Israel Matzav

Assad threatens to attack Tel Aviv

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is threatening to attack Tel Aviv in the event of a NATO attack on his government. On Tuesday night, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council condemnation of Assad for murdering his own people.

During a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu Assad allegedly threatened: "If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv."

According to the report, Assad also reiterated that Damascus will call on Hezbollah to launch such an intensive rocket and missile attack on Israel.

"All these events will happen in three hours, and in the following three hours, Iran will attack the US warships in the Persian Gulf and the US and European interests will be targeted simultaneously," Assad said, according to FARS.

Assad's comments came as Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would set out his country's plans for sanctions against Syria after he visits a Syrian refugee camp near the border in the coming days.

The move heralds a further deterioration in previously friendly relations between Ankara and Damascus since the start of Assad's crackdown on protesters.

"Regarding sanctions, we will make an assessment and announce our road map after the visit to Hatay, setting out the steps," Erdogan told reporters, adding he expected to visit the region at the weekend or the start of next week.

Erdogan said last month that Assad would be ousted by his people "sooner or later" and warned that Syria could slide into a sectarian civil war between Alawites and Sunnis.

Two thoughts on this: Assuming that the United States does not restrain Israel in order to keep Arab countries in a coalition against Syria (recall the First Gulf War), how many hours do you think it would take the IAF to wipe out Assad's regime? And second, aren't you glad we didn't listen to all those morons who wanted us to give the Golan Heights to Assad for the sake of 'peace'? Imagine if he was making that threat from the shores of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) instead of from 25 miles inland.

Meanwhile, Russia and China used their vetoes in the Security Council on Tuesday night to prevent a condemnation of Syria.

European members of the Security Council tried to avoid a veto by watering down the language on sanctions three times, but they failed.

The vote was 9-2 with four abstentions - India, South Africa, Brazil and Lebanon.

The resolution demanded that Syria immediately end all violence and ensure human rights. It also called for "an inclusive Syrian-led political process."

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council after the vote that his country did not support Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime or the violence but opposed the resolution because it was "based on a philosophy of confrontation," contained "an ultimatum of sanctions," and was against a peaceful settlement of a crisis.

China's Ambassador Li Bandong said his country is concerned about the ongoing violence and wants to see speedy reforms but opposed the resolution because "sanctions, or threat of sanctions, do not help the sitiuation in Syria but rather complicates the situation."

France's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud denounced the veto, saying it "goes against the sense of history that is under way in the region."

"I would like to commend all of those who fight against the bloodthirsty crackdown in Syria," he said.

JPost reports that US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has finally found something about which to be 'outraged':

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the US is “outraged” that the Security Council “utterly failed to address an urgent moral challenge and a growing threat to regional peace and security.”

Rice said that several of the body’s members had “sought for weeks to weaken and strip bare any text that would have defended the lives of innocent civilians from Assad’s brutality,” and that the veto was exercised on a “vastly watered-down text” that did not even mention sanctions.

The US has repeatedly advocated sanctions as well as an arms embargo on the Assad regime.

In damning, pointed language, Rice said that “the courageous people of Syria can now clearly see who on this Council supports their yearning for liberty and universal human rights-and who does not.”

...

“And during this season of change, the people of the Middle East can now see clearly which nations have chosen to ignore their calls for democracy and instead prop up desperate, cruel dictators,” Rice said.

“Those who oppose this resolution and give cover to a brutal regime will have to answer to the Syrian people-and, indeed, to people across the region who are pursuing the same universal aspirations.”

Rice bitterly noted that the Security Council “has not yet passed even a hortatory resolution to counter the Assad regime's brutal oppression.”

“Let there be no doubt: this is not about military intervention,” Rice said. “This is not about Libya. That is a cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.”

Rice said that the “crisis in Syria will stay before the Security Council, and we will not rest until this Council rises to meet its responsibilities.”

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was “disappointed” by Russia and China’s decision to veto the resolution.

“This will be seen in the region as a decision to side with a brutal regime rather than with the people of Syria, and will be a bitter blow to all those Syrians who have implored the international community to take a stand.”

Calling the resolution as drafted “entirely reasonable,” Hague said that it stressed the rejection of violence and that a political transition ought to be led by the Syrians.

The draft resolution, Hague made clear, was explicit that Security Council consideration of sanctions against Syria should not include military action.

“Those who blocked it,” Hague said of the resolution, “will have this action on their conscience.”

I'm not convinced that anyone in the ruling juntas in Russia or China has a conscience. But how about Rice? I didn't think she had it in her to get emotional about anything except Israel and partying.

Labels: Chinese veto, Russian veto, Syrian sanctions, United Nations Security Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:21 AM