Tag Archive for Chemical Weapons

| May 17, 2013
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Turkey’s PM Erdoğan confirms his June visit to the West Bank & Gaza

At the joint White House press conference with Turkey’s PM Erdoğan, President Obama cites need for further evidence before making decision on Syria.

PM Erdoğan: Turkey is in ‘full consensus’ with the U.S. on a need to end Syria bloodshed.

By and Reuters

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Thursday that he plans to travel to the Gaza Strip in June, for a trip that will also include a visit to the West Bank.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama during a joint news conf

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Barack Obama during a joint news conference in the White House, May 16, 2013.

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| May 5, 2013
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Israel’s overnight air-strike hit Iranian missile shipment to Hezbollah

Just a few days after an alleged Israeli air-strike on Damascus, Syrian media reports Israeli jets fired on a military research center.

Western intel sources confirm Syrian reports, emphasizing targets were Iranian Fateh-110 advanced surface-to-surface missiles.

By Gili Cohen , and Reuters

 

 

Western intelligence sources confirmed on Sunday morning that both the overnight strike and Friday’s alleged attack on Syria targeted an Iranian missile shipment intended for Hezbollah.

Iranian Fateh-110 Missile - Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Iranian Fateh-110 Missiles – Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

 

The sources said the target was a shipment of Fateh-110 missiles. The Fateh-110 is a medium-range advanced guided missile capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 300 kilometers. Continue Reading »

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| May 1, 2013
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Nasrallah warns Sunni fighters of danger if Shiite shrine is destroyed in Lebanon

 

Hezbollah leader warned Sunni rebels & al-Qaida that Iranian fighters would enter to rescue Assad’s embattled regime if needed.

By

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that Syrian rebels will not be able to defeat President Bashar Assad’s regime militarily, strongly suggesting that Syria’s “real friends” including his Iranian-backed militant group would intervene on the government’s side if the need arises.

Nasrallah speaks via TV screen from secret location - AP - May 11, 2012

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks via a TV screen from his secret underground hiding place, during a ceremony, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, May 11, 2012. – Photo: AP

The powerful Shiite Muslim group is known to be backing Syrian regime fighters in Shiite villages near the Lebanon border against the mostly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Assad. Continue Reading »

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| April 30, 2013
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US official: Plans for possible military action in Syria are being evaluated

Senior White House official tells reporters that the Pentagon is looking into plans to strike Syrian military installations, though a ground offensive looks unlikely.

By

 

The U.S. in stepping up planning for military intervention in Syria, CNN reported on Monday. The report quoted a senior administration official as saying that “there is intensified planning in the works as more precise information comes in on the Syrian regime’s potential use of chemical weapons and the body of evidence grows.”

U.S. troops in Gulf


A UH-1N Huey with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit flies past the USS Rushmore, in the South Arabian Gulf, March 29, 2013.

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| April 30, 2013
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MK Ben-Eliezer: Hizbullah is Receiving Chemical Weapons Now

MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says the Syrian regime has already begun transferring chemical weapons to Hizbullah terrorists.

By Elad Benari

 

 

Former Defense Minister MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) said on Monday that the regime in Syria has begun to transfer chemical weapons to the Hizbullah terror group, its proxy in Lebanon.

“The process of weapon transfer to Hizbullah has begun,” Ben-Eliezer told The Associated Press. He would not elaborate.

Earlier, MK Ben-Eliezer told Kol Yisrael radio that he “has no doubt” that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has already used chemical weapons against rebels and that that “these weapons are trickling to Hizbullah.” Continue Reading »

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| April 29, 2013
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Report from Syria: Israeli Jets bomb a Syrian chemical weapons factory

The Free Syrian Army reports that Israeli jets destroyed a Syrian chemical weapons plant before rebels groups could get their hands on the goods.

By  Israel Today Staff

 

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) reported at the weekend that Israeli warplanes had bombed a chemical weapons base in Damascus. The Israeli government gave no response.

Israel Air Force F-15 upgraded Eagles - Photo courtesy IDF's Spokesperson's Office

Israel Air Force F-15 upgraded Eagles – Photo courtesy: IDF’s Spokesperson’s Office

 

FSA forces and the Syrian army were reportedly battling close to another chemical weapons base on the outskirts of Damascus on Monday, with the outcome of the battle still very much undetermined.

Israel and the West have taken the Syrian regime to task for reportedly using chemical weapons against rebel populations in recent weeks. Continue Reading »

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| April 26, 2013
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U.S. President: Syrian gov’t use of chemical weapons a ‘game changer’

In a White House meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Obama says ‘We cannot stand by and permit the systematic use of weapons like chemical weapons on civilian populations.’

By Reuters

 

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that the deployment of chemical weapons by the Syrian government was a “game changer” while noting that intelligence assessments proving that such weapons had been used were still preliminary.

 

Obama and King Abdullah - AP - April 26, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama listens to Jordan’s King Abdullah II during their meeting – Photo: AP

 

“Horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law,” Obama told reporters at the White House. Continue Reading »

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| April 23, 2013
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French Report: Israel & Jordan working to stop Syrian WMD transfers

Jordan has apparently given Israel permission to enter its airspace to access Syria in order to monitor & possibly act against the movement of chemical weapons

By Israel Today Staff

 

In a demonstration of regional cooperation against shared threats, Jordan this week gave the green light for Israeli drones to use its airspace to enter neighboring Syria in order to monitor the use and movement of chemical weapons.

Report: Israel, Jordan working together to stop Syrian WMDs

Israel Air Force Drone – Photo courtesy IDF Spokesperson’s Office

 

That according to French newspaper Le Figaro, which cited unnamed experts as saying the Jordanians had opened up two flight corridors to Israeli drones. Continue Reading »

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| March 20, 2013
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Steinitz: ‘Apparently, Chemical Weapons Were Used Against Syrian Civilians’

Either Assad’s regime or Syrian rebels used chemical weapons in their country’s civil war, said Israel’s new Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

Either Syrian rebels or the Damascus regime have used chemical weapons in the country’s two-year civil war, Israel’s newly appointed Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz, said on Wednesday.

“It’s apparently clear that chemical weapons have been used against civilians by the rebels or by the government,” Steinitz told Army Radio.

“This is very concerning for us and we must deal with it urgently,” he said.

Syrian rebels and the regime exchanged accusations of chemical weapons use on Tuesday for the first time since the March 2011 uprising, which has already claimed the lives of over 70,000 people. Continue Reading »

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| February 3, 2013
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Iran Promises Israel ‘Payback’ Through Syrian Proxy

Iran has threatened to attack Israel via Syria and “render the Zionist regime comatose” for attacking the convoy and chemical instillation.

By Chana Ya’ar

 

Iran has threatened to attack Israel in retaliation for the destruction of a chemical weapons processing center near Damascus, using Syria as its proxy.

IAFIranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Deputy Chairman, Brigadier-General Masoud Jazayeri condemned last Wednesday’s air strike on the Jamraya Scientific Research Center, which most of the world assumes was carried out by the Israeli Air Force.

Jazayeri said in a bellicose statement broadcast Sunday on official Iranian Press TV that Syria’s response to the attack on the military research center will “render the Zionist regime comatose.” Continue Reading »

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| February 3, 2013
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U.S. intel official: Israel targeted multiple targets in attack on Syria

American intelligence official says White House gave Israel ‘green light’ to continue such air strikes in the future.

Israeli jets attacked several targets in Syria Tuesday night in addition to the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamarya, outside Damascus, Time Magazine reported Friday.

Launch of SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles during drill by Syrian army - Reuters

Launch of SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles during drill by Syrian army. – Photo: Reuters

In the hours and days after the airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israel Air Force, conflicting reports surfaced regarding the nature of the strike. Syria accused Israel of attacking a research center in Jamarya, but denied that an attack on a convoy transporting SA-17 surface-to-air missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon had taken place as was previously reported. Continue Reading »

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| January 31, 2013
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After Syria Threatened Israel, White House Warns Syria on Weapons

Syria warns it reserves the right to retaliate to alleged Israeli air strike on its military research center.

By Gil Ronen

 

The White House on Thursday warned Syria not to transfer weapons to Hizbullah, as tensions mounted following reported Israeli raids on a military research center and a weapons convoy.

“Syria should not further destabilize the region by transferring weaponry to Hizbullah,” said Ben Rhodes, a US deputy national security advisor.

Syria on Thursday warned that it reserves the right to retaliate to what it says was an Israeli air strike on a military research center near Damascus, as it lodged a complaint with the United Nations. Continue Reading »

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| January 31, 2013
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Will Hezbollah use Chemical Weapons?

Reports of Israeli attack come amid mounting concerns over transfer of Syrian chemical weapons to terrorist organizations.

Israelis in the meantime are making sure their gas masks are up-to-date.

By Ben Sales

 

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Israeli planes reportedly struck a Syrian weapons transport on the Lebanese border amid increasing fears that the country’s chemical weapons stockpile could fall into the hands of Hezbollah.

The strikes, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, were reported to Reuters by a Western diplomat and anonymous regional sources who said that warplanes had struck the convoy as it passed from Syria into Lebanon. Continue Reading »

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| January 31, 2013
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Thursday’s Updates of Israel’s reported strike on the Syria-Lebanon border

The target of the IAF attack was apparently an arms convoy moving from Syria to Lebanon, but it is still not clear exactly where the strike occurred because of contradicting reports, or whether the SA-17 Missile cache also included chemical weapons.

International media reported Wednesday that Israel launched an overnight air strike on Lebanon’s border with Syria, after carrying out four separate flyover missions in Lebanese air space.

Map of Israel-Syria-Lebanon borders

The target of the reported attack was apparently an arms convoy moving from Syria to Lebanon, but it is still not clear precisely where the strike occurred, or whether the cache included chemical weapons. Continue Reading »

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| January 30, 2013
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Syria: Israeli planes attacked research center near Damascus

Syrian army command claims 2 people were killed & 5 wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya, and denies earlier reports that IAF planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

By REUTERS

 

 

Israeli warplanes attacked a military research center in Damascus province at dawn on Wednesday, Syria’s military command said, denying reports that the planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Lebanon.

Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya, which it described as one of a number of “scientific research centers aimed at raising the level of resistance and self-defense.”

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