Israel lobbies in US pushing for war on Syria

Scott Rickard, an American activist, believes that “pro-Israel lobbies” in the US are pushing Washington into waging a war on Syria.

“All the pro-Israel committees and all the pro-Israel lobbies” in the United States “are pushing forward toward war in Syria,” Rickard told Press TV on Sunday. “All of these influences have incredible access to government officials as well as Obama’s cabin,” he noted.

Rickard also said that any possible attack by the US on Syria would benefit the US military industrial complex. “You have quite a few of military industrial complex individuals that obviously make their money of a war and activities like that,” he stated.

Obama met with his national security team at the White House on Saturday to discuss reports of chemical weapons use in Syria.

On Wednesday, an alleged chemical attack killed hundreds of people in Syria. The Syrian government and the army categorically denied any role in the attack.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Obama had asked the Pentagon to prepare a range of military options for Syria.

The US Navy repositioned a ship armed with cruise missiles in the Mediterranean on Friday and moved forces closer to Syria in anticipation of a possible order for attack by the president.

Officers at the Pentagon also said they were updating target lists for potential airstrikes on a number of government and military installations in Syria, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Syrian government has allowed a UN inspection team, who is now in Syria, to examine the site near Damascus that came under the alleged attack on August 21.