US ‘huddling’ with Israel, other allies as Assad’s forces ‘load chemical weapons into bombs

’Syrian troops reportedly began mixing components over the weekend; ‘remote’ danger of chemical weapons being fired into Israel, CNN contributor notes

Syria’s military is ready to use chemical weapons against its own people and has prepared the necessary components, US TV stations reported on Wednesday evening, citing US officials and intelligence sources.

Regime forces are now awaiting orders from President Bashar Assad to use the weaponry, NBC reported. Concern in the region “is growing by the hour,” CNN said. ”It doesn’t get more serious than this.”

Washington is “huddling” with its allies, including Israel, over how to grapple with the danger, according to CNN. US intelligence, Israeli intelligence and other agencies were “working this problem round the clock,” it said.

A chemical attack on a city like Homs in western Syria, with a population of about a million, could wipe out a third of the city in a few hours, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer told the station.

Baer also noted that with Al-Qaeda reportedly “on the ground” in Syria, there was a “remote” danger of chemical weapons being fired into Israel. There were “all sorts of disastrous scenarios,” he said. “They’re remote, but it’s a possibility.”

CNN said the Pentagon was fully focused on the Syrian chemical weapons threat, and was coordinating with Israel, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Officials were working on “targeting options” to present to the president, to try to stop the Syrians using the weaponry. The problem is that, if the chemicals have indeed been mixed, then firing on them would release the chemical agents, potentially causing catastrophe, CNN reported.

Assad’s military has “load..

[link to www.timesofisrael.com]