Hagel meets Morsy in Egypt, addresses Syria chemical weapons

Source : Egypt Independent

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday the US effort to determine whether Syria has used chemical weapons is a "serious business" that cannot be decided in a rush just because several countries believe evidence supports that conclusion.

"Suspicions are one thing, evidence is another," Hagel told reporters as he wrapped up a visit to Egypt that included talks about Syria and other regional issues.

"I think we have to be very careful here before we make any conclusions (and) draw any conclusions based on real intelligence. That's not at all questioning other nations' intelligence. But the United States relies on its own intelligence."

A statement from Egypt’s presidency Wednesday confirmed that President Mohamed Morsy met with Hagel and discussed the Syria conflict.

According to the statement, Morsy pointed to a consensus among regional and international parties on the importance of reaching a political settlement for the Syrian crisis in order to stop the bloodshed, prevent sectarian division, and maintain the unity of Syrian territory.

The United States has warned that any chemical weapons use by Syria, now convulsed by civil war, would cross a "red line" that would trigger some unspecified response.

Hagel rejected suggestions the United States was undermining its credibility by saying it was continuing to assess the issue, even as France, Britain and Israel have concluded evidence suggests chemical arms have been used in Syria's conflict.

A top Israeli military intelligence officer said on Tuesday that evidence supported the conclusion Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons - probably sarin - several times against rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The officer's remarks came in the final moments of a three-day visit by Hagel to Israel.

Syria's information minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday that Damascus would not resort to chemical weapons against its own citizens or even in the event of war with its neighbor Israel.

Hagel, who had not previously commented on the Israeli report, said that while he had discussed the Syrian conflict and chemical weapons with Israeli leaders, he had not been given the findings cited by the intelligence officer.

"When I was in Israel they did not give me that assessment. I guess it wasn't complete so I haven't seen the specifics, haven't talked to any Israeli officials, nor have I talked to any of our intelligence officials specifically about it."

US defense officials said it wasn't immediately clear whether the intelligence report reflected the final conclusions of the Israeli government or simply the Israeli military.

Hagel declined to elaborate on his discussions about Syrian chemical weapons with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.

Asked whether the assessments by France, Britain and Israel put pressure on Washington to make a judgment more quickly, Hagel said, "I don't think you judge these kinds of serious matters based on a time line.

"This is serious business and you want to be as sure as you can be on these kind of things, and until I see our intelligence assessments and the results of those, I can't respond any further," he said.

The Syrian government and rebels each accused the other of launching a chemical attack near the embattled city of Aleppo last month.

Syrian authorities last year acknowledged having chemical and biological weapons and said they could be used if foreign countries intervened in the conflict, a threat that elicited strong warnings from Washington and its allies.

Hagel’s visit to Egypt also addressed the Israel-Palestine, with Morsy stressing during the meeting the need to reach a just and comprehensive settlement that took into account the legitimate rights of the Palestinians.

Egypt’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also attended the meeting.

Report: Pentagon upgrades its ‘bunker buster’ bomb to combat Iran

Source : Alarabiya.net English

Al Arabiya -

The world’s largest conventional bomb, known as the “bunker buster,” has been reportedly upgraded by the United States in recent weeks, according to media reports on Friday.

The reports stated the Pentagon showed a video of the upgrade to their Israeli counterparts, “in an effort to reassure them that the U.S. still has an effective military option against Tehran’s nuclear program,” The Telegraph reported.

The 20ft long, 1ft wide bomb, official named the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, now features a new design of explosive fuses to enable it to penetrate bunker depths.

The report highlighted Fordow mountain complex, where Iran is enriching uranium that could be used to make a nuclear bomb, as a possible target.

A series of “bunker buster” bombs have been developed with varying designs depending on the target, The Telegraph reported.

“The new bunker buster has a fusing system that will withstand impact with the more than 100ft of earth and concrete that shields the chambers housing the equipment at Fordow, allowing it to penetrate deeper before exploding,” the report stated.

Chuck Hagel, the U.S. defense secretary, promised Israel during a visit last month that the US would look more closely at options for a a military attack on Iran.

On Friday, the United States said that both Iran and North Korea are trying to obtain high-tech materials linked to their nuclear programs, in violation of U.N. sanctions.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador, Ron Prosor, warned last week against the continued advancement of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Addressing a session of the Security Council, Prosor said that Iran’s nuclear arms program is “hurtling forward at the speed of an express train, while the international community’s attempts to stop it are advancing at the rate of a local bus.”

“As the centrifuges in Iran continue to spin,” he added, “the Iranian regime has the international spinning with lies and manipulations.” “Iran is the greatest threat to the region’s stability,” he stressed.

White House says the US may use military force against Syria

Via : Strategic-Culture.org

The White House says President Barack Obama may approve using military force against the Syrian government.

On Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration has a number of options with regards to handling reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons, and those include using military force among other possibilities.

Fielding a question from the media during the afternoon presser, Carney said he could not speculate on what action if any Pres. Obama would pursue against Assad, but said “as a general principal the United States retains the ability to act unilaterally.”

Just one day earlier, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US intelligence community determined “with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons.” The White House sent a letter to members of the US Senate that morning informing lawmakers that Pres. Assad is believed to have used the odorless liquid sarin on at least two occasions.

"Thus far, we believe that the Assad regime maintains custody of these weapons, and has demonstrated a willingness to escalate its horrific use of violence against the Syrian people," the letter read in part.

Following up on Friday, Carney said, “We still believe based on the information that we have that the stockpiles of chemical weapons in Syria are under control of the Syrian regime.”

“Because of that, Assad is responsible for the disposition of those chemical weapons and it is his responsibility first and foremost not to use them or to transport them to terrorist groups, but to secure them and make sure they aren’t used by anyone else.”

“That’s all I can really say about it. That’s our assessment at this time,” said Carney, adding that the Obama administration is working with allies and partners, including the United Nations and the Syrian opposition, to gather credible facts to corroborate earlier reports.

Israeli, U.S. defense chiefs conclude arms deal amid growing unrest in Mideast

Source : Xinhuanet

JERUSALEM, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli and U.S. defense chiefs on Monday announced 10 billion U.S. dollars' sale of U.S. arms aimed at ensuring the Jewish state's military superiority in the Middle East amid the region's growing unrest.

Reiterating his country's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the deal included the supply of anti-radiation missiles and advanced radars for fighter jets, KC-135 refueling aircraft and V-22 Osprey troop and cargo transport planes.

"We took another significant step in the U.S.-Israel defense relationship," Hagel said at a joint news conference with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon in Tel Aviv, adding that the new arms would ensure Israel's capability to preserve its air superiority in the coming decades.

The V-22, which to date has not been sold to any foreign country, will provide the Israeli Air Force with long-range, high- speed capabilities "to deal with a number of threats and contingencies," Hagel said.

The Pentagon chief arrived in Israel on Sunday on the first leg of his week-long Middle East tour that includes stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It is also Hagel's first official visit to the country since entering his post earlier this year, and Iran's nuclear program topped the agenda of his meetings with Israeli leaders, as well as Syria's civil war and other regional issues.

In remarks to reporters on his flight from Washington overnight Sunday, Hagel said the arms sale to Israel was "a clear message" to Iran, which poses "a threat, a real threat."

He underscored that Israel's right to exercise its right to self-defense against Iran's nuclear drive, echoing comments made by U.S. President Barack Obama, who said during his visit here last month that Israel has the right "to defend itself, by itself. "

"In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table," said Hagel, who in the past stated that he saw "no viable, feasible" military option against Tehran.

Asked whether Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities on its own, Hagel said that Israel is a sovereign nation and "every sovereign nation has a right to defend itself."

Ya'alon, for his part, said that while Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue, its strategy regarding Iran is that its military nuclear project "must be stopped."

"We believe that the military option (to curb Iran's nuclear program) should be a means of last resort... But without a credible military option, there is no chance that the Iran regime will stop it" on its own," said Ya'alon.

Turning to the ongoing civil war in Syria, Ya'alon said that Israel has drawn "very clear red lines" to the administration of President Bashar Assad, the first of which is that it won't allow the delivery of advanced weapons to "rogue elements" like Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah and global jihadists who have joined the Syrian insurgency.

"And we proved it. When they crossed this red line we operated, we acted," said Ya'alon, alluding to Israel's alleged involvement in an airstrike in late January that targeted a convoy on the Syria- Lebanon border carrying anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah.

Regarding Israel's growing concerns about Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons, Ya'alon said that attempts to deliver such weapons into the hands of Hezbollah or other militant groups would constitute the crossing of a red line that would warrant Israeli military action.

Asked about conflicting assessments by different governments about whether or not the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians, Hagel said that intelligence agencies in both Israel and the United States are currently assessing "what happened, what did not happen" and warned that "the use of chemical weapons would be a game ch