U.S. satellites reconnaissance show that one Syrian military base prepares Sarin nerve gas 0412122

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Defense News - United States / Syria
 
 
Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 09:00 AM
 
U.S. satellites reconnaissance show that one Syrian military base prepares Sarin nerve gas.
President of United States Barack Obama warned Syria’s Bashar al-Assad not to use or distribute its stock of chemical weapons, as U.S. officials saw evidence that the country’s embattled regime may be preparing to unleash such weapons to repel advances by rebel fighters.
     
President Barack Obama warned Syria’s Bashar al-Assad not to use or distribute its stock of chemical weapons, as U.S. officials saw evidence that the country’s embattled regime may be preparing to unleash such weapons to repel advances by rebel fighters.
Open-source information indicate Syria has five major chemical-manufacturing facilities in and around the cities of Hama, Homs and Al-Safira, along with 45 chemical-weapons storage facilities
     

United States President Barack Obama has said use of chemical weapons by Syria's regime would be "totally unacceptable", saying there "will be consequences" if Bashar al-Assad chooses to deploy them.

U.S. reconnaissance satellites and other tools last week detected increased activity at several chemical weapons depots in Syria, including movement of some weapons into position where President Assad’s forces could more quickly deliver them by aircraft or artillery, two U.S. officials said.

Intelligence sources also picked up orders to at least one Syrian military base to begin combining the two precursor chemical components of Sarin nerve gas to make it ready to use, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence details. Syrian authorities have stored the components, which produce a deadly nerve agent when mixed, in secure separate facilities, according to the officials.

The regime of Syrian Bashar Assad controls one of the largest chemical-weapons programs on earth, including mustard gas, sarin and VX nerve agent.

Syria has mated these weapons with artillery shells and missiles. Open-source information indicate Syria has five major chemical-manufacturing facilities in and around the cities of Hama, Homs and Al-Safira, along with 45 chemical-weapons storage facilities.