Following Thursday’s confirmation by the Secretary General of NATO [2] that Syria had fired Scud missiles, online activists have uploaded footage appearing to show President Assad's forces launching the ballistic weapons.One video [3], posted on YouTube on Friday, purports to show the Scud missiles launched from Douma, a city 10km to the north of the capital Damascus.
There has been no confirmation from NATO of Friday's launches as yet.
Head OF NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen [4], was quoted by Reuters on Thursday as saying that Scud missiles were fired last week, in "acts of a desperate regime approaching collapse".
Fears are growing that Assad could use the ballistic missile system to deliver a chemical attack. The United States has repeatedly said that the Syrian army using chemical weapons against civilians is a ‘red line’, which would prompt military action against Assad.
Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that chemical weapons have been used in the 21-month old conflict.
Links:
[1] http://www.syndigate.info
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_General_of_NATO
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_YI0jSPAc
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Fogh_Rasmussen
[5] http://www.albawaba.com