Syria

[DrLeftover]

27 August

The U.S. could hit Syria with three days of missile strikes, perhaps beginning Thursday, in an attack meant more to send a message to the Syrian regime than to topple Bashar al-Assad or cripple his military, senior U.S. officials told NBC News.

The disclosure fed the growing drumbeat around the world for military action against Syria, which is believed to have used chemical weapons in recent days against scores of civilians and rebels who have been fighting the government for two years.

In three days of strikes, senior officials said, the Defense Department could assess the effectiveness of the first wave and target what was missed in further rounds.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/27/20209022-military-strikes-on-syria-as-early-as-thursday-us-officials-say?lite

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: Military strikes on Syria 'as early as Thursday,' US officials say

And there is a North Korea connection as well.

from AFP, 27 Aug 2013,

A Libyan-registered vessel, identified as Al En Ti Sar, left North Korea for Syria earlier this year with the consignment, the Sankei Shimbun said, quoting unnamed sources from the US military, Japanese and South Korean intelligence.

The US military, which obtained the information, was tracking the ship in coordination with other countries, the daily -- which is known for its North Korea coverage -- said in a detailed report.

The vessel sailed through Dardanelles in Turkey on April 3 and was searched shortly after by Turkish authorities, who had been tipped off by the US.

Turkish officials seized 1,400 rifles and pistols and some 30,000 bullets as well as gas masks apparently for chemical protection, the daily said.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/08/27/N-Korea-tried-to-export-gas-masks-to-Syria--media

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: Military strikes on Syria 'as early as Thursday,' US officials say

Loose Lips on Syria
U.S. leaks tell Assad he can relax. The bombing will be brief and limited.

August 27, 2013

An American military attack on Syria could begin as early as Thursday and will involve three days of missile strikes, according to "senior U.S. officials" talking to NBC News. The Washington Post has the bombing at "no more than two days," though long-range bombers could "possibly" join the missiles. "Factors weighing into the timing of any action include a desire to get it done before the president leaves for Russia next week," reports CNN, citing a "senior administration official."

The New York Times, quoting a Pentagon official, adds that "the initial target list has fewer than 50 sites, including air bases where Syria's Russian-made attack helicopters are deployed." The Times adds that "like several other military officials contacted for this report, the official agreed to discuss planning options only on condition of anonymity."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324591204579039011328308776.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: Military strikes on Syria 'as early as Thursday,' US officials say

While Washington bickers, Russia acts:

September 06, 2013
Russia's Interfax news agency says four Russian ships are on their way to the eastern Mediterranean.

The report on September 6 said two large landing ships and a reconnaissance ship had passed through the Dardanelles Strait entering the eastern Mediterranean. It said a third landing ship has left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol and would sail toward the eastern Mediterranean after picking a "special cargo" in Novorossiysk.

Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said on September 5 that Russia is boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean, "primarily" to organize a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria. It is unclear how many ships Russia has there.

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-ships-syria/25097867.html

 

[DrLeftover]

Well, this is new:

September 5, 2013
Putin calls Kerry a liar on Syria

Things aren't exactly warming up between the Obama administration and Vladimir Putin, even as President Obama arrived in St. Petersburg for the G-20 summit.

Putin called Obama Secretary of State John Kerry a liar over Kerry's testimony this week before Congress.

The question may be al-Qaeda's influence on the Syrian rebels, an issue Kerry has downplayed.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/09/05/obama-kerry-putin-syria-russia-g-20/2769683/

and the G-20 wasn't overly impressed either

U.S. President Barack Obama headed home Friday with few supporters, and no consensus from world leaders to endorse a U.S.-led punitive military attack on Syria.

Instead, the U.S. President left the gathering of G20 leaders in Russia with only a vague letter from 10 nations, including Canada, backing “enforcement” of the ban on chemical weapons.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/face-to-face-meeting-of-world-leaders-fails-to-break-impasse-on-syria/article14160379/

 

[DrLeftover]

This one isn't a relic from the Last War, and it means trouble for the US.

September 11, 2013

Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser, dubbed a “carrier-killer” by NATO, has passed through the Straits of Gibraltar and is now heading toward the eastern Mediterranean to assume command of the Russian naval force there.

The Russian Navy said in a statement that the Moskva cruiser passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on September 10.

http://rt.com/news/russia-moskva-cruiser-mediterranean-720/

 

[DrLeftover]

Putin preaches, Obama Caves, Syria WINS.

U.S. Pulls Back on Urgency, Military Action in Syria

The U.S. will give talks with Russia "several weeks" for a plan to eliminate the Assad regime's chemical weapons, and acknowledged that a U.N. resolution wouldn't threaten force.

http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-326558/

 

[DrLeftover]

First a "red line" that was meaningless.

Now a worthless "Deadline"

Nice.

September 18, 2013
WASHINGTON — The ambitious U.S.-Russian deal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons, hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough just days ago, hit its first delay Wednesday with indications that the Syrian government will not submit an inventory of its toxic stockpiles and facilities to international inspectors by this weekend's deadline.

The State Department signaled that it would not insist that Syrian President Bashar Assad produce the list Saturday, the end of a seven-day period spelled out in the framework deal that Washington and Moscow announced last weekend in Geneva.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-syria-deadline-20130919,0,3368673.story