I’m not sure how credible is this new, but it is a possibility.
THE DAILY STAR :: News :: Middle East :: U.S. military draws up further Syria options: report
BEIRUT: Detailed plans developed to carry out military action against Syria have been drawn up by the Pentagon and could be implemented upon orders by President Barack Obama, CNN, quoting a senior U.S. official, has reported.
The crucial progress in military planning comes after several weeks of initial analysis by the Pentagon of what the official says are a “full range of options,” CNN said.
“The detailed plans for each option include more precise concepts of how a variety of operations could be carried out, as well as estimates of the numbers of personnel, types of units and military equipment and weapons that could potentially be needed,” the report published Tuesday said.
Despite the planning, Pentagon officials from across the board highlighted that it would be highly problematic to involve the U.S. army in any scenario as long as the violence in Syria remained unchecked.
“There are lots of ideas floating around,” the official told the American cable network.
“But all of them require heavy lifting.”
The official noted that both at the political and military levels, involvement of U.S. troops would be difficult in such a sensitive part of the world.
However, he added, administration and military commanders are still actively considering what to do.
“We want to understand what is the art of the possible,” the official said.
Should the American president consider to order any type of action, more planning and deployment orders would be some of the further steps taken, the report said, adding that several officials noted the Obama administration was considering whether there was anything the U.S. military can or should do to facilitate humanitarian assistance.
Syria, headed by President Bashar Assad since 2000, has been shaken since mid-March 2011, when a brutal crackdown was launched against protesters calling for reforms in the tightly controlled state.