Syria to target Israel if US attacks.

‘Syria to target Israel if US attacks’

Press TV | 14 Sep 2013 :: The Syrian minister of reconciliation warns that Israel will be among Syria’s prime targets in case of any US attack on the Arab country, Press TV reports.

In an interview with Press TV on Friday, Ali Haidar said the right of Damascus to defend itself will begin from within Syrian territories and extend beyond its borders. 

Haidar also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s role in the Syrian conflict, saying the head of kingdom’s intelligence apparatus Prince Bandar Bin Sultan is the man who is pushing for government-change in Syria. 

On Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reached an agreement on a framework for Syria to verify it is eliminating all its chemical weapons. 

Under the agreement, the government of President Bashar al-Assad must destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons by mid-2014. 

On September 9, Syria welcomed a proposal made by Russia to put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control. 

The Russia plan was aimed at averting a US military strike in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack last month in the suburbs of Damascus which the White House blames on the Syrian government. 

Damascus has categorically rejected the allegation, saying the foreign-backed militant groups staged the attack to incriminate the government. 

The Syrian ambassador to the UN said on Thursday that his country became a full member of the international treaty prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. (Courtesy:Press Tv)

Israelis divided over fallout from Syrian attack.

Israelis divided over fallout from Syrian attack.

Slight plurality think Assad will hit Israel if US intervenes militarily, despite official assessment that odds of retaliation are low

Israelis wait to collect gas mask boxes at a distribution center
 in Tel Aviv on August 28, 2013. (photo credit: Gili Yaari/Flash90)

01 Sep 2013 :: Israelis are mostly split on whether they think Syria will try to hit Israel in the aftermath of a possible US-led attack, a poll partially released Sunday found.

The survey, conducted for the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University as part of the monthly Peace Index, also found that most Israeli Jews think Washington’s position in the region will be strengthened by such a move.

According to the poll, 46 percent of Jewish Israelis think Assad will carry out his threat to hit Israel, while 42% think he will not.

Among Arab Israelis, 40% believe Assad will attack Israel, and 47% believe he will not.

Israeli officials have said there is only a small probability Israel will take on rocket attacks as a result of US action, as Syria and Iran have threatened. However, masses of Israelis swarmed gas mask distribution centers last week over fears of a possible attack, and the IDF slightly raised its alertness level.

On Saturday, US President Barack Obama announced that he would seek Congressional approval for military action against Syria, an apparent about-face after Washington seemed poised to hit Damascus in retaliation for a chemical attack that the US says killed over 1,400 people on August 21.(Courtesy:Times of Israel)