Syria Prepares for U.S. Attack

Syria Prepares for U.S. Attack

The Assad regime prepared for a U.S. military attack on the capital, urging civilian evacuations, moving soldiers into vacant apartments and issuing new threats of retaliation.

The Wall Street Journal

 

A rebel fighter and a child crossadamaged bridge in the town of Deir Ezzor on Monday. The regime says it will retaliate for any foreign attacks.

The Syrian government warned residents to move away from military bases outside Damascus, as troops began to position themselves for what appeared to be the first time in residential neighborhoods in the city that are home to military and security installations and government offices.
Residents of the town of Mouadhamiyat al-Qalamoun, north of Damascus, said the military asked them to evacuate on Sunday the vicinity of a major base in the area likely to be targeted by any U.S. strikes.
And in the Damascus neighborhoods of Kfar Sousseh, Malki and Mezze, the military was moving into vacant apartments, say residents, including a building supervisor who said the army on Sunday told him to open empty apartments in his property. Many of the apartments' owners had evacuated the city over the course of the more than two-year-old conflict.
Several security agencies and key government offices, including the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are located in Kfar Sousseh, which is also a popular residential area with high-rise structures.
The military also beefed up checkpoints in the Kfar Sousseh area. Armored vehicles and trucks equipped with antiaircraft guns stood at intersections and inside alleyways.

Global Reaction

• Assad Warns France Against Strike
• Russia Rejects U.S. Evidence on Attack
• U.K. Has No Plans for Second Vote
• French Opposition Calls for Vote on Strike
• China Urges U.S. to Refrain From Action
• Saudis Urge Action on Syria
• Potential Strike Sends Families Fleeing

Washington Wire

• White House's Full-Court Press
• McCain, Graham Express New Optimism
• Kerry, Hagel to Testify on Tuesday
• Obama Plan Gets Cool GOP Reception
• Reid Calls for Senate Hearings Next Week
• Obama Sends Draft Legislation to Congress
• Transcript: Obama's Remarks on Syria
• Syrian Electronic Army Hacks Marines Site

The regime warned Syrians to beware of rumors which it said were part of possible psychological warfare that could be waged by the U.S. and its allies. This included "rumors about the escape of important people from the country" and "videos of people impersonating Syrian officials," read full-page advertisements in state newspapers.
Meanwhile a group of staunch regime supporters launched a campaign titled "over our dead bodies," which members said involves camping out in tents in areas likely to be targeted by U.S. military strikes.
On Monday, those Assad loyalists began erecting tents on Mount Qassioun, which overlooks Damascus and is used by the regime to pound rebel areas with heavy artillery and rocket launchers.
A few dozen people brandished Syrian flags and placards with messages including "Hands off Syria" and "Iraq lies not again" in front of local and international television cameras.
"We are not scared and we promise them that we will retaliate," said 20-year-old university student Ali Habib. "We will abandon our universities and head to war and confrontation."
The organizer, Ogarit Dandash, a Lebanese reporter with the pro-Syrian regime channel Al-Mayadeen, said hundreds of people from across Syria and neighboring Lebanon were joining the campaign and that it would be expanded in coming days to other locations that they believed were likely to be targeted by U.S. strikes.

Statements from everyone from White House spokespeople to John Kerry all seemed to be building towards an aggressive response to Syria without approval from Congress or the UN. But on Saturday plans took a dramatic shift.

"I have been in Syria for two years covering the dirty war and saw lots of soldiers killed in a very cruel way; he must think about he's doing in the Middle East," said Ms. Dandash referring to Mr. Obama.
The U.S., meanwhile, is standing by in the Mediterranean with five destroyers armed with cruise missiles and an amphibious ship with several hundred Marines on board in preparation for possible strikes on Syria in response to the alleged gas attacks.
Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, hasn't publicly commented on the U.S. allegations. Hezbollah, which like Mr. Assad's regime is backed by Iran, is classified by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
Hezbollah has played an instrumental role this year in helping Mr. Assad recapture from rebels territories in central Syria most notably around the capital Damascus and the province of Homs to the north. Experts say the Lebanese group and Syria have long-range missiles.
The Syrian lawmaker, Mr. Abboud, like most Syrian officials accuses rebels of carrying out last month's chemical-weapons attack. He said Mr. Obama's decision on Saturday to seek congressional approval before striking Syria was proof that "he reached a dead end."
In extracts of an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro released Monday, Mr. Assad also warned of the repercussions of a U.S. attack on Syria but was less specific.
"The Middle East is a powder keg and the fire is approaching," he said. "Everybody will lose control of the situation when the powder keg will explode. Chaos and extremism will spread. The risk of a regional war exists," he told Le Figaro.
—Inti Landauro and Nour Malas contributed to this article. Write to Sam Dagher at sam.dagher@wsj.com
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Syria Prepares for U.S. Attack