WarSclerotic

Iranian Official: Israel to Be ‘First Victim’ of U.S. Attack on Syria | Washington Free Beacon.

A Syrian army soldier walks on a street in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus, Syria / AP

BY: Adam Kredo
August 27, 2013 1:35 pm

A senior Iranian lawmaker said Israel would be the first casualty of any U.S.-led strike on Syria, according to regional media reports.

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the director general of the Iranian parliament’s International Affairs bureau, claimed the United States would not dare attack Syria but said that if it does, “the Zionist regime will be the first victim.”

“No military attack will be waged against Syria,” Sheikholeslam was quoted as saying on Monday by Iran’s state run Fars News Agency.

“Yet, if such an incident takes place, which is impossible, the Zionist regime will be the first victim of a military attack on Syria,” Sheikholeslam said in an apparent response to the Obama administration’s increasingly stern rhetoric against Syria.

Iran has been one of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chief allies. It has sent Hezbollah reinforcements to battle rebel forces and acted as Assad’s chief defender in the Middle East.

As the Obama administration hints that it is gearing up to intervene in Syria following the reported use of chemical weapons, Iranian officials have similarly ramped up their rhetoric.

Sheikholeslam said Assad would immediately respond to a U.S. attack by going after the Jewish state with the full force of his military.

Syria can “heavily attack and raze the occupied territories,” Fars reported him as saying.

Another senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday that the U.S. military is not prepared to handle an operation in Syria.

Mohammad Esmayeeli, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, claimed Washington is not ready for any new military invasion.

He said that if the Obama administration does decide to launch an attack, Moscow will support Damascus.

Russia has consistently thrown its support behind Assad, providing him with advanced weapons and blocking concrete action at the United Nations.

“The U.S. as well as the western and Arab states and certain regional countries are beating on the drums of war, but they should know that this is not to their benefit,” Esmayeeli was quoted as saying by Fars.

Esmayeeli, in an apparent reference to America’s defense budget cuts, went on to say that the United States is in no condition to wage a war against Syria. If America “starts a war with Syria, the U.S. will not achieve its desirable and needed results,” Esmayeeli said.

Meanwhile, newly installed Iranian President Hassan Rowhani condemned the use of chemical weapons, the apparent tipping point for a U.S. strike on Assad.

“Iran gives notice to international community to use all its might to prevent use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world, esp. in #Syria,” Rowhani tweeted on Tuesday.

Syria expert Tony Badran said that despite Iran’s rhetoric, Assad currently has his hands full with the rebel fighters.

“I’m actually not sure they will retaliate against Israel and risk an escalation they can ill afford,” said Badran, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Of course, anything is possible, and they could conceivably do a repeat of a small-scale, limited Katyusha [and] Grad [rocket] salvo from Lebanon, without anyone taking credit or with some minor faction claiming responsibility in order to avoid a punishing Israeli response.”

It is more likely that smaller pro-Assad factions would strike soft Western targets, Badran said.

“Instead of focusing too much or exclusively on Israel, some groups, such as the PFLP-GC, made a point to say that they would target ‘the interests’ of ‘participants in an aggression against Syria,’ which perhaps suggests softer targets,” Badran said.

These include European targets or even United Nations forces, Badran said

Former Pentagon adviser Michael Rubin warned that Iran’s pro-Assad rhetoric should be viewed as a window into its thinking about nuclear arms.

“Once again, Iran shows why the international community should never let it even come close to a nuclear weapon,” Rubin said. “If Assad can murder Syrians in their sleep, he and his Iranian backers won’t bat an eye to do the same thing to Jordanians, Israelis, or Turks.”

Such rhetoric “shows why the red line should never be the use of WMD, but its possession in the arsenals of the world’s rogues,” Rubin said.

US response to Syria chemical weapons attack ‘not aimed at regime change’ | JPost | Israel News.

Russia Warns of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ If US Meddles in Syria – ABC News.

 

US Military Commanders Await Green Light for Syria Attacks

Next Video Could Syrian Crisis Affect the US Economy?

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Russian officials today hit back at the United States and its allies after Secretary of State John Kerry warned Monday that the Syrian government would face consequences for last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack.

A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry this morning warned of “catastrophic consequences” for Syria and the region if the United States and its allies intervene. It also expressed “serious disappointment” after the United States announced it would back out of a meeting this week with Russian officials to plan a long-delayed peace conference.

That conference seems a long way off now. A main Syrian opposition group reportedly said that it would not attend peace talks after last week’s attack.

Since the alleged chemical attack Wednesday near Damascus, Russia has joined the Syrian government in casting doubt on disturbing videos posted online of the aftermath, showing rows of dead bodies without visible trauma wounds or blood and survivors shaking uncontrollably.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated such doubts today, accusing the West of creating “artificial unfounded pretexts” as an excuse to get involved militarily.

The possibility of Western military intervention into the Syrian conflict has spooked the Russian government, which is one of the few remaining backers of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime ally.

But beyond its own interests, Russian officials have repeatedly voiced concerns that Western intervention would only further destabilize the region. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that the United States and its allies were behaving recklessly. He repeatedly drew comparisons to the U.S.-led operations in Iraq and Libya, which he said spread extremism and violence to neighboring countries.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister, offered a more colorful analysis.

“The West behaves in the Islamic world like a monkey with a grenade,” he tweeted in Russian.

Russian officials have also suggested that the evidence of the Assad regime’s responsibility for the attack was falsified much like the faulty intelligence that the Bush administration cited as justification for its invasion of Iraq in 2003.

One unnamed Russian diplomat was quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency calling Kerry’s pointed remarks “blatantly very pompous.”

“It strongly resembled a certain period a decade ago, when such over-the-top enthusiasm on the part of American administration representatives was running high in an attempt to prove that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” the official is quoted saying. “It is well known what happened as a result of this enthusiasm.”

US official: Obama has not decided on military action in Syria | JPost | Israel News.

( In essence all the piece is saying is that the targets have yet to be finalized.  The headline is grossly misleading  – JW )

Israelis flood ABC masks distribution points, fearing Syrian strike – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Although Home Front Command has yet to issue new directives, Israelis wait in lines for gas masks. ‘Striking Israel is inevitable,’ says concerned citizen

Itay Blumenthal

Home Front Command ABC kits distribution venues have been reporting increased turnout. A Tel Aviv venue which serves some 10 people daily on average served hundreds on Tuesday, according to estimates.

Though the Home Front Command has yet to issue new instructions, distribution venues nationwide have bolstered staff to keep up with the turnout.

Some 40% of the population are still without ABC kits, though State Comptroller‘s report warned against lack of preparedness.

Queuing up in Haifa (Photo: Ahiya Raved)

And in Tel Aviv (Photo: Avishag Shaar Yeshuv)

Dozens of Tel Aviv residents who arrived at the Tel Aviv venue discussed their concerns in light of a possible chemical attack and an international intervention in Syria.

“Striking Israel is inevitable,” said Eyal, who was waiting in line for over an hour. “If the US attacks, they will definitely fire at us.”

“I’d like to stay optimistic,” said Hadas from Tel Aviv, who arrived with her 3-year-old son. “They say war is upon us and I’ll do everything I can to keep my children safe.”

“Though the risk is low, it still seems more probable than before,” said Zohar from Zichron Yaacov who arrive at the Haifa venue. “The Americans are going to attack and we already know that Assad has chemical weapons, so why take the risk?”

General guidelines of the Home Front Command:

When you hear an alert or an explosion you must stop the protection process, depending on how much time you have, and take the following action:

Inside a building – get into a Mamad (secure room in a private home), Mamak (secure room in a multistory building), shelter, or secure inside room, depending on how much time you have, and close the door and windows.

Tenants on the top floor of a building with more than three floors, who don’t have an available Mamad, Mamak, shelter, or inside room, should go down two floors.

Tenants on the top floor of a three-story building, who don’t have an available Mamad, Mamak, shelter, or inside room, should go down one floor.

Residents must not gather in the building entrance, because of the danger of injury from flying shrapnel or shock wave if a rocket should fall close to the building.

If no other directive is issued, you may leave the secure space ten minutes after the alert has been sounded.

It is important that you stay away from unidentified objects or any rocket lying on the ground. In such a case, keep curious bystanders away and notify the police.

Continue to listen for instructions broadcast on the media.

People in mobile homes or other temporary structures – when you hear an alert or an explosion, lie on the floor inside the building and wait ten minutes.

Outside – get into whatever nearby building you can, depending on how much time you have. If there is no building nearby, or if you are in an open area, lie on the ground and cover your head with your hands.

In a vehicle – halt the vehicle at the side of the road, leave the vehicle and get into a nearby building or shelter. If you don’t have enough time to take cover in a building or shelter, leave the vehicle, lie on the ground and cover your head with your hands. If you cannot leave the vehicle, stop at the side of the road and wait there for ten minutes.

Passengers traveling in public transportation

When you hear an alert while traveling in a bus, the driver must stop the bus and open the doors. The passengers must bend down below the bottom of the windows and cover their heads with their hands.

When you hear an alert while traveling on the train, the engine driver must slow the train to 30 kilometers an hour for ten minutes. Passengers must bend down below the bottom of the windows.

For city-specific instructions, click here

Ahiya Raved and Yoav Zitun contributed to this report

Amid Syria Crisis, Demand for Gas Masks Quadruple – Middle East – News – Israel National News.

Man tries on gas mask (illustrative)

Flash 90

As western military intervention in Syria appears increasingly likely, and following an explicit threat by a Syrian official that his country would respond to western strikes by attacking Israel, many Israelis are scurrying to replace old or missing gas masks, an official said on Tuesday.

“Since the beginning of the week there has been a significant rise in the number of calls to our enquiry center, a fourfold increase,” a spokeswoman for the Israel Postal Service, which distributes the gas masks, told AFP.

The working week in Israel begins on Sunday.

She said that actual orders for masks to be delivered by courier were up 300 percent compared to “normal” days, and added that there was also an uptick in numbers of people visiting distribution centers, but gave no figures for the visits.

Gas masks were first distributed to the general public during the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait, when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel as the US-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm.

Syria is thought to have one of the world’s largest chemical weapons arsenal, and the largest in the Middle East. The alleged use of chemical weapons by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has raised concerns in Israel over the prospects of a similar attack against the Jewish state.

On Tuesday, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman (Likud / Yisrael Beytenu) said that, whilst Israel does not want to become embroiled in the Syrian conflict, it may well be forced to do so in the event of a US-led military intervention.

“We may have no choice, but I hope that everyone knows how to read the map correctly and understand that Israel has no interest in entering the whirlpool of the Arab world,” he said.

Israel’s Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon also said that if Syria or anyone else were to attack the Jewish state the consequences would be clear.

“If and when Israel is attacked we shall react, that’s not new,” he told public radio.

“If we respond we shall respond seriously, as all our enemies in the region know,” he said.

But some Israeli analysts insist that the danger of an attack by the Syrian regime or its Lebanese proxies Hezbollah was low.

“The possibility that the president of Syria would turn to an attack against Israel looks low, but the defense establishment is prepared for the eventuality,” public radio’s veteran military affairs correspondent Carmela Menashe said.

Washington warned Syria on Monday it would face action over the “moral obscenity” of a chemical weapons attack last week, which independent medical agency Doctors Without Borders has said left at least 355 people dead from “neurotoxic symptoms.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denies that his forces were responsible, but there are growing reports that Washington and its allies are preparing to launch a punitive cruise missile strike.

Israel says that Syrian ally Hezbollah has some 60,000 rockets and missiles aimed at it from neighboring Lebanon.

In July 2006, Israel and the Shiite organisation fought a bloody 33-day war, during which the Jewish state’s arch-foe fired thousands of missiles over the border.

The fighting devastated parts of Lebanon and killed 1,200 people there, as well as 60 Israelis.

But Menashe said that the Israeli security establishment’s assessment is that Hezbollah faces domestic opposition to embroiling Lebanon in another fight.

“Israel is prepared for the possibility of other players, such as Hezbollah, acting from Lebanon,” she said. “That possibility is also low, according the assessment, mainly because of opposition within Lebanon to Hezbollah’s activity and its involvement in Syria.”

Hezbollah has been fighting for months alongside Assad loyalists, triggering revenge bomb attacks by Sunni extremists in its Beirut bastion and harsh criticism from many secular and Sunni politicians.

Strike on Syria ‘As Early as Thursday’ – Middle East – News – Israel National News.

Syrian civilians walk past the rubble of buildings in Aleppo

AFP/Miguel Medina

The United States may launch strikes against the Syrian regime “as early as Thursday,” senior U.S. officials have told NBC News.

Other officials previously said that America is unlikely to attack in Syria before Sunday, when the United Nations delegation currently in the Syria leaves the country.

Over the past 48 hours U.S. leaders have held a whirlwind round of consultations with leaders from around the world, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, French President Francois Hollande, and leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The Obama administration has explicitly blamed Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical attack last week in which several hundred Syrian civilians were killed. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was “undeniable” evidence that Syria’s leaders had used chemical weapons to kill civilians – a scenario that U.S. leaders previously defined as a “red line.”

Syrian rebels are urging America to hit Assad.

“If there is no action, we are afraid that in the coming days, not coming weeks, Bashar will use chemical weapons and chemical materials against very wide areas and, I’m afraid, to kill maybe 20,000 or 30,000 more people,” rebel general Salim Idris told NBC.

While U.S. leaders have warned of possible military action, Russia has been urging caution. Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly disputed claims that there is evidence showing the Assad regime was behind the notorious chemical attack near Damascus – or even that the attack took place.

Russia and China have both cautioned against an attack on Syria without United Nations approval.

However, apparently recognizing that their objections may be overruled, Russian leaders have begun an operation to remove Russian citizens from Syria. An Ilyushin-76 jet landed in Latakia, Syria, on Tuesday with humanitarian aid, and will carry roughly 180 people who wish to leave the country on its return flight.

According to Russian officials, an estimated 30,000 people currently in Syria have Russian citizenship.

Israelis are preparing for the possibility of a dramatic escalation in the fighting in Syria, as well: demand for gas masks quadrupled this week as many rushed to be ready in case of war.

Netanyahu warns ‘strong Israeli response’ if attacked by Syria – Israel News, Ynetnews.

( “Go ahead…. MAKE MY DAY. “ – JW )

PM, Israeli top brass hold special meeting on Syria issue, on eve of Western strike against Assad. ‘Israel is prepared for every scenario,’ Netanyahu says

Attila Somfalvi

Against the background of an impending Western strike in Syria, the Israeli Defense Ministry held a special meeting in Tel Aviv with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz and an array of top IDF officers.

“The State of Israel is prepared for every scenario,” Netanyahu said after the meeting. “We’re not part of the Syrian civil war, but if we’ll spot an attempt to harm us we’ll respond with great force.”

Ynet analyst Ron Ben-Yishai noted on Monday night that President Obama has already coordinated in principle the formation of an international coalition in talks with world leaders, and currently talks have proceeded to the operational level.

The United States, Britain and apparently also France and Turkey are in the process of getting the green light from their various government branches for the strike and for future plans.

Overnight, chairman of Israel’s National Security Council Yaakov Amidror met in the White House with US national security adviser Susan Rice. Head of the Planning Branch, Maj. Gen. Nimrod Shefer is also in Washington as part of a defense establishment delegation. In a meeting with his American counterparts in the Pentagon they discussed different developments and scenarios which might affect Israel should Syria indeed be attacked.

According to Israeli forecasts, the US will alert Israel before an operation. In the mean time, the IDF raised the alertness levels in northern Israel.

The defense establishment is considering every scenario, including a moderate Syrian retaliation, possibly without direct involvement, in the form of rocket fire or an attack at the border.

Yoav Zitun contributed to this report

Russia: Syria has defenses to prevent ‘easy victory’ – Alarabiya.net English | Front Page.

Syria vows to use ‘surprise’ defenses in case of military strike – Alarabiya.net English | Front Page.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem: “We have two options: either to surrender, or to defend ourselves with the means at our disposal. The second choice is the best: we will defend ourselves.” (File Photo: Reuters)