U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian from his military aircraft, Aug. 27, 2013. The two officials discussed how to respond to the chemical attacks in Syria that have claimed innocent lives. Hagel also discussed the same topic with British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond. DOD photo by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler
Momentum Builds For Military Strike In Syria -- New York Times
LONDON — Prospects for a Western-led military strike on Syria increased on Tuesday as the American defense secretary said United States forces were ready for any contingency, the British and French leaders spoke with an aggressive new tone and the Arab League joined in accusing the Syrian government of a mass killing last week with a chemical munitions attack.
The developments came as United Nations weapons inspectors in Syria postponed a second visit to suspected attack sites on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, after having failed to secure assurances of their safety, the United Nations and Syrian officials said.
Even without the evidence that the inspectors are collecting, the United States and other Western powers have concluded that the Aug. 21 attack, which killed hundreds of people, was caused by banned chemical munitions and that Mr. Assad’s forces were responsible, crossing a threshold that required a forceful response.
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My Comment: Everyone has made it very clear on where they stand .... there is now unity in the Western and Arab world to launch a military strike against key Syrian government military sites .... the only question is .... when and what sites will be hit.
Sighhh ....
My prediction is that these strikes will be launched after the Martin Luther King celebrations in Washington .... and the sites that will be hit will be Syria's command and control centers and critical airfields.
We are at the precipice of the unknown .... and when I think of the worst case scenarios (chemical missile attacks against Israel, Lebanon in civil war, Iran involvement, disintegration of Iraq into sectarian groups, Russian involvement) .... we should all shudder because there will be no backing out when we commit to this path.
