Officials: US drones monitoring clashes in Syria

[IDemo]

By msnbc.com staff, NBC News and news services

"A good number" of unmanned U.S. military and intelligence drones are operating in the skies over Syria, monitoring the Syrian military's attacks against opposition forces and innocent civilians alike, U.S. defense officials tell NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski.

The officials said this surveillance is not in preparation for U.S. military intervention. Rather, the Obama administration hopes to use the overhead visual evidence and intercepts of Syrian government and military communications in an effort to "make the case for a widespread international response," the officials told Miklaszewski.

Unlike in Libya, there has been no widespread international support for military intervention in the country. And while there has been some discussion among White House, State Dept. and Pentagon officials about possible humanitarian missions, U.S. officials fear that those missions could not be carried out without endangering those involved and would almost certainly draw the United States into a military role in Syria.

On Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces renewed bombardment of the opposition stronghold of Homs and attacked rebels in Deraa, in blatant disregard of a U.N. resolution.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/17/10435915-officials-us-drones-monitoring-clashes-in-syria

[DocMac]

1. USA=Heman=Masters of the Universe. nt

[David__77]

2. Not sure if they would be smart to shoot them down or not.

Probably not, unless the drones are able to further identify mobile anti-aircraft sites. If so, attacking the drones would be smart. Syria actually has decent anti-aircraft capabilities. If not, and the drones don't actually help prepare for prospective intervention, then leave them alone, and conceal anti-aircraft capabilities is smarter.

[joshcryer]

4. They're well within their rights to do so, of course.

They're probably not the top of the line kind anyway, and the US is just being obtuse by violating their airspace (conventions muddled by the unmanned / manned aspect of these things).

But it's interesting to know that the situation is being watched. I'd be pleased if one day the data was made public (say, various attacks on protesters and insurgents alike) but I expect they don't want to reveal their capabilities, so that'd never happen. Maybe 50 years from now under FOIA.

[EX500rider]

5. "Syria actually has decent anti-aircraft capabilities."

Didn't seem so to the Israeli's when they bombed the secret reactor.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Hopefully Syria won't fly drones in US airspace?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. ...blatant disregard of a U.N. resolution?

What U.N. resolution? I thought China and Russia blocked any anti-Assad resolutions?

Anyway, it sounds like the Obama administration is spinning like crazy. This is not preparation for military intervention, but is to make the case for widespread international response.

Any response that is "non-military" will be ignored by Assad as a useless gesture.

Qaddafi was not going to step down without outside military intervention. The rebels were helpless without NATO military support. I suspect that Syria is the same.

[Nihil]

7. National sovereignty?

[Unaccountable]

8. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)