This
is part of a series of alarming news stories that have come through
the wires this morning
Along
with the perpetuation of the myth that the two brothers in Boston
were planning a 'second attack' on NYC, comes this second myth about
chemical weapons.
This
allows for yet another line to be crossed both on the US domestic
front (in terms of moves towards martial law), and towards direct
intervention in Syria.
The
other thing to keep in mind that Hagel, during his visit to Israel,
has given Israel a green light to attack Iran separately.
Everything
is connected
US believes Syria used chemical weapons
The disclosure of the assessment, which Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said was made within the past 24 hours and the White House said was based in part on physiological samples, triggered immediate calls for US action by members of Congress who advocate deeper US involvement.
Britain's
Foreign Office also announced it had information showing chemical
weapon use in Syria, and called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
to cooperate with international bodies to prove he had not sanctioned
their use.
"We
have limited but persuasive information from various sources showing
chemical weapon use in Syria, including sarin. This is extremely
concerning. Use of chemical weapons is a war crime," a Foreign
Office spokesman said in a statement.
But
while President Barack Obama declared that Syrian use of chemical
weapons would be a game-changer, his administration made clear it
would move carefully - mindful of the lessons of the start of the
Iraq war 10 years ago.
Then,
the George W Bush administration used faulty intelligence to justify
the Iraq invasion in pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons that turned out not to exist.
"Given
the stakes involved, and what we have learned from our own recent
experiences, intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient - only
credible and corroborated facts that provide us with some degree of
certainty will guide our decision-making," Miguel Rodriguez,
White House director of the office of legislative affairs, said in a
letter to lawmakers.
One
senior US defence official told reporters that "we have seen
very bad movies before" where intelligence was perceived to have
driven policy decisions that later, in the cold light of day, were
proven wrong.
The
White House said the US intelligence community assessed with varying
degrees of confidence that the chemical agent sarin was used by the
Syrian government. But it noted that "the chain of custody is
not clear."
"So
we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what
conditions," according to the White House letter, sent to
lawmakers.
The
term "varying degrees of confidence" also usually suggested
some debate within the intelligence community about the assessment,
the defense official noted.
The
scale of the sarin use appeared limited, with one US intelligence
official noting that nobody was "seeing any mass casualties"
from any Syrian chemical weapons use.
A
top Israeli military intelligence officer said two days ago that
evidence supported the conclusion Syrian government forces had used
chemical weapons - probably sarin - several times against rebels
trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
RED
LINE CROSSED?
Republican
Senator John McCain of Arizona, one of the leading advocates of
deeper US involvement in Syria's civil war, said the US intelligence
assessment demanded Washington follow with action.
"The
president of the United States said that if Bashar Assad used
chemical weapons, it would be a game changer, that it would cross a
red line," he said.
"I
think it's pretty obvious that red line has been crossed."
Senator
Bob Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, said there was likely still a need to check on chemical
weapons use.
"There
realistically is probably some additional steps that need to be taken
to verify, but ... there are indications a red line has been
crossed," he told reporters.
Syria's
deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, told Reuters that US aid to
the rebels may backfire and lead to attacks on American soil like
those of September 11, 2001.
"Once
the fire of terrorism spreads in Syria it will go everywhere in the
world," he said in an interview in Damascus.
The
White House has not specified what action Obama might take if he
determines with certainty that Syria has used chemical weapons. But
in its letter to lawmakers, it said it was "prepared for all
contingencies."
From
the CNN propaganda machine
US:
Syria Likely Used Chemical Weapons on ‘Small Scale’
No
Proof, So Why the Sudden Change in Assessment?
25
April, 2013
What
a difference 48 hours makes. On Tuesday, an Israeli
brigadier general
made a sudden claim of “repeated” chemical weapons use in Syria’s
civil war, and Netanyahu declined
to provide proof to Secretary of State John Kerry, saying he wasn’t
in a position to do so. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who was in
Israel Monday and didn’t hear anything like this, expressed
major doubts
yesterday.
Today
there’s still no proof, but the US has done a total 180 on the
matter, and is now saying that they believe “with
some degree of varying confidence”
that Syria has twice used chemical weapons on a “small scale.”
There’s
nothing to believe the evidence, or appalling lack thereof, has
changed in the last 24 hours, but Hagel is also on board now,
condemning
Syria for supposed use that “violates every convention of warfare.”
British
officials, who were on board in the first place because they thought
it might justify more pro-rebel moves, reiterated that support by
claiming they have seen “limited but persuasive information”
about chemical weapons use in Syria. Information that the public
won’t get to see, of course.
Context from RT
Context from RT
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