Not a hundred miles from Damascus, a Syrian rebel lies in a hospital bed, an Israeli sentry at the door. Nearby a Syrian mother sits next to her daughter, shot in the back by a sniper.
Syria became a full member of the global anti-chemical weapons treaty on Thursday, the country\’s U.N. envoy said, a move that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad had promised as part of a deal to avoid U.S. air strikes.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Israel should be required to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons.
Vladimir Putin warned of a possible attack on Israel as the United States considers whether to strike Syria.
If Saddam Hussein\’s Iraq is anything to go by, destroying Syria\’s massive chemical weapons arsenal will mean checking dozens of far-flung sites in a war zone while the government employs delaying tactics to hide the banned munitions, an expert involved in past U.N. disarmament missions said.
President Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to explore a diplomatic plan from Russia to take away Syria\’s chemical weapons, but voiced skepticism about it and urged Americans to support his threat to use military force if needed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday Syria must be stripped of its chemical weapons and that the international community must make sure those who use weapons of mass destruction pay a price.
Pro-Israel officials rolled their eyes this week in response to the opposing spins about their support for President Barack Obama’s drive to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad for his purported use of chemical weapons against his own people.
Ten thoughts on the current crisis: 1. American red lines cannot be crossed. President Barack Obama has said that “Assad must go” and that the use of chemical weapons would constitute, in America’s eyes, a “red line.”
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