News  Mideast News
Syrian general: Assad ordered me to gas people
Ynet
Published: 22.09.13, 07:57
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7 Talkbacks for this article
1. Well Bibi, What are you going to do about it?!
Son of Cyrus ,   UK   (09.22.13)
2. dont rule it out but dont trust defectors
zionist forever   (09.22.13)
3. I don‘t know how true this story is but
Rich ,   Toronto, Canada   (09.22.13)
Israel need‘s to be on guard just in case, and go after those chemicals, if any, in southern Lebanon.
4. #1 who cares?
(09.22.13)
Everyone knows that Assad has chemical weapons and probably used them during the war. The evidence in the large scale attack investigated by the UN is relativey solid that a nerve agent was used, but it is not clear whether Assad or the Jihadis used the weapon. Israel can do nothing to help, so should stay out. Obama should decide what he wants to do, present his plan to the American people and do it if he gets approval.
5. To: 'Who cares?'
Dr. Robert Coambs ,   Canada   (09.23.13)
Many people care. Assad has now openly admitted that he possess sarin and other chemical weapons. Iran and North Korea are also implicated. This is important. Sarin is a relatively cheap and extremely lethal weapon of mass destruction that is much easier to make than nuclear weapons. It's a chemical variant of common insecticides. One milligram can be lethal. That's a tiny invisible particle. Typically the victim becomes confused, appears to be choking, then empties their bladder and bowels, vomits profusely, and lapses into unconsciousness and death because their breathing shuts down. Death can occur within 1 to 10 minutes. Survivors often suffer permanent brain damage and a chronic fatiguing illness similar to Gulf War Syndrome. Antidote drugs and gas masks are protective but they must used immediately. If terrorists used sarin on Tel Aviv, how would Israel respond? Even nukes may not prevent further sarin attacks.
6. Wise
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (09.23.13)
"The army was concerned not to use the most dangerous chemicals in the far south because of its proximity to Israel" The Syrians know exactly what Israel's response would be. See, no one takes Obama's mobile magical mystery red line seriously. They take Israel VERY seriously. As well they should.
7. To: No. 5
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (09.23.13)
With all due respect, Doctor, sarin is the least of anyone's worries. It is effective in closed, confined spaces, but dissipates rather quickly and harmlessly in open air. Syria has some biological and neurological critters in its Pandora's box that are purely terrifying. If the international community thinks it can dust off its hands and congratulate itself because Assad is supposedly turning over Syria's stocks of sarin gas (and we cannot be sure that he'll let all of it go), then I suspect the Syrian people are in for a very unpleasant surprise. Botulin toxin. Smallpox. Anthrax. Bubonic plague. They are all in Assad's not-so-little bag of tricks. And all anyone can think of is sarin. Sarin is nothing compared to what the Syrians can unleash. We're not even sure who controls what. It occurs to me that destroying Syria will, in the long run, save considerably more lives than the lives that would be lost in an all-out attack upon Syria. I'm old enough to have been vaccinated against smallpox. That puts me in a very small minority. We haven't inoculated anyone against smallpox since 1976. And there are no known defenses against botulin toxin. And while one form of anthrax can be treated with Cipro, respiratory anthrax has no cure. Jeremy Bentham had it about right -- the greatest good for the greatest number. It might be time to wave good-bye to Syria, Hezbollah, Lebanon and Iran. If we wish civilization to continue, that's really the only choice available.
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