chemical weapons

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House Intel Chief: I Think Syria Used Chemicals

Assad blames rebels amid much confusion

(Newser) - So did Bashar al-Assad cross the "red line" that could trigger US involvement by using chemical weapons on rebels in Aleppo? Or did the rebels use them? Or neither? Confirmation remains elusive after an attack today that Syria's official news agency says left more than 30 dead and...

Chemical Weapon Fired in Syria: Report

Rebels blame regime, regime blames rebels; no verification yet

(Newser) - Both the government and rebels in Syria say a chemical weapon has been fired—but each side blames the other, the AP reports. Official Syrian news said "terrorists" (its term for the rebels) blasted a rocket "containing chemical materials" in Aleppo province today, killing 15, mostly civilians. Meanwhile,...

Israeli Strike Hit Syrian Chemical Weapons Facility

Meanwhile, Iran says Israel 'will regret' attack

(Newser) - Israel's airstrike inside Syria just happens to have damaged the country's top chemical and biological research center, though it wasn't the primary target of the attack, US officials tell the New York Times . A senior military official said Israel's actual targets were trucks carrying missiles and...

As Syria Unravels, Israel Threatens Hit on Chemical Weapons

Chemical arsenal won't be allowed to fall into Hezbollah's hands, officials warn

(Newser) - Israel has warned that it will launch a strike to prevent Syrian chemical weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah or other extremists, the AP reports. Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told reporters that top security officials met last week to discuss the threat Syria's chemical weapons pose....

Report: US Suspects Syria Used Chemical Weapons

State Department cable makes the case, says 'Foreign Policy'

(Newser) - Did Bashar al-Assad already use chemical weapons on his own people? A secret State Department cable obtained by Foreign Policy makes the case that a Syrian tank fired a shell loaded with a poison gas known as Agent 15 during fighting in Homs on Dec. 23. Doctors say five people...

Syria's Chemical Weapons Sparked Global Unity

'New York Times' takes a look at international response

(Newser) - The New York Times today takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Syria chemical weapons scare that erupted in early December . Israel first contacted the Pentagon in late November, concerned by satellite images showing Syrian troops likely making sarin gas bombs . That call sparked a rare show of cooperation between countries...

Wind Carried Sarin Gas to Gulf War Troops

Controversial paper cites bombing of Iraqi chemical weapons depots

(Newser) - A controversial new paper may shed light on Gulf War syndrome, a collection of symptoms seen in veterans of the 1991 conflict: Chemical weapons could be to blame. The researchers assert that when US troops bombed chemical weapons depots in Iraq, the neurotoxin sarin was sent into the atmosphere then...

Panetta Downplays Syria Chemical Weapons Fears

Says there's no new intelligence pointing to their preparation

(Newser) - Non-news has never been so satisfying: Leon Panetta this morning announced that there's no new indication that Bashar al-Assad is preparing to use chemical weapons, explaining that related intelligence has "really kind of leveled off. ... We haven't seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward...

Rebels Warn: Damascus Airport a 'Legit Target'

Russia poised to 'brainstorm' with US, envoy

(Newser) - Syrian rebels have issued a warning to civilians and airlines: Damascus International Airport is now a "military zone" to be approached at locals' "own risk." "The airport is now full of armored vehicles and soldiers," says a spokesman for rebels, who call the spot a...

Chemical Weapons Reports Part of US Conspiracy: Syria

Country fears West trying to create 'pretext for intervention'

(Newser) - Syria believes a US/European "conspiracy" is afoot. The country's foreign minister alleged today that the West is fanning fears that Syria is preparing to use chemical weapons to justify an invasion, reports Reuters . "Syria stresses again, for the tenth, the hundredth time, that if we had such...

Report: Syria Preparing Chemical Weapons

Assad orders military to be ready to use sarin, says NBC

(Newser) - Syria's Bashar al-Assad is edging closer to using chemical weapons against his own people, reports NBC News . It quotes US officials as saying that Syria's military has begun loading the necessary components for sarin gas into bombs. The good news is that the bombs have not been loaded...

Obama Warns Syria Not to Use Chemical Weapons

White House, allies weigh options to secure stockpiles

(Newser) - President Barack Obama warned Syria today that the use of chemical weapons would be "totally unacceptable" and that the country's leaders would be held accountable. Backing up earlier comments by Hillary Clinton, Obama said that if Syrian President Bashar Assad made the "tragic mistake" of deploying chemical...

UN Yanking Staff From Syria
 UN Yanking Staff From Syria 
Dec 3, 2012 12:44 PM CST

UN Yanking Staff From Syria

While US says it is 'planning to take action' if chemical weapons threat materializes

(Newser) - The UN is yanking "all non-essential international staff" out of Syria in response to the escalating violence there, it announced today. Up to a quarter of its 100 foreign staffers may leave within the week, the BBC reports. The UN has also temporarily forbidden all field trips into Syria...

Syria May Be Prepping Chemical Weapons

US official says activity suggests they may intend to use weapons

(Newser) - Syria and chemical weapons: Words you don't want to hear in the same sentence, but ones that are once again making headlines. The New York Times reports that the regime appears to be moving its chemical weapons again , according to intelligence out of Syria. But the most recent reports...

Securing Syria&#39;s Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
pentagon says
Nov 16, 2012 8:07 AM CST

Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops

White House worries terrorists, Syrian gov't eyeing chemical stores

(Newser) - As Syria's brutal civil war beats on, the White House is growing ever more concerned about the country's large chemical weapon stash falling into terrorist hands—especially Hezbollah, which has set up training camps close to some storage sites. But if the United States wants to secure those...

Syria Trying to Increase Chemical Weapons Arsenal

'Wired' report: US has blocked sales, but worries remain

(Newser) - Over the past few months, Syria's Bashar al-Assad has been trying to buy the ingredients to make nerve agents and expand his chemical arsenal, reports Wired . The US and other nations have been able to block many sales, but it's still causing a major headache for the international...

Syria's Chemical Arsenal: Bigger Than Thought?

Intelligence officials worry they can't secure it all

(Newser) - It's no secret that Syria's Bashar al-Assad has stockpiled a major cache of chemical weapons, but the Washington Post suggests that Assad has an ever bigger arsenal than previously thought. Two officials who have seen new intelligence reports tell the newspaper that the stockpile is not only bigger,...

Why US Special Ops Might Enter Syria

If regime falls, they're part of Pentagon plan to secure chemical weapons

(Newser) - If the Syrian regime falls, the US plans to deploy troops to stop its chemical weapons from becoming a first-come, first-served bonanza for insurgent groups, senior officials say. Plans are in place to secure the sites if necessary, a move that would probably involve teams of special forces operatives entering...

Obama: Chemical Weapons a 'Red Line' in Syria

He also defends tax return attacks on Romney as 'standard stuff'

(Newser) - President Obama gave perhaps the strongest indication yet today that the US is prepared to use military force in Syria. In a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama said he has not ordered military action "at this point," but that he hadn't ruled it...

Israel Issues Gas Masks Near Syrian Border

Will act instantly if chemical weapons fall into Hezbollah hands

(Newser) - Worried Israeli officials are beginning to distribute new gas masks to residents living close to the Syrian border. The equipment is the starkest sign that concern is escalating that Syria could soon tap its stockpile of chemical weapons as the regime grows desperate. Syria is known to have the largest...

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