U.S. officials: Iran is stepping up lethal aid to Syria

[tabatha]

Posted on March 3, 2012 by t2994
By: Joby Warrick and Liz Sly

U.S. officials say they see Iran’s hand in the increasingly brutal crackdown on opposition strongholds in Syria, including evidence of Iranian military and intelligence support for government troops accused of mass executions and other atrocities in the past week.

Three U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports from the region described a spike in Iran­ian-supplied arms and other aid for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad at a time when the regime is mounting an unprecedented offensive to crush resistance in the key city of Homs.

“The aid from Iran is increasing, and is increasingly focused on lethal assistance,” said one of the officials, insisting on anonymity to discuss intelligence reports from the region.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-officials-iran-is-stepping-up-lethal-aid-to-syria/2012/03/02/gIQAGR9XpR_story.html


Assad Threatens Israel With Missiles if Syria is Attacked

Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered the heads of his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria, a Jordanian news website reported on Saturday.

According to the site, Our Country’s News, Assad gave the order in a secret meeting with the heads of the Syrian army last Thursday, in light of his fear of a U.S. military strike in Syria.

The report said that Assad ordered that if any military action is started against Syria, the Syrian army should respond by firing missiles in Israel, with a particular emphasis on Israeli military airports.

The report added that an operations room has been opened in Damascus and that it is continuously manned by officers from Syria and Iran, as well as by Hizbullah terrorists, all of whom coordinate their military operations in the event of external military intervention in Syria.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153392#.T1LdEIcgeQl

[David__77]

1. If there is intervention, Syria will absolutely involve Israel.

I do not think that they would wait until their strategic capacity was severely degraded by foreign attacks.

[tabatha]

2. I think you believe in the Russia-Chechnya-massacre philosophy.

What degrading? What foreign attacks?

[Behind the Aegis]

3. A Syrian attack on Israel would escalate the situation.

What is sickening is how this considered "acceptable." If someone else intervenes, then attack Israel, and people are seemingly OK with this.

[ellisonz]

4. There will be no war with Iran. n/t