A chemical arsenal in Russia. (photo by REUTERS/Handout )
While opposition forces hammer the Syrian army in the streets of
Damascus, Israel is gearing up for President Bashar al-Assad’s final
collapse and is expressing its concern regarding the fate of the
unconventional weapons in Assad’s hands. The United States is also
keeping close tabs on the chemical-biological arsenal, concerned about
it being used to suppress the rebellion within Syria. On Thursday it was
reported that sources in the White House conversed with their
counterparts in Jerusalem on the possibility of destroying the weapons
in a preemptive strike.
About this Article
Summary:
Jerusalem and
Washington are paying close attention to Assad's large chemical
stockpile as they monitor the crisis, write Ahikam Moshe David
and Tzach Yoked. Israel fears that anarchy in post-Assad Syria will
enable Hezbollah and other terror groups to take advantage of the
situation to launch attacks.
Publisher:
Maariv (Israel) Original Title: The race for Syria's chemical arsenal Author: Akhikam Moshe David and Tzah Yoked Published on: Friday, Jul 20, 2012 Translated On: Friday, Jul 20, 2012 Translator: Sandy Bloom |
Syria 
Israel
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured the Israeli-Syrian border on
Thursday and reviewed the possible scenarios that the IDF is preparing
for. Barak visited one of the most anterior of the posts in the area,
from where he was able to see mortar shells falling on a Syrian village
and hear the loud machine-gun fire between the rebel and army forces.
“Syria’s disintegration is real, and the recent events in Damascus will
accelerate Assad’s downfall,” said the defense minister. “No one can
predict what will happen afterwards. There are all kinds of agents there
like opponents [of the regime], [army] deserters and World Jihad
activists. The longer this process takes — the greater the disorder that
will reign after Assad’s fall.” Regarding Syria’s unconventional
weapons, Barak says, “We are concerned that the disarray will lead to
the collapse of sensitive systems. There are quite a lot of chemical
agents in Syria, scattered throughout the entire country; there are also
numerous firearms held by civilians. We are keeping tabs on the
possibility that during Assad’s collapse, Hezbollah will try to transfer
heavy ground-to-ground missiles or chemical weapons to Lebanon.”
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