Putin Backs The U.S. Into A Corner, But The Ultimate Outcome May Be False Flag Chemical Attack On Israel

This whole scenario has taken another dramatic turn today. Based upon the articles below, we can see a summary of action points:

- Kerry issues a statement (obviously assuming this proposal would be impossible) that Syria could avoid this conflict by giving up its chemical weapons within a week.

- Putin, knowing that this situation actually has nothing to do with chemical weapons, offers to broker a deal with Syria to give Kerry his request - and has both Russia and Syria come out with statements that they can comply with this. You may call this "check-mate" and frankly this part of the story is actually pretty hilarious. 

- Realizing the corner that the U.S. is now backed into, Kerry offers a weak statement that he doesn't trust Syria to comply and that he didn't really mean what he said - which is so feeble and so ridiculous and so disingenuous you have to laugh. Putin knew quite well that the U.S. would be painted into a corner and now the U.S. is in a lose-lose scenario. If the U.S. does attack, Putin comes across as the peace-maker and Obama comes across as the irrational war-monger. If the U.S. backs down, then Syria probably wins this civil war and Putin gets his pipeline. 

On a serious note however, a development is also taking place which could easily lead to the prophetic wars. if Obama backs down, then there is new evidence that the rebels may launch chemical weapons into Israel, in an act of desperation, from Assad controlled territories in order to give the appearance of Assad 'attacking' Israel. How interesting. 

Zero Hedge summarizes this in the most efficient manner:

Summary Of The Syrian Situation

To paraphrase:

• Kerry to Syria: Turn over your chemical weapons!
• Syria to Kerry: Ok
• Kerry to Syria: I was being rhetorical. We will just bomb you anyway, as soon as we are done gassing you.

Russia To Push Syria To Surrender Chemical Weapons

In a surprise move, Russia promised Monday to push its ally Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control and then dismantle them quickly to avert U.S. strikes.

The announcement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came a few hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that Syrian President Bashar Assad could resolve the crisis surrounding the alleged use of chemical weapons by his forces by surrendering control of "every single bit" of his arsenal to the international community by the end of the week.

Kerry added that he thought Assad "isn't about to do it," but Lavrov, who just wrapped a round of talks in Moscow with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem, said that Moscow would try to convince the Syrians.

"If the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes, we will immediately start working with Damascus," Lavrov said.

"We are calling on the Syrian leadership to not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on its subsequent destruction and fully joining the treaty on prohibition of chemical weapons," he said.

Lavrov said that he has already handed over the proposal to al-Moallem and expects a "quick, and, hopefully, positive answer."

Syria Welcomes Russia's Offer To Put Its Chemical Weapons Under International Control

Damascus welcomes Russia’s call to hand control over its chemical weapons to the international community, the Syrian Foreign Minister said responding to Sergey Lavrov's statement after the two met in the Russian capital.

“Syrian Arab Republic welcomes Russia’s initiative, based on the Syrian’s government care about the lives of our people and security of our country,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said in response to the statement by his Russian counterpart. 

The UN chief has called for measures to provide for the safe storage and destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal. 

“I am sure that the international community will take quick measures to make sure that these chemical weapons reserves are stored in a safe place and are to be destroyed,” Ban Ki-moon said.

Kerry To Russia: Syria Comments Were Not A Proposal

US Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Monday that earlier comments about Syria averting a US strike by turning over its chemical weapons were rhetorical and not meant as a proposal, a senior US official said.

In a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kerry voiced “serious skepticism” when Lavrov offered to explore the idea, reported Reuters. Kerry said the US would take a look at any serious proposal, but that it wouldn’t stop White House efforts to obtain Congressional authorization for the use of force against the Bashar Assad regime.

A possible diplomatic solution to avoid a US military strike arose Monday when Syria swiftly welcomed a suggestion floated by Kerry to move all of the country’s chemical weapons under international control.

The White House, expressing deep doubts about Assad’s intentions, continued to build its case for military action.

Kerry told reporters in London early Monday that Assad could resolve the crisis surrounding the use of chemical weapons by surrendering control of “every single bit” of his arsenal to the international community by the end of the week.

Hours later, the Russian foreign minister promised to push Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control and then dismantle them quickly to avert US action. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem immediately embraced the proposal.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged acceptance, and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Lavrov’s proposal “deserves close examination.”

And state Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US had “serious skepticism” about Syria’s statement because it might be merely a stalling tactic. She said Syria had consistently refused to destroy its chemical weapons in the past.

In fact, she said the developments made it even more important for Congress to authorize the use of force against Syria as a means for pushing Assad to actually get rid of chemical weapons stocks.

RT Sources: Syrian Rebels Plan Chemical Attack On Israel From Assad-Controlled Territories

A chemical attack may be launched on Israel by Syrian rebels from government-controlled territories as a "major provocation," multiple sources told RT.

The report comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovproposed that Syria puts its chemical weapons arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction in order to prevent a possible military strike against the war-torn country.

Moscow also urged Syrian authorities to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The offer has already been passed over to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who met Lavrov in Moscow for talks on Monday. 

“We don’t know if Syria will accept the offer, but if imposing international control over chemical weapons stored in the country can help to avoid military strikes, we are immediately going to start working with Damascus,” Lavrov said. 

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has welcomed Moscow's initiative, “based on the Syrian’s government care about the lives of our people and security of our country,” Muallem said later on Monday.  

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice made a statement saying that Damascus' alleged "use of chemical weapons against its own people" posed a threat to US national security. “The use of chemical weapons also directly threatens our closest ally in the region, Israel,” she said, speaking at the New America Foundation in Washington. 

The statement was made shortly after RT published a report about the possibility of a chemical provocation. 

A few hours earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that to avoid a military operation, Syrian President Bashar Assad has a week to surrender control of “every single bit” of his stock of chemical weapons to the international community. “But he isn't about to do it and it can't be done,” he added, speaking at a media conference in London as he wrapped up his European tour in a move to garner support for the Obama-proposed “limited” strike against Syria.

The US Administration has blamed the Syrian government for the alleged chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. Washington has maintained it has the intelligence to prove it, but has so far refused to make public a single piece of concrete evidence that would link the Assad regime to the deadly incident. 

On Sunday, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee released a series of 13 videos showing what is purported to be proof of chemical weapons use in Syria. The disturbing images of the victims of the alleged attack were earlier shown during a closed-door briefing to a group of senators, as Obama is trying to get authorization from Congress for the military strike on Syria. The administration told senators that the authenticity of the videos was verified by the intelligence community, reported CNN, which first aired the graphic material.

The videos depict scenes of convulsing children, men vomiting and struggling to breathe, and also what appeared to be dozens of dead bodies wrapped up in white sheets, lying side by side. But the footage still does not provide an answer to the question of who was behind the attack. The Syrian government and the opposition forces point the finger of blame at each other. 

It also remains unclear as to why exactly President Assad would order a chemical attack at a time when a group of UN experts were carrying out an investigation in the country.

There is proof the footage of the alleged chemical attack in Syria was fabricated, Mother Agnes Mariam el-Salib, mother superior of the St. James Monastery in Qara, Syria, told RT. She added that she plans to submit her findings to the UN. 

Also see:

Obama: I Might Lose Congressional Vote On Syria

Syria Says It 'Welcomes' Russia Proposal On Chemical Weapons

The Way Out?