely constricted. Doctors and nurses who say they treated the victims reported that they later became short of breath as well. Eyewitnesses talk ofyoung children so confused, they couldn't even indentify their own parents. All of these are classic signs of exposure to a nerve agent like sarin, the Assad regime's chemical weapon of choice.

Making the case even more conclusive were the images of the missiles that supposedly delivered the deadly attacks. If they were carrying conventional warheads, they would have likely been all but destroyed as they detonated. But several missiles in East Ghouta were found largely intact. "Why is there so much rocket left? There shouldn't be so much rocket left," the intelligence official told The Cable. The answer, the official and his colleagues concluded, was that the weapon was filled with nerve agent, not a conventional explosive.

In the days after the attacks, there was a great deal of public discussion about which side in Syria's horrific civil war actually launched the strike. Allies of the Assad regime, like Iran and Russia, pointed the finger at the opposition. The intercepted communications told a different story -- one in which the Syrian government was clearly to blame.

The official White House line is that the president is still considering his options for Syria. But all of Washington is talking about a punitive strike on the Assad government in terms of when, not if. Even some congressional doves have said they're now at least open to the possibility of U.S. airstrikes in Syria. Images of dead children, neatly stacked in rows, have a way of changing minds.

"It's horrible, it's stupid," the intelligence official said about the East Ghouta attack by the Syrian military. "Whatever happens in the next few days -- they get what they deserve."

So , did the US or Israel intercept call ? Earlier reporting says IDF ?

http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-intercepted-syrian-regime-chatter-on-chemical-attack/

An IDF intelligence unit listened in on senior Syrian officials discussing a chemical attack that allegedly took place on the outskirts of Damascus and left hundreds of Syrian civilians dead last Wednesday, a major German publication reported.

Rebel groups claimed that in Wednesday’s attack as many as 1,300 people were killed in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. The reports were accompanied by a string of grisly photos and videos depicting scores of dead civilians, including children.

An Israeli TV report on Friday claimed that the shells were fired by the 155th Brigade of the 4th Armored Division of the Syrian Army, a division under the command of the Syrian president’s brother, Maher Assad.

A man suffering a seizure, from a video reporting to show victims of the chemical attack outside Damascus Wednesday. (Screenshot: YouTube)

A man suffering a seizure, from a video reporting to show victims of the chemical attack outside Damascus Wednesday. (photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube)

The nerve gas shells were fired from a military base in a mountain range to the west of Damascus, the Channel 2 report said.

The embattled regime has concentrated its vast stocks of chemical weaponry in just two or three locations, the TV report continued, under the control of Syrian Air Force Intelligence, itself reporting to the president.

The TV report further added that “the assessment in Israel” is that the attack was intended to serve as the possible start of a wider operation.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the situation in Syria couldn’t be allowed to continue.

Netanyahu said that Israel “will always know how to protect [its] citizens” should Syrian weapons be turned on the Jewish state.

“Our hand is always on the pulse,” he said. “Our finger is a responsible one and if needed, is on the trigger. We will always know how to protect our citizens and our country against those who come to injure us or try to attack us.”

A Syrian man mourns over a dead body after an alleged poisonous gas attack fired by regime forces in Damascus on August 24, 2013. (photo credit: Media Office Of Douma City, AP File)

Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that reports of the mass chemical weapons attack outside Damascus point to “a terrible tragedy and a terrible crime.”

“Our hearts go out to the women, children, babies and civilians injured so cruelly by the use of weapons of mass destruction,” the prime minister said.

Israel, like the rest of the world, has refrained from responding to the Syrian crisis in any large-scale way, taking in only a small number of injured Syrians and reportedly carrying out covert air strikes at regime weapons sites. Yet officials have said action must be taken, with most expecting Washington to respond to the attack.

http://www.debka.com/article/23228/-US-Air-Force-beefs-up-strength-in-Qatar-Syrian-troops-warplanes-tanks-and-artillery-moved-to-sheltered-sites

Wednesday, Aug. 28, the US, on the one hand, and Syria, on the other, were winding up their last military preparations ahead of an American operation against Syria,. Barring last-minute hold-ups, DEBKAfile’s military sources report the operation is scheduled to start Friday night Aug. 30 (edging into Saturday morning, according to local Mid East time.)
In the past 24 hours, the US Air Force finished a major buildup at the big US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. B-1B bombers and F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets were brought over from other US Mid East air facilities on the Omani island of Masirah and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
These squadrons were not assigned to the US military strike against Syria, say our military sources, but will stand ready to move in should unforeseen complications in the course of the US missile assault on Syria call for the introduction of extra assets from outside.

Israeli officials and spokesmen continued to insist Wednesday on low expectations of a Syrian counter-offensive against their country. Nevertheless, the new US air force reinforcements in Qatar will stand ready to rush to the aid of US allies - Israel, Jordan and Turkey - in the event of their coming under Syrian Scud attack.
On the opposite side, the Syrian army Tuesday started scattering personnel, weapons and air assets to safe places to reduce their exposure to damage and losses from US assaults.

Our military sources report that personnel, tanks and artillery of the Syrian Army’s 4th and Republican Guard Divisions, which are held responsible for the Aug. 21 chemical attack on civilians, were being moved into fortified shelters built last year against potential foreign military intervention.

Syrian army command centers in Homs, Hama, Latakia and the Aleppo region were also being split up and dispersed, after a tip-off to Syrian and Russian intelligence that they would be targeted by the US strike.
Syria has also transferred its Air Force fighter planes, bombers and attack helicopters to fortified shelters which are armored against missile and air attack.
In Israel, the IDF continued Wednesday to deploy its anti-missile Arrow, Patriot and Iron Dome systems more widely than ever before across the country. Iron Dome batteries were positioned in the heavily populated central region around Greater Tel Aviv.

DEBKAfile’s military sources reported that Israel’s Arrow and Patriot interceptors were linked to the US missile shield, with which their operation has been synchronized.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel was ready for any scenario. Although it takes no part in the Syrian civil war crisis, Israel would not hesitate to fight back for any attempted attacks – and would do so forcefully.

Wednesday morning, the machinery for distributing gas masks to the population broke down under the pressure of demands to distribution centers across the country. The Homeland Ministry’s website crashed. Former Interior Minister Ellie Yishay complained of a shortage of protective masks due to budget cuts. He said there are only enough to supply 40 percent of the population.

Catharsis Ours

Wednesday, August 28, 2013