Fear of chemical warfare in Syria raises its head (Second Coming Watch Update #130)

Fear of chemical warfare in Syria raises its head. According to DEBKAfile, Tehran released a report on Sunday accusing Syrian rebels of arming themselves with chemical weapons originating in Libya. The report sent shudders of alarm through Western capitals and Israel and fears that Tehran and Damascus were preparing the grounds for the Assad regime to resort to chemical warfare to finally crush the rebels. Iran claimed, "Any report released on the Syrian Army's alleged use of chemical weapons is meant to pave the ground for the terrorists to use these weapons against the people and accuse the Syrian army and government of that crime." Three days earlier, on June 7, Syrian rebel sources charged that the Syrian air force planes had dropped poisonous substances over Deraa, Hama and Idlib which knocked people unconscious. This claim has not been verified.

Three people killed in series of church attacks in Nigeria. According to the Telegraph, militants attacked two churches in Nigeria on Sunday, spraying the congregation of one with bullets, killing three people, and blowing up a car in a suicide bombing at the other, injuring 41. There was no claim of responsibility. However, attacks on churches have become a trademark tactic of Islamist group Boko Haram, which says it is fighting to reinstate an ancient Muslim caliphate in northern Nigeria.

Cyber experts warn of 'intelligent weapons'. According to the AFP, quick advances in cyber war technologies could soon lead to a new generation of so-called "intelligent cyber weapons" which top global IT defence experts warn could be virtually unstoppable. Enn Tyugu, IT expert at the NATO Cyber Defence Centre said, "Rapid developments in cyber (technology) might lead to intelligent cyber weapons that are hard to control and it's practically impossible to use formal methods of verifying the safety of intelligent cyber weapons by their users."