US media reported that President Barack Obama asked the Pentagon to expand the list of targets in Syria over Assad allegedly mobilizing troops ahead of a possible military strike. At a G20 press conference, Obama however refuted the reports.
Initially, 50 sites were chosen to carry out the potential air
strike aimed at “deterring and degrading” Assad’s ability
to use his resources, but now new sites are set to appear on the
list, according to New York Times.
The targets include the military units that reportedly store and
prepare chemical weapons, military headquarters, as well as the
rockets and artillery that allegedly launched the attacks. Other
sites the US is going to target include air defenses, long-range
missiles and rockets, which can also deliver the weapons.
Currently, even those US congress members who are in favor of the
military action insist on strict time and limits of the
intervention. Plus, the lawmakers demand to precise the type of
strikes that is to be conducted.
The US has allegedly revised the plan of the attack 50 times, Fox
News reported.
Obama said while giving his closing speech at the G20 summit in St Petersburg that the “report is inaccurate”.
The Obama administration is currently considering sending US
military trainers to work with Syrian rebels, US officials told
AP. Should the training take place, it would happen outside
Syria, most likely in Jordan. No decision has so far been made,
but the discussions on the issue are going on in the US
leadership.
America and France accuse Assad’s forces of orchestrating the
chemical weapons attack at the end of August – an assault which
left 1,400 people killed, according to the Obama administration.
Doctors Without Borders has stressed that the number of the dead
is likely lower. Russia also pointed out that it doesn’t find the
US proof convincing.
Meanwhile, RT’s Maria Finoshina, who is currently in Damascus,
attempted to go the Maaloula village, “just one hour’s drive
to the north of the capital.”
The RT team wanted to go to explore the information about the
clashes in the village, but were warned by the army that it could
be “a one-way ticket,” as the road to the village is not
safe and even if they get there, “snipers are active on the
ground.”
The fighting in the village is reportedly between the army and
Al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group which is believed to
be the most successful and most aggressive opposition group. It
is listed as a terrorist organization by the UN and the US, in
particular.
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber struck a checkpoint next to
Maaloula, and later a car exploded at a checkpoint. Residents of
the village have been saying that the militants managed to take
over a mountain top, the Safir Hotel, and have been firing from
that point.
Maaloula is in fact a special place, as it is an Orthodox
Christian hub close to the Syrian capital. There is a Christian
shrine there that dates from the 4th century, and a Catholic
church in the village.
RT spoke with a nun from Latakia, who expressed her concerns over
the current situation in Syria and threats from rebels for the
Christian minority in the war-torn country.
“How can the international community ignore the brutal killing
spree in Latakia on August 5? An attack that affected 500 people,
including children, women... In a village where they massacred
all the residents and burnt down their houses. In another
village, almost all of 2,000 locals were killed, only 10 managed
to escape. Twelve Alawite villages were subjected to this
horrendous attack. It was a true slaughterhouse. People were
mutilated and beheaded. There is even a video that shows a girl
being dismembered alive,” the nun said.