Israel Says Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons
Source: NY Times
TEL AVIV – Israel’s senior military intelligence analyst said Tuesday that the Syrian government had repeatedly used chemical weapons in the last month, and criticized the international community for failing to respond, intensifying pressure on the Obama administration to intervene.
“The regime has increasingly used chemical weapons,” said Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, research commander in the intelligence directorate of the Israeli Defense Forces, echoing a recent finding by Britain and France. “The very fact that they have used chemical weapons without any appropriate reaction,” he added, “is a very worrying development, because it might signal that this is legitimate.”
General Brun’s statements are the most definitive by an Israeli official to date regarding evidence of chemical weapons attacks on March 19 near Aleppo and Damascus. Another military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the evidence had been presented to the Obama administration — which has declared the use of chemicals a “red line” that could prompt American action in Syria — but that Washington has not fully accepted the analysis.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/world/middleeast/israel-says-syria-has-used-chemical-weapons.html?hp&_r=0
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Response to R Merm (Original post)
It more certainly does not scream "we want him gone". If Israel wanted him gone why would they not urge England (and France and the US) to speed up - rather than slow down - the arming of the opposition.
It would mean that Assad would win, but it would not mean that the Syrians rebelling against him would give up. For some reason - don't ask me why - some people don't like living under a dictator. I know you and I would not mind but Syrians are apparently an unusual people.
Perhaps, but Israel keeps telling the US that bombing Iran is its National interest and yet American bombs are yet to fall on Iran. Israel influences the US government but, so far, does not totally control it.
Israel was not happy to see Mubarak overthrown in Egypt. Why? Because dictators are easier to deal with. The main things dictators are worried about are staying in power and getting rich (which comes with staying in power). Mubarak was easier for Israel to deal with than quasi-democratic government that replaced him. Why would the same not be true with Syria and Assad?
Al Nusra.
The most militarized and successful part of the Syrian opposition is a fundamentalist jihadist movement that has already declared Israel its enemy and called for its destruction. Israel would be nuts to think that a fundamentalist Islamist government on its doorstep would somehow be "better" than Assad.
On the other hand, Assad falling would also toss Syria into civil war for the better part of the next decade, turning it into a magnet for extremists and keeping it destabilized. Maybe they think that they can use it to divert the extremist elements away from themselves.
Who knows 
