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Israelis Issued Gas Masks on Syria Chemical Weapons Fears: Assad Moves Arsenal as Free Army Wins
- Published_at:2012-07-25
- Category:News & Politics
- Channel:JewishNewsOne
- tags: jn1, syria, bashar al-assad, rebels, chemical weapons, gas masks, hezbollah, arsenal, free syrian army, israelis
- description: As intense fighting continues between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels many in Israel are worried about what might happen to the regime's stockpile of chemical weapons, should the regime fall. Israelis are taking no chances with their safety and have been lining up in droves to collect gas masks to protect themselves against an attack in the event that Syrian chemical weapons fall into the hands of Islamist militants like Hezbollah.. Israeli citizen Maya Knobler: "There is smell of a war, of a chemical war, in the air. So it was just the perfect time to come and to take the mask." Israeli citizen Arie Zimet: "Watch a little bit over the borders and you will see what is going on there. The stability definitely is not the same as it was before. So what happens in the future I don't know, that is why you have to be ready always." Israeli citizen Shoshana Goldbaum: "We are aware that the area is a volatile area, and that we should take precautions that the government offers, so it is to our advantage to upgrade (our gas masks) since ours are quite out of date by now." These Israelis are some of the 4 million citizens that have already collected their masks, but under the current program the entire population won't be protected until the end of January next year. Israel's military chief Benny Gantz has reassured Israelis, saying the Syrian government is still in control of its chemical weapons but many analysts believe Assad's arsenal is substantial and that this could pose a major threat to Israel. Chemical weapons expert David Friedman: "For many years it is known that Syria has an arsenal of chemical weapons. Although the Syrians didn't admit it, it was almost a known fact that this is the case and that Syria has one of the most, I would say, biggest arsenals of chemical weapons in the world, and it is maybe second only to maybe North Korea or some other countries. But it's a known fact also that the weapons are in full capacity and in full, I would say, operational situation." Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has stated that if Assad transfers his stockpiles of chemical weapons to his Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, Israel would be forced to go to war -- a situation that does not surprise some experts. Chemical weapons expert David Friedman: "If US, EU and also Israel maybe as part of this coalition, I would say, would say and would declare very promptly and very severely that this will be a sort of crossing a border or crossing a red line, I have the feeling that Assad will not use it against enemies. On the other hand, I am more pessimistic about the possibility that these munitions and weapons would fall into the hands of the Hezbollah. This case will really be a great challenge for Israel and the US and EU." The Free Syrian Army has reported that the Assad regime has already begun moving its chemical weapons to airports in border areas. To get a better look, Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak travelled to the Golan Heights where he could see scenes from the unfolding civil war, a visit which unwittingly prompted Israeli tour operators to take sightseers to the area to observe the fighting - which for now, looks far from over.
| ranked in date | views | likes | Comments | ranked in country (#position) |
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| 2012-07-28 | 676 | 7 | 4 |
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| 2012-07-29 | 714 | 8 | 4 |
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