Debka.com says Saddam's WMD are in Syria

[Setzer]

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=482

The Debka, IIRC, is the civilian branch of the Mossad. It's rather nicely done in the layout, but it's rather militant. I just hope it won't restart any Israel vs. Palestine threads.

[Enforcer Talen]

anyone else tired about hearing bout wmds?

although, taking out syria mite be good. . .

[irishmick79]

I really don't understand why Syria would take the risk and harbor illegal weapons that aren't even under the jurdistiction of it's government. Especially with a massive US army still sitting in Iraq. Syria and Hussein might have been partners in crime, but I don't think Syria would be that loyal and helpful to a fallen dictator. The Syrians know that the americans have to be watching them fairly closely, and if self-preservation is a priority for the government, they ought to realize that getting caught with WMD's would not help that cause at all. Playing chicken with an American President who has an itchy trigger finger is not a smart idea.

[Vympel]

Debka.com is full of shit. No analyst takes the claim seriously, and they obviously have a big fat hairy agenda to peddle in trying to float this turd downstream. Syria takes Saddam's weapons and puts them in Lebanon!!! Pull the other one. Oh, and I wonder why Mossad would have an interest in pushing this particular load of dogshit?

Furthermore, let's just clear up a fact the media hasn't caught on to yet:

Syria could possess 1,000,000 litres of 100% weaponized VX and it would be perfectly legal. There are no international legal restrictions on Syrian 'WMD'. It can be armed with anything it wants (it is a party to the nuclear proliferation treaty, however).

[Axis Kast]

While I agree that this sight is full of nothing but utter bullshit, I wouldn't exactly say that discovery of Syrian 'WMD' would be a laughing matter. Certainly in might prompt the White House to aim for a second round of disarmament once the Iraqi situation settles down.

[Vympel]

For amusements sake, let's look at some of the other things debka has said.

This one had me on my ass:

"From Debka intelligence files"

American preparations for a major offensive against Iraq are massive and continuous, set in place layer by layer -- but sources say a seven-nation attack on Saddam Hussein is not likely before mid- to late-February.

Military sources disclose that over the coming weekend, U.S. fighter plane and bomber squadrons will be flying into three air bases: Kuwait, Egypt’s Sinai Desert and the Israeli Negev. Call-ups issued in early December have mobilized 10,000 U.S. military personnel, air crews and Air Force intelligence officers and technicians, who were ordered to report for duty after New Year’s Day. Last month, the U.S. Third Army command, led by Lt. Gen. Paul Mikolashek, transferred to Kuwait from its peacetime headquarters in Fort McPherson.

When the attack comes, high on the coalition's agenda will be targeting Iraq's newly discovered super-cannons, which now number three or four, according to intelligence sources.

This was a January 2002 article.

From the same article:

The Iraqi theater will be broad and multinational, involving at least seven countries -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey

Tee-hee.

Military sources sketch the following preliminary blueprint for the yet-to-be finalized U.S. assault plan. It will come in the form of a simultaneous three-prong offensive:

Target One: Iraq’s political power centers and military headquarters – most of which have already been moved to safe underground quarters – will be hit from the air by bombs and missiles.

Target Two: Turkish armor and infantry, backed by local Kurdish tribes, will lead off the ground campaign in northern Iraq. Negotiations to co-opt the local Kurds are still going on.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Target Three: U.S., Israeli and Jordanian elite infantry and Special Forces will raid army concentrations and convoys and hit Iraqi warplanes and missile batteries in their bases in an area stretching from central Iraq to the north, including the Iraqi Western Desert. These essentially hit-and-run forays will aim to destroy command centers, anti-aircraft systems, artillery and tanks, without miring the troops in lengthy skirmishes.

It gets better!

Iraqi military planners have equipped the new mobile units with state of the art weaponry. According to military intelligence sources, the Republican Guard units were recently handed out the locally manufactured long-range, hand-held laser sidearm, capable of inflicting severe burns and total blindness. This space age system, fitted with a laser rangefinder, can damage its target’s retina and other parts of his body, as well as causing severe internal hemorrhaging. Iraqi forces have been spotted by intelligence practice-firing these devices against low-flying warplanes and helicopters. Their object is to incapacitate pilots and cause enemy aircraft to crash.

Iraq used a primitive version of this laser weapon mounted on tanks in its war against Iran in the late 1980s. Although inexperienced in its operation at the time, Iraqi forces were able to inflict more than 5,000 Iranian casualties, most permanently blinded or victims of internal organ damage.

That's some fucking grade A weed these 'military intelligence sources' are smoking.

Additional intelligence information suggests the new Iraqi units are also equipped with tactical chemical weapons, whose precise nature and mode of operation are unknown. Iraq is thought to have prepared large stocks of anti-tank missile tubes, converted to the propulsion of small canisters of Sarin, Tabun and VX nerve and mustard gases onto a battlefield, where they explode and spread their deadly contents over a wide area.

Chemical ATGMS!

According to sources, U.S. and Israeli intelligence were surprised to discover not one but three or four super guns just turned up in Iraq’s arsenal – weapons far more advanced and effective than the cannon Bull developed. It comes in two versions.

The largest has a 1,000 mm diameter barrel, 260 meters (248 yards) long and a maximum range of 2,000 miles. The barrel of the smaller version is 350 mm in diameter and 30 meters (32 yards) long. Its range is up to 250 miles. The Iraqis may have two of each, hidden in Saddam’s underground city. They remained undiscovered for so long because they were dismantled and concealed in segments – the barrel of the biggest super gun is made up of 35 separate pipes. It was only when the Iraqis started assembling the super guns that U.S. and Israeli satellites spied them out.

Since most intelligence experts concede Iraq has been capable of building radiological weapons since 1991, its super guns – which can deliver a nuclear payload over great distances – will be one of the first goals of the U.S.-led campaign. Killing the super gun could be the boldest move in Washington’s global war against terrorism.

*wipes tear from eye*



check it out- fun to be had by all!

[Vympel]

While I agree that this sight is full of nothing but utter bullshit, I wouldn't exactly say that discovery of Syrian 'WMD' would be a laughing matter. Certainly in might prompt the White House to aim for a second round of disarmament once the Iraqi situation settles down.

Yeah, Syria might acquiesce (if they admit they have WMD, which they have so far denied) to disarmament, but only if Israel disposes of its nuclear weapons, I bet.

[irishmick79]

The thing is if Syria had WMD's from Iraq, the WMD's would be Iraqi WMD's, and that variety of WMD is certainly illegal regardless of Syria's right to possess WMDs.

[Vympel]

The thing is if Syria had WMD's from Iraq, the WMD's would be Iraqi WMD's, and that variety of WMD is certainly illegal regardless of Syria's right to possess WMDs.

Even though we're definitely talking pure hypothetical here, it's certainly a bloody intriguing legal situation. With the Saddam regime gone and the weapons not in Iraq, that counts as Iraq being disarmed. So one could make the argument that Syria disarmed Iraq.

[irishmick79]

Even though we're definitely talking pure hypothetical here, it's certainly a bloody intriguing legal situation. With the Saddam regime gone and the weapons not in Iraq, that counts as Iraq being disarmed. So one could make the argument that Syria disarmed Iraq.

Somehow I get the feeling that the Bush administration would take a dim view of that interpretation of the matter. They would probably try to make a case that the weapons should be destroyed, and by maintaining those arms, Syria is helping Hussein's regime dodge the UN resolutions.

[Vympel]

Somehow I get the feeling that the Bush administration would take a dim view of that interpretation of the matter. They would probably try to make a case that the weapons should be destroyed, and by maintaining those arms, Syria is helping Hussein's regime dodge the UN resolutions.

Just another reason why this story is off in cuckoo land, look at the scenarios we're talking about ..

[Sea Skimmer]

Debka has the reliability of supermarket tabloids. Over the past 18 months I've seen them report assassination attempts on most every leader in the middle east, why exactly would you try to kill the king of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh? He's been living in Switzerland for some time. Course that's on top of the US building a secret underground airbase that can hold hundreds of planes in Afghanistan in less then a month, the Sudanese ICBM's and the terrorist Q-ships.

[Peregrin Toker]

Debka has the reliability of supermarket tabloids. Over the past 18 months I've seen them report assassination attempts on most every leader in the middle east, why exactly would you try to kill the king of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh? He's been living in Switzerland for some time.

Hmm... maybe he was visiting Riyadh?? Technically, you can be in a city would permanently residing there.

[Axis Kast]

I repeat: Syria and other nations now on the 'Axis of Evil' list have for all intents and purposes forefeited the right to possession of WMDs - public or otherwise. Whether or not there is any legal or moral basis by which the United States can enforce disarmament, Syria will face consequences if such WMD are found - Iraqi or otherwise.

[HemlockGrey]

They're in Syria! Now Iran! Now Lebanon! Now Vietnam!

[StarshipTitanic]

They're in Syria! Now Iran! Now Lebanon! Now Vietnam!

No no, in France!

[Enforcer Talen]

would they fall faster then iraq, you think? thats half the time of the previous blitzkrieg.

[Master of Ossus]

would they fall faster then iraq, you think? thats half the time of the previous blitzkrieg.

Probably not.

Back to the article, why would Syria accept Iraqi WoMD only to bury them in Lebanon? Does that make any sense to anybody?

[Vympel]

would they fall faster then iraq, you think? thats half the time of the previous blitzkrieg.

Syria would last a little bit longer if only because they haven't been under sanctions for 12 years. Going from a pure military/technical point of view, Syria's equipment is downright shit, and that's both Army and Air Force- Iraq's airforce was better than Syria's. Syria's newest weapons are 20 years old.

In the mid-late 1990s (96-99) Syria was in negotiations to buy the following items from Russia, at various times and for various amounts.

- PG-7VL grenades (advanced rounds for the RPG-7)
- RPG-29 (meanest RPG in existence) with night-vision sights
- S-300PMU1 SAM (SA-20 GARGOYLE)
- Buk-M1 SAM (SA-11 GADFLY)
- Tor-M1 SAM (SA-15 GAUNTLET)
- Modernization services for T-55 and T-72 tanks already in the arsenal
- T-80 tanks
- AKS-74U and AK-74M rifles
- Metis-M (AT-13) and Kornet-E (AT-14) ATGMs
- Su-27 FLANKER-B fighters
- Modernization of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 fighters already in the arsenal

Of these, only the anti-tank missiles were purchased, in 1998-99, in two deals worth $65 and $73 million respectively, while T-55 modernization was carried out by Ukraine rather than Russia.

The problem is that Syria wants to make all these purchases but will only enter into them in the form of long term loans. Russia wants the money up-front. No more long term loans. They're owed too much money already.

It's too bad I guess. Israel utterly outmatches them and only those levels of arms purchases (the deals Syria and Russia were negotiating for at various times were something like $2 billion) could possibly make Syria a threat. And then there's training, which is a whole other kettle of fish.

[Sea Skimmer]

Hmm... maybe he was visiting Riyadh?? Technically, you can be in a city would permanently residing there.

No, he's in Switzerland because he's basically waiting to die and bed ridden in a hospital. And given that this was the only site or news service to report such an event, and it already has awful credibility do you really want to waste time trying to explain one of its stories?

[Sea Skimmer]

Of these, only the anti-tank missiles were purchased, in 1998-99, in two deals worth $65 and $73 million respectively, while T-55 modernization was carried out by Ukraine rather than Russia.

Syria is thought have gotten at least one SA-15 battery

[Edi]

I repeat: Syria and other nations now on the 'Axis of Evil' list have for all intents and purposes forefeited the right to possession of WMDs - public or otherwise. Whether or not there is any legal or moral basis by which the United States can enforce disarmament, Syria will face consequences if such WMD are found - Iraqi or otherwise.

You would care to back this bunch of unsupported claims up, perhaps? Or are you just blowing hot air as usual?

Edi

[Vympel]

I repeat: Syria and other nations now on the 'Axis of Evil' list have for all intents and purposes forefeited the right to possession of WMDs - public or otherwise. Whether or not there is any legal or moral basis by which the United States can enforce disarmament, Syria will face consequences if such WMD are found - Iraqi or otherwise.

In order for WMD to be found, they'd have to be under an inspections regime. I don't think Washington will be able to drum up the frenzy required to make out Syria to be a threat to world-peace given that there are no UN resolutions, no sanctions, no inspection regime etc to brandish. Assad is extremely low-profile compared to Hussein, Syria didn't attack anyone recently, and there's a widespread perception (according to Jane's, anyway) that if Syria possessed WMD it was as a counter to Israel's nuclear forces.

[Axis Kast]

I suspect that American and Israeli intelligence communities are coordinating their efforts to passively detect Syrian weapons programs and attempt to determine whether or not Iraqi goods and personnel actually passed through Assad's territory - knowingly or otherwise.

Edi, what "hot air" am I blowing? Do you really believe that the United States would simply ignore WMD in Syria?

[Illuminatus Primus]

Edi, what "hot air" am I blowing? Do you really believe that the United States would simply ignore WMD in Syria?

Yes.

W will not start another war. He's already sliding back to domestic issues.