Israel says has no proof poison gas used in Syria

[Poll_Blind]

Source: Reuters

[div class="excerpt" style="border: 1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top: none; border-radius: 0em 0em 0.3846em 0.3846em; background-color: #f4f4f4; box-shadow: 2px 2px 6px #bfbfbf;"](Reuters) - Israel voiced doubt on Tuesday about the accuracy of Syrian activists' reports that chemical weapons had been used against rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

"We have seen reports from the opposition. It is not the first time. The opposition has an interest in drawing in international military intervention," Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Army Radio.

"As things stand now, we do not have any confirmation or proof that (chemical weapons) have already been used, but we are definitely following events with concern," he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gathered activist accounts on Sunday of what they said was a poison gas attack in the city of Homs. The reports are difficult to verify, as the government restricts media access in Syria.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/25/us-syria-crisis-israel-idUSBRE8BO02W20121225

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PB

[dipsydoodle]

1. "chemical weapons had been used"

Maybe cross post in the Brothers Grimm Forum.

Sensible of Israel to demonstrate caution.

[leveymg]

2. The "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" is a disinformation factory

If you can Tweet it -- and it's negative about the regime -- they'll catalogue it and hand it out to the western media, and they'll reprint it.

[kelliekat44]

3. I posted my doubts when the story first appeared. I thnink the US wants to believe it. nt

[Kurska]

4. Israel is no friend of a Syrian regime.

I have no reason to doubt their assessment in this matter.

[Poll_Blind]

5. That was kind of my line of thinking, too. However, I think Israeli intelligence would...

...have no problems falsifying reports either way if it suited their "needs". Lord knows I've seen this happen enough with US intelligence.

Still, I did think it was interesting to make such a point of it.

PB

[Kurska]

6. All intelligence agencies do that, part of the game.

But yes it is the special circumstances of this case that make it trustworth