Obama Told Israel Attack on Syria Was Imminent on August 31

Said War Would Begin That Weekend

Underscoring President Obama’s dramatic overestimation of his administration’s ability to sell a war against Syria to the American public, Israeli officials have revealed that they were contacted by the US on August 31 and told an attack was imminent, and would begin in the next “24-48 hours.”

In the face of massive popular opposition and growing demands from Congress to be consulted on the war, Secretary of State John Kerry delivered an afternoon speech on Friday, August 31 insisting the war was “necessary.”

The administration apparently figured it was a slam dunk, and told Israel immediately after the speech that the war was coming that weekend, something that media outlets were also reporting.

On September 1, President Obama changed his tune, and insisted that the war would happen after a Congressional authorization, which at the time was expected to come in short order. The administration also played up a planned speech that would make Americans “want” to attack Syria.

Every speech that was supposed to finally convince everyone of the war came and went, and opposition grew. Congress never even bothered to vote, because it was clear the vote would be lost by the hawkish leadership.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.