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Syria Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 31, 2013 20 Comments
We will update this post throughout the day, in reverse chronological order, with most recent updates at top. If there actually is an attack, we'll start a new thread with video embeds, etc. For now there are two Twitter feeds at the bottom of this post, one I created using reliable sources, and another raw #Syria hashtag feed. BREAKING - Obama says has decided to take military action, doesn't need U.N. Security Council or Congress, BUT will seek congressional approval: Really Chuck Todd, really? https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/373868206969999360 More reactions at Obama statement on Syria and also below: https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/373890688737640448 https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth/status/373865925629321216 https://twitter.com/Bridget_PJM/status/373866389045407744 https://twitter.com/jpodhoretz/status/373866895201427456 https://twitter.com/repjustinamash/status/373866418015858688 https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/373871738032910336

Posted by New Neo on August 30, 2013 29 Comments

Caroline Glick's article on Obama and Syria sums up the situation quite nicely---although "nicely" is hardly the proper word, because it makes for very sobering reading indeed: It is important to note that despite the moral depravity of the regime’s use of chemical weapons, none of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 30, 2013 61 Comments
U.S. declassified report on Syrian use of chemical weapons. (Embedded at bottom of post.)
U.S. Government Assessment A large body of independent sources indicates that a chemical weapons attack took place in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. In addition to U.S. intelligence information, there are accounts from international and Syrian medical personnel; videos; witness accounts; thousands of social media reports from at least 12 different locations in the Damascus area; journalist accounts; and reports from highly credible nongovernmental organizations.... We assess with high confidence that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack against opposition elements in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. We assess that the scenario in which the opposition executed the attack on August 21 is highly unlikely. The body of information used to make this assessment includes intelligence pertaining to the regime’s preparations for this attack and its means of delivery, multiple streams of intelligence about the attack itself and its effect, our post-attack observations, and the differences between the capabilities of the regime and the opposition. Our high confidence assessment is the strongest position that the U.S. Intelligence Community can take short of confirmation. We will continue to seek additional information to close gaps in our understanding of what took place.
https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/373490321079816193 https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov/status/373490512725938177

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 30, 2013 38 Comments

As critical as I have been and continue to be of Obama's foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, I have a great unease with the schadenfreude being experienced in many corners over the vote in the British House of Commons refusing to take the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 29, 2013 9 Comments

The House of Commons is debating intervention in Syria right now. Watch LIVE Replay of full debate: Update 5:50 (h/t Drudge): UK Prime Minister Cameron loses Syria war vote: British Prime Minister David Cameron has lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes, a...

Posted by Mandy Nagy on August 27, 2013 22 Comments

As international pressure mounts for action in response to chemical attacks alleged to have been perpetrated by the Assad regime, US officials say they could launch military strikes on Syria as early as Thursday. From NBCNews.com: The United States could hit Syria with three days of missile...

Posted by David Gerstman on August 25, 2013 34 Comments

Mideast Media Sampler - 08/25/2013 - When is a red line not a red line? When there's no precedent....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 11, 2013 23 Comments

Why not? The Kurds out number Palestinians several times over, and unlike Palestinians, have a real ethnic and cultural distinction from surrounding Arabs (and in Turkey, Turks). But for Europeans drawing lines on maps and Turkish national ambitions, there should have been an independent nation for...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 03, 2013 6 Comments

For a day or two, the massive explosion in the Syrian city of Homs was a mystery. Another Who bombed it? Israeli attack?  Or just more destruction by the Syrian government which already has left Homs a wreck? Via WaPo on August 1: What caused this enormous explosion in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 31, 2013 7 Comments
The last in my series of posts from Israel: After leaving the Valley of Tears battle monument, we descended from the Golan Heights towards Israel's northernmost town, Metula. But along the way, we stopped at the Druze town of Mas'ade for lunch at the Nedal Restaurant.  Here's the view towards Mount Hermon (lost then recaptured during the 1973 Yom Kippur War) from in front of the restaurant: [caption id="attachment_60845" align="alignnone" width="501"](Mas'ade Druze Village Israel, looking towards Mount Hermon) (Mas'ade Druze Village Israel, looking towards Mount Hermon)[/caption] You can see on this map how far north Metula is: [caption id="attachment_60711" align="alignnone" width="505"](Metula, Israel - Map View) (Metula, Israel - Map View)[/caption] These map view give a good perspective on how Metula is surrounded on three sides by Lebanon: [caption id="attachment_60710" align="alignnone" width="464"](Metula, Israel - Street Map View) (Metula, Israel - Street Map View)[/caption]

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 30, 2013 8 Comments
Another in my ongoing posts from Israel: After we left the Tel Saki Battle Memorial on Monday, we continued north, to the Quneitra Crossing, the only active border crossing between Syria and Israel, manned by U.N. forces.  Several weeks ago Syrian rebels briefly seized the area on the Syrian side, and there still is fighting in the area. Here is the view of the crossing from the recently opened Israeli Avital Volcanic Park.  There was smoke rising in the distance, but it was hard to capture because of the lighting conditions: [caption id="attachment_60691" align="alignnone" width="512"]Quneitra Crossing Golan Heights view from Avital Park (Quneitra Crossing, Golan Heights, view from Avital Volcanic Park)[/caption] We then headed to the nearby Golan Heights Wind Farm, which had a better view of the smoke rising from the area: [caption id="attachment_60693" align="alignnone" width="516"]Golan Heights Wind Farm - map view (Golan Heights Wind Farm - map view)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_60692" align="alignnone" width="537"]Golan Heights Wind Farm - View of Syria (Golan Heights Wind Farm - View of Syria)[/caption]

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 29, 2013 12 Comments
Another in my ongoing posts from Israel: We spent the day on the Golan Heights and the Lebanese border near Metula.  We were accompanied by my good friend from Moscow days who I mentioned in a prior post. We were led by Hadar Sela of BBC Watch blog, who lives on the Golan and has an amazing knowledge of the topography, history, people, and politics. I had intended to do one blog post -- but soon realized there was just too much to cover so I'll break it down into three posts to run on separate days -- The Battle of Tel Saki, The Valley of Tears, and The Lebanese Border.  The blog posts will track our journey from the southern to northern Golan, then down to Metula in northern most Israel. We started the day where we stayed overnight last night, Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan to the south of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), in the shadow of the Golan Heights: [caption id="attachment_60600" align="alignnone" width="501"](Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan, Israel - Map View) (Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan, Israel - Map View)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_60601" align="alignnone" width="547"](Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan, Israel, view towards Golan Heights) (Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan, Israel, view towards Golan Heights)[/caption] We then drove on the snake-like Highway 98 up the side of the Golan Heights facing Jordan across a deep ravine.  The border fence along the road is shown in this photo -- my reaction was the same as yours probably is -- that's the border fence!  We were assured that the Jordanian policing of its side of the border together with the topography was sufficient. [caption id="attachment_60603" align="alignnone" width="527"](Highway 98, Israel, climbing Golan Heights - Jordan Border Fence) (Highway 98, Israel, climbing Golan Heights - Jordan Border Fence)[/caption] Note also the red triangle signifying a minefield -- something we would see repeatedly throughout the Golan even away from the border.  Vigorous warning signs not to leave the established roads and pathways were everywhere.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2013 5 Comments

We noted several days ago the latest "who bombed it?" mystery, Did Israel just destroy Syrian depot holding Russian missiles? While answers remain sketchy, unnamed U.S. sources reportedly are pointing to Israel, via CNN: A series of explosions on July 5 at a critical Syrian port was...

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