Germany refuses to join potential strike on Syria

Notwithstanding pervasive reports that chemical weapons attacks have been inflicted on Syrian civilians, Germany announces that it will not participate in a military response there.

By: Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that although Germany “support[s] … that everything is being done to send a signal that this use of chemical weapons is not acceptable,” the nation won’t participate in military action in Syria.

Russia, meanwhile, continues to maintain that reports of chemical weapons used in the Saturday attack on rebel-held Douma are false. Russian news agency Tass reported on Tuesday that according to the country’s Defense Ministry, it was a civil defense group called the White Helmets that alleged that chlorine bombs were dropped on the town — and that this organization was “known for its fake news.”

The Russian agency did not refer to any of the eye-witness reports on the bombing and its aftermath that were publicized in Western media from other aid organizations.

Those sources reported finding dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of patients coming to hospitals smelling of chlorine and suffering from respiratory distress, foaming at the mouth, blue skin or lips, and burning eyes – all signs of exposure to toxic gas.

President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman dismissed the Russian position outright, saying Wednesday, “The intelligence provided certainly paints a different picture. The president holds Syria and Russia responsible for this chemical weapons attack.”

Russia was one of the main countries that protected Syria from an American-led strike in 2013 after the regime was suspected of using sarin in a previous attack that killed hundreds of citizens. Some claimed that Russia’s protection verified that Assad had in fact handed over the country’s complete chemical arsenal.