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Israel is preparing to go to war in order to stop Syrian chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorist groups, it has been reported.
The stockpile is said to be the largest in the region, and obviously Israel feels that it would surely be a target if any got into the wrong hands. The stock pile includes VX and Sarin.
The head of Israel's Northern Command responsible for the front that borders Lebanon and Syria, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, warned that Assad’s regime could pass its chemical weapons to Lebanon-based Hezbollah if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad crumbles under the militant attacks that have lasted for over a year now.
In 2003, Libya’s dictator Muammar Gaddafi renounced the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and invited western nations to destroy his country’s stockpiles. Long-range missiles were destroyed, and chemical and nuclear programs were dismantled.
What motivated Qaddafi to destroy his WMD? Some analysts believe that he came to the prudent decision when he saw the crushing of Saddam Hussein after Western countries (only) suspected him of developing WMD.
In Syria, however, no such flash of temporary sanity is likely to dawn on Syrian President Bashar Assad. He is fighting for his survival, and those weapons are his ace in the hole, his “Samson complex” –- “if you take me out, I’ll take you all down with me.”
"We are very concerned about the status of Syria's WMD, including chemical weapons," Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said in an interview. "Together with the U.S. administration, we are watching this situation very carefully."
Israel has historically held concerns about the fall of the Assad regime, which has largely kept the Syria-Israel border quiet for the past 40 years. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has increasingly voiced support for democratic change in Damascus.
"We see a lot of opportunity emerging from the end of the Assad regime," Mr. Oren said.
A senior U.S. official said Syria's suspected chemical weapons arsenal "is of great importance and...under intense study."
U.S. and Israeli officials won't disclose exactly how they are keeping tabs on Syrian weaponry. But in the past, the U.S. and Israel have tracked activities at Syrian military installations using satellites and human spies.
Is this the continuing ramp up to war, or the genuine fear of a country who's neighbor is a chemically armed state in the midst of a civil war? Will Turkey also be forced to address this new issue?
The stockpile is said to be the largest in the region, and obviously Israel feels that it would surely be a target if any got into the wrong hands. The stock pile includes VX and Sarin.
The head of Israel's Northern Command responsible for the front that borders Lebanon and Syria, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, warned that Assad’s regime could pass its chemical weapons to Lebanon-based Hezbollah if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad crumbles under the militant attacks that have lasted for over a year now.
In 2003, Libya’s dictator Muammar Gaddafi renounced the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and invited western nations to destroy his country’s stockpiles. Long-range missiles were destroyed, and chemical and nuclear programs were dismantled.
What motivated Qaddafi to destroy his WMD? Some analysts believe that he came to the prudent decision when he saw the crushing of Saddam Hussein after Western countries (only) suspected him of developing WMD.
In Syria, however, no such flash of temporary sanity is likely to dawn on Syrian President Bashar Assad. He is fighting for his survival, and those weapons are his ace in the hole, his “Samson complex” –- “if you take me out, I’ll take you all down with me.”
"We are very concerned about the status of Syria's WMD, including chemical weapons," Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said in an interview. "Together with the U.S. administration, we are watching this situation very carefully."
Israel has historically held concerns about the fall of the Assad regime, which has largely kept the Syria-Israel border quiet for the past 40 years. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has increasingly voiced support for democratic change in Damascus.
"We see a lot of opportunity emerging from the end of the Assad regime," Mr. Oren said.
A senior U.S. official said Syria's suspected chemical weapons arsenal "is of great importance and...under intense study."
U.S. and Israeli officials won't disclose exactly how they are keeping tabs on Syrian weaponry. But in the past, the U.S. and Israel have tracked activities at Syrian military installations using satellites and human spies.
Is this the continuing ramp up to war, or the genuine fear of a country who's neighbor is a chemically armed state in the midst of a civil war? Will Turkey also be forced to address this new issue?
