Consensus Syria News Today

States of israel and they all brought the same messages. the messages that the united states stands four square behind israels security. the united states supports escapeddials right to defend itself. >> and a top defense official in jerusalem just this week said tehran, the iranian leaders are watching what is going on in syria. >> i cant speak for any anonymous defense official. i know what iranians have seen in issuesial over the -- in israel over is the last month alone. every official from ...

Iran is watching. president obama said that he would not allow eran to develop a nuke capability which is an intelligence matter. i dont have to tell you is a much more difficult thing to assess than whether or not there has been a use of chemical weapons. if the president backs off as he appears to be from the red line and enormous consequences in syria what do you think of the lesson that is being seen by the mullahs in tehran? >> the chemical threat is serious. but you it is of a typically di...

Use of chemical weapons. this is going to be a long-term proposition. it is not going be something that is solved easily overnight. >> chris: i understand you are not calling for any action. is your government troubled at all that red lines and enormous consequences have now you become a "long-term proposition"? >> we have a different red line entirely. if the syrian regime tries to transfer chemical weapons or what we call game changing weapons to the is systems in lebanon israel will react and...

With you -- always a pleasure to talk with you, sir. thanks for coming in today. >> my pleasure. >> chris: we ten the conversation with the sunday group. what should the u.s. do about chemical weapons in syria and what does it mean for iran and the rest of the middle east?

Paying much more of a price for inaction than action. >> cross the line you got to do something. whatever it is may not directly affect the chemical weapons use but if it harms the regimes prospects in the war that would at least be a consequence and at least keep the red lien pledge from being hollow. a know fly zone would do that. expensive and dangerous. >> chris: and syrian antiaircraft. >> this isnt mix impossible. just a costly military enterprise that the president seems loath to underis ...

The opening -- i was thinking about the library. the fact is the economy itself, the fact that we are talking much more now about syria and we are tacking about guns and we are talking about some of the other issues. we havent talked about the fact that the gdp has also been hit and the fact that we still are looking for economic growth that is not there yet. for this president he is in a position right now, where the american public wants to see more than anything a discussion about the thing t...

>> chris: also syrias political factors here. if you believe the polls the american people do not want to get involved in another land war or any kind of military involvement in another middle east country. on the other hand as i was discussing with brit if you say there is a red line. >> right, this is a red line. >> chris: and somebody crosses it, is there a price to not doing anything? >> brit is right. the question of where is the cost. politically in a different position certainly than wher...

And that is if the united states decides to arm syrian rebels with lethal weaponry, not just defensive weaponry, that those weapons and those rebels be very carefully vetted. we had a very bad experience with libya where shoulder fired appearing quickly and showed up in our backyard and we dont want that to happen again in syria. >> chris: lets talk about the military component and what syria has. intelligence estimates are that 1,000-tons are chemical weapons including serin nerve agent, mustar...

The tsarnaev brothers were linked to foreign elements? >> not that i know. >> chris: what you tell us about the chechen link to radical islam? >> they have many branches throughout the entire world. we see international jihadists feeing in syria. we have seen how international jihaddist elements have moved from peninsula into syria. and they come from different nationalities. we had terrorist attacks across our borders in the south where participants havent been palestinians or egyptians. saudis...

Syria used chemical weapons an easier matter than acertaining whether iran has nuclear weapons which is behind door. and this this kind of air tight case and proof much harder to assess. if he fails to act now what do you think is the message to the mullahs in iran? >> this is not a president who wants to start another war. that is the way he sees it. i think is is totally irresponsible. no one wants to start wars. the public be is at 39% or 60%. what is happening in syria is a very serious matt...