U.S. Ship Neutralizes Syrian Chemical Arms

A specially equipped U.S. ship has finished neutralizing all 600 metric tons of the most dangerous of Syria's chemical weapons components surrendered to the international community this year to avert threatened air strikes, the Pentagon said on Monday.

It said the Cape Ray, equipped with the U.S.-developed Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, neutralized 581.5 metric tons of DF, a sarin precursor chemical, and 19.8 metric tons of HD, an ingredient of sulfur mustard, while afloat in the Mediterranean.

The vessel will travel to Finland and Germany in the next two weeks to unload the resulting effluent, which will undergo treatment as industrial waste to render it safer, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

It was the first time chemical weapons components had been neutralized at sea, the Pentagon said.

A number of countries are involved in eliminating the chemical stockpiles. The United States was selected to dispose of the worst of the chemical weapons components because it had recently developed a mobile version of the hydrolysis system it uses for neutralizing chemical stockpiles.

The system uses substances and mixtures such as water, sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite to neutralize bulk amounts of chemical warfare agents, according to the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

 

Earlier this year, the hydrolysis system was placed aboard the Cape Ray, a 648-foot (198-meter) vessel that is part of the U.S. Maritime Administration's ready reserve force of 46 ships.

The ship was held at Rota, Spain, for several months due to Syrian delays in handing over its declared stockpiles of chemical agents. The Cape Ray began neutralizing the chemicals after picking them up from Italy in late June.

 

On Monday morning, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called Navy Captain Rich Dromerhauser aboard the MV Cape Ray to congratulate the ship's crew on finishing their unprecedented work. The secretary said that by ridding the world of these materials, they - as part of an ongoing international effort to eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal - have helped make an important and enduring contribution to global security.

Secretary Hagel expressed his gratitude for the crew's service, dedication, and expertise, noting that with the world watching, they performed flawlessly every step of the way - despite a very long deployment, and a complex operation that required careful coordination with our international partners. The secretary commended the crew for conducting every aspect of the mission in a highly professional manner, with strict adherence to safety and with no impact to the surrounding environment, and said that they should all be very proud of what they've accomplished to help reduce the threat posed by chemical weapons.

 

The U.S. Maritime Administration also released a statement proudly supporting the international effort to destroy Syrian chemical weapons and agents by providing the MV Cape Ray and its all-volunteer U.S. Merchant Marine crew to support this critical mission. One of MARAD’s 46 Ready Reserve Force (RRF) ships that stand ready to provide rapid movement of equipment and supplies during times of national and humanitarian emergencies, this vessel and its crew illustrate the important contribution that RRF ships and mariners make in supporting U.S. national and economic security. Since 1775, the U.S. Merchant Marine has proudly answered when and where called upon, and the crew of the Cape Ray will continue its work to ensure both protection of the environment and all those aboard.

Ankara categorically denies US special forces’ presence in Turkey

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials have categorically denied media reports suggesting that Washington has special forces stationed close to the Syrian border in Turkey.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, sources denied the claim of British daily The Times that American and French special forces have been at İncirlik airbase in southern Turkey for weeks.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed on Oct. 10 that a team of U.S. military planners was in Jordan to help the government grapple with Syrian refugees, bolster its military capabilities and prepare for any trouble with its chemical weapons stockpiles. 

"We have been working with Jordan for a period of time now ... on a number of the issues that have developed as a result of what's happened in Syria," Reuters quoted Panetta as saying in Brussels.

Panetta said those issues included monitoring chemical weapons sites "to determine how best to respond to any concerns in that area."  A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the small team of planners were not engaged in covert operations and have been housed at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, north of the capital of Amman, since the early summer.

Syria accuses US of chemical weapons propaganda

The US wants to oust the Damascus regime by raising fears overs its chemical weapons stockpiles, creating a scenario similar to that which led to the invasion of Iraq, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in an interview broadcast Monday.

"This issue is an invention of the American administration," Muallem told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV in excerpts of an interview to be broadcast in full later Monday.

But Muallem remained vague on whether President Bashar al-Assad's regime possesses chemical weapons, despite Damascus acknowledging in July that it has such stockpiles.

"These chemical weapons in Syria, if they exist -- and I emphasise if -- how is it possible that we would use them against our own people? It's a joke," he said in the interview excerpts of which were broadcast by the staunchly anti-American and anti-Israeli channel.

"But this definitely does not mean that Syria has a stockpile of chemical weapons or that it intends to use these weapons against its own people ... it is a myth they invented to launch a campaign against Syria like they did in Iraq," he said in the interview given on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

A US-led coalition had invaded Iraq in March 2003, accusing Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were ever found.

Damascus acknowledged for the first time in late July that it possessed chemical weapons. It threatened to use them if attacked by outside countries, but never against its own people.

The admission raised deep concerns among the international community, with the United States saying Damascus would be making a "tragic mistake" if it decided to deploy its chemical weapons arsenal.

Rebel fighters waging an armed insurrection against Assad's regime claimed in July that the Syrian government had moved some of these weapons to the country's borders.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday that the Syrian regime had moved some chemical weapons to safeguard the material as it wages war against the rebels. He said the main storage sites for its arsenal remain secure.

According to experts, these stocks, which amount to hundreds of tonnes, date back to the 1970s and are the largest in the Middle East.

Iraq blocks Syria-bound North Korean plane, suspects weapons cargo

Iraq denied permission to a North Korean plane bound for Syria to pass through Iraqi airspace last Saturday because it suspected it could be carrying weapons, a senior official said today. Iraq on Thursday denied a Western intelligence report that said Iranian aircraft had flown weapons and military personnel over Iraqi airspace to Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad battle an 18-month-old uprising. The allegation, reported by Reuters on Wednesday, said arms transfers were organised by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Continuing the Iraqi government policy to investigate the passing of weapons to Syria through Iraqi land and air space, the Iraqi authorities prevented a North Korean plane from going to Syria, after they suspected that the plane was shipping weapons," Ali al-Mossawi, media advisor to the Iraq's prime minister, told Reuters.

Moussawi said the scheduled plane's itinerary, from North Korea to Syria, was what had aroused suspicions but that there had been no contact between the Iraqi government and North Korea on the issue.

Mossawi said that despite repeated requests from the Iraqi side, the United States had not presented any evidence that Iranian civilian aircraft were shipping arms to Syria via Iraq.

"We have told the Iranians that we could search their planes any time, randomly, and whenever we get any evidence (that they are shipping weapons)," he said.

"We will seriously stop these plans (from passing through Iraqi space)," he added added. Although charges that Iraq has allowed Iran to send arms to Syria are not new, the report said the extent of such shipments is far greater and more systematic than has been publicly acknowledged, thanks to a deal between senior Iraqi and Iranian officials.

The report also said Iran was dispatching trucks overland via Iraq westwards to Syria. Syria's upheaval is politically tricky for Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim-led government. Close to Assad's ally, Shi'ite Iran, Baghdad has resisted joining Western and fellow Arab calls for the Syrian leader to step down while also calling for a reform process in Syria.

Iraqi leaders fear Assad's fall would fracture Syria along sectarian lines and yield a hostile, hardline Sunni Muslim regime that could stir up Iraq's volatile Sunni-Shi'ite mix. Baghdad has reinforced key points along its 680-km desert border with Syria. U.S. officials said earlier this month they were questioning Iraq about Iranian flights in Iraqi air space. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator John Kerry threatened to review U.S. aid to Baghdad if it does not halt such overflights to Syria.

Attack on Syrian chemical stockpiles could lead to 'broader campaign,' says IDF Chief of Staff

Benny Gantz said that if Hezbollah or another terror group were to get hold of Syria's chemical weapons cache, Israeli military action could become 'broader' than originally intended.

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said on Tuesday that if Syria's chemical weapons were to get into the wrong hands, such as those of Hezbollah, IDF military action could turn into an unintentionally broad campaign.

On Monday, a senior Israeli official said that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has taken precautions to avoid chemical weapons falling into rebel hands.

Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, Gantz reiterated that the security of chemical weapons caches in Syria has recently increased, but added that there was no guarantee that this would remain the status quo.

"To the best of my knowledge, at this moment there is control over this system…and it has not yet passed to bad hands - that not to say that this will stay this way. It is likely that this will change, and then we will have a dilemma," said Gantz.

Gantz talked in detail about  what could happen if Syria's chemical weapons cache were to get into the wrong hands, including Hezbollah, and other global terror groups.

According to Gantz, a military strike in the event of a transfer of chemical weapons, could lead to an unintentionally "broad campaign" if the IDF were to attack a number of targets.

"There is a possibility that we will find it hard to locate (the shipments of transferred chemical weapons) and if you work broadly you can quite quickly find yourself in a campaign that is broader than you had intended."

Gantz said it was important to take into account "what will be left over after we act, and into which hands it has gotten into."

Gantz also summed up Syrian army activity at various flashpoints throughout the country, and pointed out that Syrian forces are concentrating their efforts in Damascus and Aleppo, and have received a substantial amount of support from Iran and Hezbollah, including professional consultation, armaments, and manpower.

“This friction is coming close to Israel, and could materialize. We are monitoring it closely,” said Gantz. Just yesterday, the fighting came very close to the Syrian border with Israel and towns in northern Israel as Syrian army mortar shells, fired at the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab, landed very close to the Israel-Syria border, frightening residents of nearby towns.

Gantz added that recent defections from within the ranks of the Syrian army are not only emboldening opposition forces, but also weakening government forces, the effects of which will “get worse with time.”

According to IDF Northern Command estimations, the next developments in Syria, following the continued violence in Damacus, will be a breakdown of Syrian army structure, and then a dramatic collapse within the high command. Up until this point, the IDF has noted that the equivalent of roughly a platoon or a company of Syrian soldiers have defected.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels said on Tuesday morning that government forces have moved chemical weapons to airports near the country's borders - a day after the regime warned it could use them if Syria is attacked by an external force.

Gantz also spoke about the terrorist attack that took place in Bulgaria last week, informing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel’s security forces will find a way to “respond in deterring fashion after such an attack.”

“It does not need to be done through only one channel, but rather as part of our greater activities. We take everything into consideration, and in the end, a response will come,” continued Gantz.

Gantz also added that Israel has thwarted 15 attempts at attacking Israeli targets abroad, and that according to IDF estimations, the attack in Burgas was carried out by Hezbollah with Iranian support. “The fact that we disrupted 15 earlier [attempts] does not erase this last attack. We must continue in our efforts of disruption,” said Gantz.

Gants also reported on other security issues. According to Gantz, IDF Southern Command has already reported attempts to destroy the parts of the Israel-Egypy border fence, meant to facilitate smuggling.

Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Gantz added that “the time will come and I suppose we will be unable to act there.”

As for African migrants crossing into Israel, the numbers seems to have gone down. Thus far in July, roughly 210 migrants found their way into Israel, as opposed to 928 in June, according to the Population and Immigration Authority.

Addressing the IDF draft issues, Gantz added that the challenges facing the IDF require an increase in the number of conscripts. “Any good young man that handle a gun is okay by me, and we will make any preparations requested of us. I’m troubled by the voices calling for shortening service before other solutions are found,” said Gantz.

FactBox– Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal

Syria acknowledged for the first time on Monday that it had chemical and biological weapons, saying they could be used if the country faced foreign intervention.

Here is a look at Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal:

OVERVIEW

- Since the early 1980s, Syria has made efforts to acquire and maintain an arsenal of chemical weapons following defeats in wars against Israel in 1967, 1973 and 1982 and the Jewish state’s widely presumed development of nuclear weapons.

- Syria has neither signed nor acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and has officially stated that while it supports a Middle East-wide ban on weapons of mass destruction (WMD), it cannot unilaterally renounce chemical arms as long as Israel continues to pose a threat to its security.

- Syria began developing its own chemical production capabilities in 1971 at the Centre D’Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques (CERS). This facility in Damascus today administers Syria’s chemical weapons programme while also contributing directly to research and development efforts. Syria’s initial chemical weapons capability was provided by Egypt before the October 1973 war against Israel.

- According to Global Security, there are four suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria – one just north of Damascus; the second near the industrial city of Homs; the third in Hama, believed to be producing VX agents in addition to sarin and tabun; and a fourth near the Mediterranean port of Latakia.

Analysts have also identified the town of Cerin, on the coast, as a possible producer of biological weapons. Several other sites are monitored by foreign intelligence agencies and are listed only as suspect.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARSENAL

- Since 1973 Syria appears to have acquired the ability to develop and produce chemical weapons agents including mustard gas and sarin, and possibly also VX nerve agent.

- Exact volumes of weapons in the Syrian stockpile are not known. However, the CIA has estimated that Syria possesses several hundred litres of chemical weapons and produces hundreds of tonnes of agents annually.

METHODS OF DELIVERY

Chemical agents are designed to be fitted to an array of delivery systems:

* Several thousand aerial bombs, filled mostly with sarin, and between 50 and 100 ballistic missile warheads.

* New long-range North Korean Scud Cs, with ranges of up to 600 km and possible nerve gas warheads. May be converting some long range surface-to-air and naval cruise missiles to use chemical warheads.

* SS-21 launchers and at least 36 SS-21 missiles with 80-100 km range, plus Scud B launchers and Scud B missiles with 310 km range.

* Short range M-1B missiles and SSC-1b cruise missiles.

* Su-24 long-range strike fighters and MiG-23BM Flogger F fighter ground attack aircraft; Su-20 fighter ground attack aircraft; Su-22 fighter ground attack aircraft.

David Friedman, WMD expert at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said:

“For weaponisation, the material is poured into warheads, which can be anything from ballistic missiles to standard artillery shells to air-dropped munitions. The weapons can be as small as mortar bombs. Some of Syria’s chemical weapons are already in launch-ready, warhead form.”

METHODS OF STORAGE

According to Friedman, Syria’s chemical material is almost always in liquid form, rather than gaseous. It is stored in vats, and usually in sealed bunkers in military bases, although there are accounts of Syria also having natural storage sites such as caves. He said some of the chemicals are compounds whose elements are kept separate for safety’s sake.

SAFE DESTRUCTION OF WEAPONS

Friedman said a successful aerial bombing could burn up the chemicals with negligible environment damage.

CHANCES OF SPIES SPOTTING WEAPON TRANSPORTS

Friedman said chemical vats have some distinctive characteristics such as being constructed of especially strong, non-corrosive steel, and mounted valves. “But this is not just a matter of spotting the vats,” he said. “In the case of Syria, there has been long-term monitoring, with the result that certain bases have been identified as likely storage sites. So these would be the focus of surveillance for any movement of chemical weapons and delivery systems.”