Danger Room
Did Assad just use nerve gas against the rebels?
Al Jazeera said seven people died after inhaling a gas sprayed by government forces in a part of Homs held by the rebel Free Syrian Army. “We don’t know what this gas is but medics are saying it’s something similar to sarin,” rebel Raji Rahmet Rabbou told the Qatar-based news organization.
The “poisonous material” was deployed by government warplanes, Haaretz reported, citing a rebel statement.
Al Jazeera posted two videos it said were obtained from “a field clinic in the city.” The graphic videos indeed appear to depict victims of sarin or some other nerve agent — though again the origins and contents of these videos have yet to be verified by other sources.
Sarin can cause paralysis, choking and even death.
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Uh oh…
JohnGalt23 on December 24, 2012 at 10:08 AM
Obama’s body surfing in Hawaii so don’t count on him any time soon.
Jay Carney’s advice–”Hold your breath.”
vityas on December 24, 2012 at 10:20 AM
If true, in the immortal words of Martin Lawrence Sh!t Just Got Real
D-fusit on December 24, 2012 at 10:22 AM
time to move the red line?
ted c on December 24, 2012 at 10:22 AM
They didn’t just use the chemical weapons that were moved across the border from Iraq to Syria right before Operation Iraqi Freedom did they? Might these be the same non existing weapons that no one talks about just like the non-existent Syrian nuclear program that Israel bombed in the desert? Any other time people love to gossip, about this stuff people are strangely quiet.
reddevil on December 24, 2012 at 10:23 AM
reddevil, ssshhhhhh you’ll wake the rubes.
D-fusit on December 24, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Chemical weapons? What chemical weapons? Those don’t exist donchaknow. Assad is a peaceful leader. No blood for oil/whateverthehecksyriahas! ///
Sekhmet on December 24, 2012 at 10:29 AM
Rebels? Meh. Now if they were to kill an owl or snail darter or something, then there would be hell to pay from the Obama White house.
MikeA on December 24, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Grow up. It’s like their are WMD Truthers out there.
And for the record, that Syria has been building their own chemical weapons has been public knowledge for at least 15 years.
JohnGalt23 on December 24, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Well, Nancy Pelosi can just put another designer scarf on her head on and head on over to resolve this international crisis.
Wethal on December 24, 2012 at 10:40 AM
It seems counter-productive to only kill seven with an attack that’s bound to raise hackles. I question this.
OldEnglish on December 24, 2012 at 10:46 AM
I question just about everything coming out of that craphole.
BallisticBob on December 24, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Chemical weapons are about terrorizing people, not killing them.
pedestrian on December 24, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Just looked at the video at the link. Gee, I sure hope they have other “evidence” to prove that Assad used chemical weapons. Pretty lame.
NavyMustang on December 24, 2012 at 10:58 AM
The rebels are also posting videos of chemical experiments they’re conducting on rabbits. In one a guy is slapping on a glass enclosure with said dead rabbit warning the SAA will get some of the same. There is no real truth coming out of Syria on either side.
And the funny part, both sides blame the US and the West for interfering. Even the side obama gave money and weapons too.
hawkdriver on December 24, 2012 at 11:17 AM
I concur with the skeptics. Seems like about every other year, some group claims they were attacked by some super secret weapons that causes their skin to burn or their hair to fall out or develop insomnia go impotent or sing like Ke$ha or whatever. On the other hand, such things are usually blamed on the Jews…..
apostic on December 24, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Rebels are playing the PR game. Just like Libya. Remember?
a capella on December 24, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Quick, let’s set up a consulate in Homs and send an unprotected ambassador there….
ScottG on December 24, 2012 at 11:50 AM
Well, Assad needs to go, die, or both, but this is a “Milk Factory” snooker by the FSA:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a89_1356339797
Shaughnessy on December 24, 2012 at 11:54 AM
Both sides are bad horses to back but rest assured – Smart Power will ensure the US backs the worst option possible.
c.f. – Egypt, Libya, Tunisia
CorporatePiggy on December 24, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Somebody needs to give these “PR” guys some lessons in basic fact gathering. Sarin is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. That’s why the Tokyo attack was so successful (from the terrorists point of view – nobody knew they were under attack until it was too late.
Even then, it took the medical system to figure it out – not the first responders.
I have been listening to the 40K of his own citizens meme for at least three months. Where are the bodies? Where are the grave digging squads? Where are the funeral processions?
There should be so many funerals that they should show up on sat images.
They are lying. All of them. And we are providing weapons and money to al-Quada. Wonderful.
platypus on December 24, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Saddam killed well over a 100,000 with chemical weapons, so yeah, they’re for killing people.
When Assad really uses chemical weapons, there won’t be any doubt they were used, because entire cities will be depopulated.
The rebels lie.
Rebar on December 24, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Can I nominate Anna Wintour? How about Susan Rice? Maybe John Kerry, so he can get a taste of the diplomatic life before becoming SoS?
rbj on December 24, 2012 at 12:49 PM