By Barbara Starr
The killing of three top officials by an explosion on Wednesday has left Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at a "decision point," a senior U.S. official told CNN.
"From an intelligence point of view the regime has to decide: fight or flight," the senior official said.
Another senior official from the Middle East region underscored that assessment, telling CNN the attacks indicate "strong cracks in the regime."
"This is a potential tipping point," the Middle East official said.
The nature of the violence and the proximity to al-Assad's inner circle of power is causing the increased concern from American government officials in the last few days, the American source said. A second senior U.S. official concurred with that assessment.
When asked if the al-Assad regime also believes itself to be at a decision point, the U.S. official the there is at least some information to back up that belief.
Security Clearance: Your source for national security news and analysis
But the king of Jordan, whose country borders Syria, warned that despite a "tremendous blow," the regime is not going to give up.
"Damascus has shown its resilience. So I think maybe we need to keep this in perspective, although this is a blow," King Abdullah II said in an interview that aired Wednesday on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. "I'm sure that the regime will continue to show fortitude, at least in the near future.
"I don't think we should jump to any conclusions of writing the regime off in the near future."
When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters Wednesday that the Syrian situation is "rapidly spinning out of control," he was reflecting growing concern about the fighting having reaching the Syrian capital and growing worries about Syria's chemical weapons, officials tell CNN.
With the Syrian regime now having moved some of its chemical weapons on at least one recent occasion, the Obama administration is stepping up efforts to conduct an "assessment of intentions" of the Syrian regime to employ that deadly arsenal against its own people, according to the second senior U.S. official who has direct knowledge of the efforts.
At the same time, senior U.S. officials involved in this issue have spoken privately but directly with their Russian counterparts in the past several days to reinforce that any use of the chemical weapons by the Syrians is a so-called "red-line" for the United States.
"This would be a game changer," the official said, who declined to be identified because the sensitivity of the information.
The official emphasized that the U.S. has been watching Syria's chemical and biological weapons sites for months to determine the security of the weapons. But since Assad moved some from a facility recently, the challenge has been to figure out what, if anything, the Syrian leader plans to do with them, he said. "The movement of the chemical weapons has generated additional concern inside the U.S. government."
At a Pentagon press conference, the chief UK defense minister made it clear that both the United States and Britain want to see Russia and China weigh in.
"The regime exists at the moment because it receives tacit support from other powers in the world," said UK Secretary of State for Defense Phillip Hammond. "If those powers are sending clear messages about the limits of their tolerance for the activities of the regime, that will be an effective constraint on the activities of the regime. So our diplomacy has to focus on getting those who have the greatest influence with the regime to ensure that it acts responsibly in relation to chemical weapons."
One challenge is to define inside the Obama administration the specific terms of what the red line may be. Officials have suggested it's the "employment" of weapons that is the red line, but acknowledged at that point it may be too late to stop their actual use. The U.S. is making the case to the Russian that they must once again make clear to al-Assad the implications of using chemical weapons.
"It's our sense even though the Russians are supporting the Assad regime that chemical weapons are a significant concern to them," the official said. "They understand the stakes get much higher and their moral ground gets much lower" if chemical weapons are used.
The Jordanian king also voiced concern about any scenario involving chemical weapons.
"I think at the end of the day, all of us would suffer from that. I'm sure that (the Russians) would be very supportive of international reactions, because at the end of the day, we all pay the price," Abdullah said.
|
Post by: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr Filed under: Assad • Syria |
CNN's Security Clearance examines national and global security, terrorism and intelligence, as well as the economic, military, political and diplomatic effects of it around the globe, with contributions from CNN's national security team in Washington and CNN journalists around the world.
E-mail us at securityclearance@cnn.com
hydroxyquine medication https://pharmaceptica.com/
chloroquine tablets amazon https://pharmaceptica.com/
shop cialis cialis paypal bezahlen cialis com
cialis greece cialis 20mg tablets price cialis free
www cialis com free trial pastillas cialis para que sirven which is better cialis or viagra
cialis overnighted genric cialis walmart cialis
generic daily cialis compare viagra cialis levitra cialis tablets in australia
is hydroxychloroquine quinine chloroquine malaria what is hydroxychloroquine used to treat
36 hour cialis cialis for women reviews cialis 10mg reviews
reliable online pharmacy reviews online pharmacy in india canada drugs fax number
canadian pharmacy for cialis for sale buy cialis with paypal buy generic cialiss
canadian association for pharmacy distribution management online pharmacy technician canadapharmacy24h
lloyds online pharmacy canada drugs on line rx pharmacy online
cialis tadalafil best research tadalafil prescription tadalafil online
define chloro buy aralen online uk what is hydroxychlor
why would cialis not work purchase brand cialis online doctor cialis
pharmacy rx one coupon codes pharmacy supply store near me national pharmacies online
rx city pharmacy Clomid dog pharmacy online
Viagra with Dapoxetine meijer pharmacy online canadian veterinary pharmacy
tadalafil vs vardenafil buy cialis usa tadalafil tablets
buy cialis through pay pal acs cialis back pain from cialis
tadalafil (tadalis-ajanta) tadalafil online with out prescription liquid tadalifil
research chemicals tadalafil cialis tablets tadalafil sublingual
chlorquine plaquenil 400 is chloroquine an antibiotic
cialis online mastecard buy black cialis buy cialis from cananda
cialis generic overnite shipping generic cialis cialis hk
generic cialis or tadalafil where can i get cialis over the counter how long does cialis last 20 mg
tadalafil online with out prescription research chemicals tadalafil prescription tadalafil online
online farmacy cialis how long does cialis 10mg last originalcialis
buy genereiccialis dapoxetine and cialis cialis online canada paypal
buy cialis over the counter benefits of cialis cialis 5mg canada pharmacy
Levitra approved canadian pharmacies reputable canadian online pharmacies
cialis 20 mg cost cialis 10mg cialis generic
the people's pharmacy buy drugs canada stop canadian pharmacy emails
canadian pharmacies certified pictures of prescription drugs legitimate online pharmacy usa
viagra • cialis • generic drug for cialis cialis overnight deleivery
north west pharmacy canada mckesson pharmacy rx what drugs are legal in canada
Aricept ed pills online pharmacy drug costs
non prescription cialis alternative cialis store in korea u.s. pharmacy prices for cialis
online cialis australia https://rcialisgl.com/ – genericcialis cialis with dapoxetine mastercard
buy cialis with paypal https://cialisjla.com/ – cialis lilly 20mg price comparison cialis
cialis 10mg vs 20mg https://cialisjla.com/ – cialis payment paypal buy cialis online
buy shop cialis 20mg https://cialishav.com/ – affordable cialis cialis in melbourne australia
when will generic cialis be available in the usa https://krocialis.com/ – cialis promise program cialis paypal online
generic cialis 40 mg https://ckacialis.com/ – viagra cialis combo cialis by mail
acquistare cialis online https://cialishav.com/ – brand cialis canadian pharmacy cheap cialis no prescription
canadian pharmacy reddit https://pharmacyken.com/ – online pharmacy ordering pharmacy rx world canada
price of cialis in pakistan https://ckacialis.com/ – cialis with dapoxetine to buy uk originalcialis
canada drugs online reviews vipps certified online canadian pharmacies first canadian pharmacy
tadalafil brands buy cialis pills tadalafil blood pressure tadalafil generic where to buy https://apcalisetadalafil.com/
Cardizem ER https://pharmacyken.com/ – is the canadian pharmacy legit canadian pharmacy no rx needed
order generic cialis online 20 mg 20 pills https://krocialis.com/ – cialis paypall how to order cialis
top online pharmacy 247 total care pharmacy canada viagra generic online pharmacy
where to buy tadalafil on line best price usa tadalafil tadalafil goodrx side effects for tadalafil https://cttadalafil.com/ – tadalafil order online no prescription
best online pharmacy xanax anti viral vasco rx specialty pharmacy
side effects of tadalafil best price usa tadalafil cialis tadalafil side effects for tadalafil https://tadacipetadalafil.com/
Gyne-Lotrimin prescription weight loss drugs spanish pharmacy online
tadalafil generic where to buy cialis at canadian pharmacy buy cialis buy cialis https://tadagatadalafil.com/
cialis without a prescription https://rcialisgl.com/ – were can i buy cialis uses for cialis other than ed
cost tadalafil generic https://tadagatadalafil.com/ tadalafil blood pressure side effects of tadalafil cialis at canadian pharmacy
what is the cost of viagra http://jokviagra.com/ how long does it take for viagra to work
cheap generic cialis for sale https://tadagatadalafil.com/ – side effects for tadalafil prescription tadalafil online tadalafil dosage best price usa tadalafil