US forces in the region, Israel, Turkey and Jordan were all braced Monday night, Dec. 3 for action against Syria in case Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered his army’s chemical warfare units to go into action against rebel and civilian targets his own country. None of the Middle East capitals are talking openly about this eventuality to avoiding causing panic.
However, oblique references to the peril and preparations for action came from US officials during Monday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said: “We have an increased concern about the possibility of the regime taking the desperate act of using its chemical weapons.” Such a move “would cross a red line for the United States.”
Without going into specifics, Carney added: “We think it is important to prepare for all scenarios. Contingency planning is the responsible thing to do.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Prague was slightly more specific: Syrian action on chemical weapons remains a “red line” for the Obama administration, she said, and “would prompt action from the United States.”
Regarding contingencies, debkafile’s military sources report that the American force in Jordan and Jordanian units, who have been training for two months in tactics against Syrian chemical warfare units, are on a high state of preparedness. So, too, are the three special US command centers set up in Turkey, Jordan and Israel for coordinating such operations.
An American official “with knowledge of the situation” told Wired Magazine that “engineers working for the Assad regime in Syria have begun combining the two chemical precursors needed to weaponize sarin gas.”
Anchored opposite the Syrian shore is the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with 2,500 Marines. Facing it is the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s naval task force which too has hundreds of marines on its decks.
debkafile’s sources quote high-ranking officers in the Israel Defense Forces’ Northern Command as saying: “The coming hours and days are extremely critical for Syria. The situation on our northern front could blow up any moment.” They did not elaborate.
Later Monday, as the United Nations regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Radhouane Nouicer announced the pullout of nonessential international staff “because of the security situation,” Secretary Clinton flew into Brussels from Prague to discuss with NATO foreign ministers the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries at 10 points on the Turkish-Syrian border – a massive number.
NATO sources took note of the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s reply to the spreading reports. He said that the government “would not use chemical weapons, if it had them, against its own people under any circumstances.” This statement carried no promise about using such weapons against external forces, whether American, Turkish, Jordanian or Israeli.
In Istanbul, meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters at the end of his one-day visit: “What we are concerned about is Syria’s future. We don’t want the same mistakes to be repeated in the near future.” He went on to say: “We shall remember how some regimes supported the militants in Libya and how the situation ended with the killing of the American ambassador in Libya.”
This was meant by the Russian president as a warning to the US not to get involved in the Syrian crisis as it did in Libya.
WarSclerotic 
December 4, 2012 at 9:39 AM
The war in Syria may end long before the analysts think. If the rumours about the syrian WMD deployment are correct then an american massive intervention is inevitable. The enter of the USA forces will be swift, clean and decisive if a chemical warfare event is about to occur in the battled Syria.
December 4, 2012 at 9:50 AM
Glad to hear you have such confidence in the US under Obama. I wish I shared it.
December 4, 2012 at 6:58 PM
Luis is correct… Intervention on Obama’s part would be a straegic coup for his political power on the world stage. It would be sold as Obama “looking out” for the rest of the middle east… and for Israel. This, however, would not be the case. Obama is NO friend of Israel and never will be!
December 4, 2012 at 10:53 AM
He will be more than glad to do this.
1.An action against WMD deployment against the syrian people is very aesthetic and the ameican media will compose songs worshipping Obama.
2.He wants to show that ”Mr.National Security” is alive and kicking.
3.Its the right thing to do.
December 4, 2012 at 12:31 PM
4. It will create another Islamist regime, which seems to me exactly what he wants.
December 4, 2012 at 4:21 PM
All correct, and Obongo will probably have the full backing of the UN, something George Bush had to fight tooth and nail for.
December 4, 2012 at 5:27 PM
I agreed with that.
December 4, 2012 at 12:42 PM
In other words Assad can have his forces murder thousands more the “regular” or “legal” standard way and its ok. How pathetic
December 4, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Their calculation goes like this:
With Assad less and less able to use air power, his only option to contain or crush the uprising is the use of chemical weapons.
Denying him this option ensures his fall.
December 4, 2012 at 1:36 PM
BREAKING NEWS:Iran captures intruding US drone
December 4, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Maybe they will offer to return a neat little scale model of a drone to Onutso.
December 4, 2012 at 7:24 PM
The Link is http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/12/04/276071/iran-captures-intruding-us-drone/
I don’t get it. Why do these drones still not have a reliable self destruction mechanism?
I mean, they are so desperate for their 72 virgins.
We should help them.
I mean, that’s the least we can do.
Hell, we should help them a lot more.
Why not help all these mullahs in top positions like khamenei?
They rave about martyrdom and blabber about it all the time.
Hell, we are all selfish and mean for not helping them get their desired martyrdom.
We are sooo cruel.
December 4, 2012 at 9:38 PM
because there full of viruses
December 4, 2012 at 4:29 PM
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2094987.html
December 4, 2012 at 4:37 PM
Apparantly, Obummer’s ‘red line’ is actually gray.
December 4, 2012 at 4:51 PM
If Im not mistaken, the first red line was if the chemical weapons were moved. The second was if they were primed, now its a third red line, if they are used.
December 4, 2012 at 4:58 PM
I assume Obamas fourth and final red line is if he is unable to go golfing.
December 4, 2012 at 6:06 PM
Now that’s funny LOL
December 4, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Breaking: Syrian rebels kill 29 students in attacks on schools near Damascus
December 4, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Forgive me being so damn stupid, but someone please tell me…who is it we’re trying to help?
December 4, 2012 at 6:36 PM
Your rhetoric question is very good, actually. USA and their allies are trying to help sunnies forces, muslim brotherhood fighters and some regiments of mujahedin, international terrorists, Al Qaeda fighters… The whole party. You can only imagine what will happen there after the fall of Assad.
Against all of this forces-which are , in essence, sunni- the Assad camp is Allawite, which is an offspring of the shia islam. It is for this reason that Iran is so involved in Syria. From what we have learned over the net, even Iran told Assad that the use of poison gas against muslim brethren is not acceptable from the ayatollahs point of view and they will have a hard time to continue supporting Assad.
December 4, 2012 at 9:40 PM
I want to help by encouraging them to do as much damage to each other as possible,they are all enemy’s
December 4, 2012 at 9:49 PM
Guys, lighten up! The US has denied the loss of any drone.
OK, so they lie. Iranians?
I was thinking it might have been Israeli. But Israeli technology would not be bested by “donkeys with clothes.”
December 5, 2012 at 12:35 AM
lol
December 5, 2012 at 6:12 AM
Donkeys with clothes…For a minute there I thought you were talking about democrats.