by Stephen Lendman

Syria is Washington's war. It was planned years ago. It's about regime change. America wants pro-Western puppet leaders replacing independent ones.

Washington doesn't launch conflicts to quit. US-enlisted death squads are no match against Syria's military. They're being routed.

Fresh terrorists are imported from abroad. They're from dozens of countries. They're recruited continually. They replace depleted ranks.

Waging war requires selling it. Public support's needed. Big Lies substitute for truth and full disclosure. Wednesday's chemical attack was a classic false flag.

It's a setup. Syrian forces had nothing to do with it. A previous article explained. It quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich, saying:

"We're getting more new evidence that this criminal act was of a provocative nature."

"In particular, there are reports circulating on the Internet, in particular that the materials of the incident and accusations against government troops had been posted for several hours before the so-called attack. Thus, it was a pre-planned action."

It reflects "another anti-Syrian propaganda wave." Calls for force "heard from EU capitals (are) unacceptable."

America, Britain, France, other key NATO partners, Israel, and rogue Arab states are in lockstep. They're incrementally heading toward direct intervention. Big Lies facilitate their plans.

On August 23, Reuters headlined "Initial Western intelligence finds Syrian forces used chemical weapons," saying:

"US and allied intelligence agencies have made a preliminary assessment that chemical weapons were used by Syrian forces in an attack near Damascus this week, likely with high-level approval from the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to American and European security sources."

They lied. They always lie. It doesn't matter. Waging wars depends on lies. Deception is longstanding strategy. Truth is systematically avoided. It's always the same way. It's no different now.

Reuters said sources spoke "on condition of anonymity." Initial assessments are "preliminary."

"Conclusive proof could take days, weeks or even longer to gather. (T)he apparent mass poisoning of hundreds of people appeared to have taken on a sense of urgency for the Obama administration."

"Obama called the incident a 'big event of grave concern.' " It demands US attention, he said. He stopped short of putting blame where it belongs.

No evidence suggests Syrian involvement. Its forces haven't used chemical weapons any time throughout the conflict. Clear proof shows insurgents used them multiple times. They're responsible for Wednesday's incident. Their fingerprints are all over it.

Western governments claim otherwise. So do supportive media scoundrels. Lies substitute for full and accurate reporting. Truth's turned on its head. It's standard practice.

Escalated war looms. Headlines suggest it. On Thursday, emergency meetings were held. National Security Council, Pentagon, State Department and intelligence officials met at the White House.

Further discussions are planned this weekend. Deciding what's next appears imminent. US allies will be briefed. What follows remains to be seen.

Headlines suggest trouble. Washington's preparing for war. On August 23, CBS News headlined "US preps for possible cruise missile attack on Syrian gov't forces," saying:

It "learned that the Pentagon is making the initial preparations for a cruise missile attack on Syrian government forces."

"We say 'initial preparations' because such an attack won't happen until the president gives the green light."

He's not there yet. How close remains to be seen. On Friday, he told CNN America's "the one indispensable nation." He lied saying so. Its war on humanity explains otherwise.

According to Obama, "if the US goes in and attacks another country without a UN mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented, then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it, do we have the coalition to make it work, and, you know, those are considerations that we have to take into account."

Washington ignores international, constitutional and US statute laws. It ignores UN Charter provisions.

No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. Member-states are required to "settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered."

"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."

Article 51 only permits armed force in self-defense. It does so against externally generated aggression. It does it until the Security Council acts. It has final say.

Under no circumstances may one nation, or combination thereof, intervene against another without lawful Security Council authorization. Doing so is lawless aggression.

America, key NATO allies and Israel put their own priorities above inviolable laws. Peace is verboten. Wars rage without end. New ones are planned.

Syria's in the eye of the storm. It's being ravaged and destroyed. Escalated war may be imminent. It bears repeating. Doing so constitutes lawless aggression.

On Friday, CBS reported administration officials claiming "detected activity at known Syrian chemical weapons sites before Wednesday's incident."

It's "seen as possible preparation for Wednesday's attack. US intelligence agencies are now leaning to the conclusion that Syria did use chemical weapons."

Obama's "seek(ing) international support before taking large-scale action."

Former Joint Chiefs Chairman/Secretary of State Colin Powell told CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer:

"In both Egypt and Syria, America has to take a much more, a much more clever role."

"We shouldn't go around thinking that we can really make things happen."

"We can influence things, and we can be ready to help people when problems have been resolved or one side has prevailed over the other. That's when I think we can play a role."

Powell's an unindicted war criminal. He bears much responsibility for war on Iraq. He lied. He did so numerous times. His infamous February 5, 2003 2003 Security Council speech led to war.

It was shameless deception. Later he admitted WMD claims were false. It was too late to matter. Plans were set. The die was cast.

Weeks later, America bombed, invaded and occupied Iraq. The cradle of civilization was destroyed. No WMDs existed. It was well-known but ignored.

A similar scenario's repeating against Syria. Escalated conflict looms. US Mediterranean forces are being enhanced. A fourth destroyer was added.

US warships are repositioning close to Syria. They're heavily armed. They're ready to attack if ordered. They await the command to do so.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said:

"The Defense Department has responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies."

"And that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets, to be able to carry out different options - whatever options the president might choose."

He didn't elaborate further. Another unnamed Defense Department official said orders to prepare for military operations against Syria hadn't so far been issued. Whether they're imminent remains to be seen.

Rep. Eliot Engel's the ranking House Foreign Affairs Committee minority member. On Wednesday, he said:

"If reports are credible that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons resulting in the estimated deaths of hundreds of civilians, then clearly a red line has been crossed again."

"The US has two options: continue to largely stand on the sidelines as the regime slaughters its own people, or tip the balance of power against a brutal dictator by degrading its ability to attack civilians."

"If we are to salvage what remains of our credibility in the region, we must act soon."

On Friday, he urged Obama to order air strikes, saying:

"If we, in concert with our allies, do not respond to Assad's murderous uses of weapons of mass destruction, malevolent countries and bad actors around the world will see a green light where one was never intended."

On Friday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday's incident "is not something that a humane or civilized world can ignore."

Ben Rhodes is Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications. On June 13, his duplicitous statement said in part:

"Following a deliberative review, our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year."

"Our intelligence community has high confidence in that assessment given multiple, independent streams of information."

"We believe that the Assad regime maintains control of these weapons. We have no reliable, corroborated reporting to indicate that the opposition in Syria has acquired or used chemical weapons."

"The body of information used to make this intelligence assessment includes reporting regarding Syrian officials planning and executing regime chemical weapons attacks; reporting that includes descriptions of the time, location, and means of attack; and descriptions of physiological symptoms that are consistent with exposure to a chemical weapons agent."

An unnamed former US official said Obama's credibility's at stake. It'll likely get him to use limited force. He'll feel obliged to do something.

Next week, US Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey will attend a high-level meeting in Jordan. It's been planned for weeks. He'll discuss Syria.

He'll do so with top military officials from Britain, France, Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Italy and Canada.

On August 23, The New York Times headlined "Air War in Kosovo Seen as Precedent in Possible Response to Syria Chemical Attack," saying:

Obama's "national security aides are studying" NATO's air war. They consider it "a possible blueprint for acting without" Security Council authorization.

As explained above, doing so violates UN Charter provisions. It constitutes lawless aggression. It doesn't matter. Obama appears readying to attack.

All US post-WW II wars were illegal. So is Washington's involvement in Syria. Further escalation assures greater war crimes than already committed.

Warrior nations are unapologetic. America does what it pleases. Justifying the unjustifiable doesn't wash. Arguing for humanitarian intervention rings hollow.

In 1999, Clinton lied claiming NATO's endorsement was justification enough to attack Yugoslavia. Previous articles discussed what happened.

From March 24 - June 19, 1999, Operation Allied Force was unprecedented in ferocity. For 78 days, devastating bombing ravaged Yugoslavia. Around 600 aircraft flew about 3,000 sorties.

Thousands of tons of ordnance were dropped. Hundreds of ground-launched cruise missiles were used.

Nearly everything was struck. Massive destruction and disruption followed. An estimated $100 billion in damage was inflicted. A humanitarian disaster resulted. Environmental contamination was extensive.

Large numbers were killed, injured or displaced. Two million people lost their livelihoods. Homes and communities were destroyed.

Nobel laureate Harold Pinter called NATO's aggression "barbaric (and despicable), another blatant and brutal assertion of US power using NATO as its missile (to consolidate) American domination of Europe."

Lawless aggression became humanitarian intervention. An avenue to Eurasia was opened. A permanent US military presence was established. American imperialism claimed another trophy.

Perhaps Obama plans the same thing for Syria. War criminals act this way. Obama's one of the worst. His rhetoric belies his agenda.

When Washington wants war it's coming. Only its timing is uncertain. Whether Obama plans replicating Yugoslavia remains to be seen. Signs appear to suggest it.

A Final Comment

On August 24, Press TV headlined "Syrian army finds chemicals in militants tunnels," saying:

"Syrian army soldiers have found chemical agents in tunnels dug by the foreign-backed militants in a northeastern suburb of the capital, Damascus, Syrian TV says."

"The discovery came after the government forces surrounded a sector of militant-held district of Jobar on Saturday."

"Army heroes are entering the tunnels of the terrorists and saw chemical agents, Syria television said."

"In some cases, soldiers are suffocating while entering Jobar."

"It added that ambulances arrived in the region to rescue the people who were suffocating in Jobar and the area is now controlled by Syrian army forces."

"The Syrian army has vehemently denied allegations that it used chemical weapons against Takfiri militants in the suburbs of the Ghouta region, saying the accusations were fabricated to distract the visiting team of UN chemical weapons experts and to cover up militants losses."

On August 24, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Suffocation cases among Syrian army soldiers as terrorists used chemical weapons in Jobar," saying:

Syrian soldiers experienced "suffocation while entering Joubar neighborhood in Damascus countryside on Saturday as armed terrorist groups used chemical weapons, an official source announced on Saturday."

"The source added in a statement to SANA that the staffs of emergency have rescued the soldiers with suffocation cases, indicating that "some of the injured are in a critical condition."

Syrian forces seized a warehouse. It contained barrels marked "Made in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)." Protective masks were found. So were drugs used when inhaling chemicals.

"The Qatari-German Company for Pharmaceutical Industries (was) inscribed on them."

Evidence keeps mounting. Western-supported insurgents bear full responsibility for chemical weapons attacks.

Saudi Arabia's involved. So is America. Pentagon contractors are training insurgents in chemical weapons use. Washington's dirty war continues. Whether Libya 2.0 looms remains to be seen.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

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Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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