Syria: Lots of stuff, suddenly

[Benton D Struckcheon]

1. Dozens of Syrian Officers Have Reportedly Defected to Turkey

2. U.S. to keep missiles, jets in Jordan amid Syria crisis: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-15/220528-pentagon-us-agrees-to-keep-f-16-jets-patriot-missiles-in-jordan-after-joint-exercises-end.ashx#ixzz2WJ7icGf6

3. Saudi King Abdullah cuts holiday short due to ‘events in the region’: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/06/15/Saudi-King-cuts-holiday-due-to-developments-in-the-region-.html

4. Less reliable: posting that 30 troops, including Republican Guard, defected near Damascus. :https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=675080489185757&l=50426edf1d&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FBc2LfUMlVK&_rdr

Rats fleeing a sinking ship? Defections seem to have suddenly jumped. The top story there says the ones that just happened would have been planned weeks ago, as those guys took their families, but then again, the US decision to arm the Syrian rebels was, according to some sources, also taken weeks ago.
King Abdullah cutting short his vacation is interesting. Anyway, lots of action. Things could be coming to a boil quickly.

[karynnj]

1. Interesting

I wonder if the US even really intends to actually supply the weapons. They have yet to actually supply some non military stuff that was announced in April. These things all - in and of themselves - change the balance of power against Assad. The best possibility is that they will be enough to allow Obama and Putin to schedule the peace talks that Kerry/Lavrov negotiated.

This may be the most optimistic outlook possible, but Ben Rhodes has repeatedly spoken of the preferred solution being a political solution. I found this Indian article with many quotes from the State Department that seemed to suggest that they are still working to make this happen. http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/john-kerry-calls-lavrov-to-brief-on-syria_855129.html

I wonder if there could even be a possible gain from the election in Iran. One stumbling block has been that Russia wants Iran included. The fact that the "moderate" won, might give cover to the US allowing Iran to participate and to maybe walking that relationship back from the edge of the cliff. It could in fact change the entire situation - maybe even letting the US back down from Assad being forced out - possibly just requiring the moderates get some positions and some changes and the agreement that Assad will not run in 2014. This could leave the extremists out in the cold - against the US and allies, the Russians and allies and the Syrian government.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I really appreciate posts like this..do hope you will conitinue in this vein.

rec

[roamer65]

3. I expect regional war in the next few months.

There maybe some momentary pauses, but the Middle East map is going to get re-arranged through conflict. This is a direct result of Bu$h removing Saddam from Iraq. The instability it caused has now spread through the whole ME.

Where did the Shia Sunni conflict first start? In post-invasion Iraq.

[L0oniX]

4. So where are all those pictures of the victims of Syrian army gas?

I mean we have video of Saddam getting hanged but no pictures of the what they are claiming happened? I'm not a believer! This is bullshit extraordinaries.

[okaawhatever]

5. I wonder if Obama waited for the elections in Iran to announce involvement. All of our NSA hackers

probably had a good idea of who would win. Since it's a moderate reformer, it may be that Obama feels there's less of a possibility of Iranian retaliatory attack.

[Catherina]

6. Things are boiling up allright but there's a lot of propaganda out there

The rebels are taking a beating and have very little support, especially after executing a 14 year old boy over a cup of coffee, and now the powers that stirred it all up have to step out from the shadows to save them again. It's Libya rinse lather repeat but this time it's going to be much bloodier.

Britain's been planning this thing for over 2 years and the PNAC plans, to destabilize and knock out Syria to get to Iran, date much further than that.

Unfortunately this is in French

Britain Prepared for War in Syria 2 Years Before Crisis Flared Up, France’s Former FM Roland Dumas Says

06/13/2013

Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas said that Britain had been preparing gunmen to invade Syria two years before the crisis there flared up in 2011.

During a TV show, Dumas said ”I was in Britain two years ago, and I met British officials, some my friends…they admitted that they were up to something in Syria.”

”They even asked me to join them in my capacity as a foreign minister, but I declined,” he added.

He indicated that the plan of striking Syria had been prepared in advance long before the 2011 events, adding that the goal was to overthrow the Syrian government that considers Israel an enemy.

The TV show was dedicated to discussing the war in Syria.

http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/britain-prepared-for-war-in-syria-2-years-before-crisis-flared-up-frances-former-fm-roland-dumas-says/

[Benton D Struckcheon]

7. Please note re Iran that we have no relations with them,

firstly, and secondly, the last official action between them and us was an act of war: their occupation of the US embassy. Embassy grounds are technically the territory of the country to which the embassy belongs. Unlike Benghazi, where the gov't condemned the attack, Iran's gov't endorsed the attack and held the embassy staff hostage.
There is no way Obama would allow Iran to participate in any talks on Syria. You can forget that ever happening. Reagan may have shipped arms to Iran, and Bush may have helped them by toppling Saddam, but no Democrat would ever be allowed anywhere near such an act of deliberate treason in the former, and extraordinary stupidity in the latter, cuz, you know, Democrats aren't all patriotic and stuff.

[moondust]

8. Egypt is cutting ties with Syria.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014509945

Iran sending 4000 troops to help Assad.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. Pipelines?

[Benton D Struckcheon]

10. Map

They have a few of course, but not sure they're all that important. Syria in itself is not a major oil producer.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

11. Saudi Arabia Takes the Lead?????

The Expanding Shiite Crescent

Let Saudi Arabia head those on board...And whether the United States does or does not breeze in is inconsequential. After all, it’s our battle and our security. U.S. security is not on the line.

This could get very interesting indeed.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

12. Sectarian Massacre in Hatla

Town had been rebel held throughout. Perps were the Free Syrian Army, or, the rebels themselves. The town was mostly Shia, though.
Clear case of sectarian violence.

http://rt.com/politics/moscow-syria-supplies-massacre-714/

[Benton D Struckcheon]

13. Huge blast at Mezzeh Military Airport near Damascus

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22930386