Explosion near Damascus triggers large blackouts for Syria

Much of Syria was hit by a power cut late Wednesday following a blast near Damascus’s international airport. Syria’s electricity minister said, “A terrorist attack on a gas pipeline that feeds a power station in the south has led to a power outage.” According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, rebel fighters fired on a gas pipeline near the airport causing anexplosion. Residents and activists reported seeing a large fire, though it is unclear if there have been any casualties. Damascus and southern Syria have seen several blackouts since fighting erupted in 2011, and many rebel-held regions of the country have been without electricity for months. Meanwhile, the Syrian government is expected to deliver its disarmament plan by Thursday to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in accordance with the U.S. and Russian-led deal for the elimination of Syria’s chemical arsenal. Additionally, Syrian authorities have released an estimated 61 female prisoners in the past two days in part of a three-way prisoner exchange.

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/24/explosion_near_damascus_triggers_large_blackouts_for_syria

Assad suggests Middle East terrorist groups could respond to strike with chemical weapons—Fox News

Syrian President Bashar Assad, warning to “expect everything” as a response to any U.S. strike against his country, appeared to be hoping to use veiled threats to influence a U. S. public already wary about taking action. His comments came in an interview with Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning.” When asked if “everything” included chemical warfare, Assad replied, “That depends. If the rebels or the terrorists in this region, or any other group have it, it could happen, I don’t know. I am not a fortune teller.” The Syrian dictator could have been referring to a range of possibilities. One was perhaps Hezbollah in Lebanon, with its expanded arsenal of more than 60,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking Israel. According to the Israeli Defense Force, Hezbollah built up its missile stockpile after the 2006 conflict with Israel and now has missiles that could reach Eilat. In recent days, the leader of Hezbollah in neighboring Iraq threatened that Iraq’s Shi’ite groups, would attack U.S. targets in the Gulf, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. Read more here.

Attack on Syria may trigger terrorists acts against U.S., Israel—WashTimes

(08-28-13) “With the White House closer to launching a surgical military strike on Syria, questions swirl over the extent to which such an attack could trigger a wave of terrorism directed at the U.S. and Israel. Some analysts say that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia fighting in support of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, likely would be inspired to ramp up operations in Iran’s “shadow war” with the U.S. and its allies.” Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/26/attack-on-syria-could-trigger-terrorists-acts-agai/#ixzz2dKBi1QFg