Accusations that Syrian President Assad recently dumped deadly sarin gas on his own people are now coming from the U.S., Israel, the UK, and France.

Sarin is a nerve toxin so deadly that just one drop can kill a grown man. The fatality typically comes from cardiac arrest or suffocation, as overstimulated muscles around the heart and lungs eventually seize and stop working altogether.

Those lethally exposed can also foam at the mouth and fall into spasms. With a high enough dose, death can occur in just one minute. Even a low dose can cause permanent neurological damage.

On Tuesday General Itai Brun, chief of the research division of Israel's army intelligence branch, said that Assad deployed chemical weapons against rebel forces outside of Aleppo on March 19. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani quickly followed Israel with their own accusations.

American intelligence assets on the ground tested blood samples from multiple victims of the attack, and the results were positive for sarin, according to sources of Wired's Danger Room.

The British established that Assad's forces had fired artillery shells containing sarin into rebel-held bunkers, Anthony Loyd of The London Times reports.

Loyd, reporting for the Times from Aleppo, spoke with survivors and doctors who treated the 17 casualties in addition to examining video footage shot in the immediate aftermath of the alleged attacks.

From The Times (emphasis ours):

The Syrian regime prefers to gas its opponents in this small-scale way, testing the elasticity of President Obama’s “red line”, the words Mr. Obama used in August to warn Damascus against the use of chemical weapons. In this way the regime avoids large-scale massacre and allows the West enough room to prevaricate over the issue of intervention.

It's unclear what the international response will be since the West has become increasingly concerned about the specter of al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels filling the vacuum if Assad is toppled. 

On Thursday U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the "red line"— which President Barack Obama said would be a "game-changer"— is a "policy question" as opposed to an intelligence one.

After Hagel's remarks, Syrian journalist Hassan Hassan tweeted: "US experts discovered that the red colour is actually pink. #ObamaRedLines"

After two costly protracted conflicts, America may not be in such a hurry to get involved in another one — no matter how light the commitment.

As Century Foundation fellow Stephen Schlesinger writes:

"A president has a right to change his position on a matter like this given the awful consequences of intervention."

Check out the video (WARNING: GRAPHIC):

CHECK OUT: Assad Thinks He's Winning The Syrian War — And He May Be Right

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President Barack Obama said Friday that reports of Syria's reported use of chemical weapons will be a "game changer" that will affect his administration's response to the country's two-year civil war. 

"To use weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line in terms of international norms and laws," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office, according to a White House pool report. 

"That's going to be a game changer." 

Asked whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had crossed a "red line" by using chemical weapons, however, Obama hedged carefully: 

"Knowing that there's chemical weapons in Syria doesn't tell us when they were used or how they were used. We ourselves will be putting a lot of resources on this," he said, according to the pool report.  "A line has been crossed when we are seeing tens of thousands killed by the regime."

"For the Syrian Government to use chemical weapons on its people will change my calculus," Obama added. "This is not an on and off switch, it's an on going challenge that all of us have to work with."

Earlier Friday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also took steps to hedge the administration's claim that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against the opposition.

"We are continuing to work to build on the assessments made by the intelligence community, that the degrees of confidence here are varying, that this is not an airtight case,"Carney told reporters. 

Still, it seems unlikely that the chemical weapons reports are false. Three other countries — the United Kingdom, France, and Israel — have all reported that Syria has used chemical weapons, and on Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the administration has "varying degrees of confidence" in reports that Syria has engaged in "small scale" use of sarin gas,

Back in August, Obama warned the Assad regime that using chemical weapons would cross a "red line," but his administration has never said exactly what it would do if that line is crossed.

SEE ALSO: This Is What Happens To Someone Hit By The Nerve Toxin Allegedly Used By Assad

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Barack Obama's latest statement with regard to Syrian chemical weapon use indicates that Assad would have to gas more people to get a reaction out of the U.S.

Here's an excerpt from Reuters:

"Horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law," Obama told reporters at the White House.

"That is going to be a game changer. We have to act prudently. We have to make these assessments deliberately. But I think all of us ... recognize how we cannot stand by and permit the systematic use of weapons like chemical weapons on civilian populations," he said.

Obama's subtle retreat hangs on the word systematic.

As Spencer Ackerman writes at Wired "Obama has now implied it would take a widespread use of the chemicals to prompt the U.S. to involve itself more deeply in the rebel effort to overthrow Assad."

Obama also maintains that we're still in the fact-gathering stage.

The Guardian's Ewen MacAskill writes: "The Obama administration is playing for time, passing responsibility to the United Nations – both to establish whether chemical weapons were used and what action, if necessary, should be taken."

After two costly protracted conflicts, America may not be in such a hurry to get involved in another one — no matter how light the commitment.

Needless to say, some plans have already been partially implemented. There are U.S. troops in Jordan, and Patriot Missiles in Turkey — indicating that a no-fly zone and possibly a Jordanian-led attempt to secure chemical weapons may be options should intervention occur.

SEE ALSO:  This Is What Happens To Someone Hit By The Nerve Toxin Allegedly Used By Assad

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Across a variety of Sunday shows this morning, Republican lawmakers urged President Barack Obama to take further action in Syria, three days after the U.S. revealed intelligence that suggests President Bashar al-Assad's regime has used chemical weapons.

The lawmakers urged an international response by the end of the year. Or, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned, the "whole region's going to fall into chaos."

Graham seemed to warn that if the U.S. doesn't act, terrorist attacks involving chemical weapons could occur in the U.S.

"If we don't change course in Syria, it's going to become a failed state by the end of the year," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"It's fracturing along sectarian ethnic lines, it's going to be an al-Qaeda safe haven. The second thing is the chemical weapons, enough to kill millions of people, are going to be compromised and fall into the wrong hands and the next bomb that goes off in America might not have nails and glass in it."

Obama said Friday that Syria's use of chemical weapons will be a "game-changer" in his approach to the conflict. But Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) chided Obama for his approach, saying his "red line" approach gave Assad a "green light" to do too much.

"The president drew a red line on chemical weapons, thereby giving a green light to Bashar al-Assad to do anything short of that," McCain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said on CBS that no options should be ruled out in a response, including putting troops in Syria. McCain, though, said that would be the "worst thing" the U.S. could do to respond, since animosity toward America remains high in the region.

Watch a clip of McCain on "Meet the Press" below, via NBC:

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There is evidence that troops loyal to Syrian Bashar al-Assad have used chemical weapons, and U.S. lawmakers are urging President Obama to respond.

It's not that simple.

The military options range from one-off missile strikes on infrastructure linked to chemical weapons, to funneling more weapons in rebel hands, to to carving out no-fly zones, and even as far as putting 20,000 U.S. troops in Jordan for a ground invasion.

All carry risks. Invasion has its obvious drawbacks (which the U.S. learned in Iraq), and establishing a humanitarian area in the north by destroying Syrian air defenses and artillery may have the same effect.

"Once you set up a military no-fly zone or safe zone, you're on a slippery slope, mission creep and before you know it, you have boots on the ground," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, told Reuters. "Or you end up like Libya where you don't really have a control mechanism for the end-game, should you end up with chaos."

The CIA is already working with elite counterterrorism units in Iraq, training rebels in Jordan on how to identify and safeguard chemical weapons, funneling weapons to Syrian rebels from southern Turkey, feeding intelligence to moderate rebels, and even scoping out targets for potential drone strikes.

But last week U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned that "no international or regional consensus on supporting armed intervention now exists."

Syria's neighbors — Israel, Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan— are reluctant, and the West has become increasingly concerned about the increasing power of al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels.

The U.K. is pushing for increased support for the opposition "to make sure we are supporting people with good motives who want a good outcome, to put pressure on that regime so we can bring it to an end."

Experts say the only proportional military responseto limited chemical weapons use would be striking units responsible — akin to Israel's strike on a suspected weapons convoy bound for Hezbollah militias in Lebanon.

"[A one-off strike] would demonstrate to Assad that there is a cost to using these weapons — the problem so far is that there's been no cost to the regime from their actions," Jeffrey White, a former senior official at the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency and current defense fellow at the Washington Institute For Near East Policy, told Reuters.

Even a one-off strike would surely anger Russia and Iraq, and there may be some form of retaliation on U.S. interests in the region from Syria, Iran, or Hezbollah.

So even though Obama received criticism for moving his "red line," Century Foundation fellow Stephen Schlesinger may be right:

"A president has a right to change his position on a matter like this given the awful consequences of intervention."

SEE ALSO:  This Is What Happens To Someone Hit By The Nerve Toxin Allegedly Used By Assad

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The Free Syrian Army (FSA) reports that Israeli fighter jets slipped into Damascus over the weekend and bombed a chemical weapons depot outside the city.

Neither Damascus nor Jerusalem have yet confirmed the attack, according to UPI.

According to The Jewish Press (JP) "many" reports came in over the weekend confirming the mission. Sources told the JP Israeli jets arrived over Damascus early Saturday morning and circled Assad's presidential compound before moving on to target the weapons site.

The Israeli jets reportedly received fire but returned to base unscathed.

The Lebanese Daily Star confirms heavy FSA fighting occurred near the plant, the Scientific Studies and Research Center, but troops lacked the resources to breach the heavily fortified site.

Back in January, Israel bombed a Syrian convoy that may have departed from this center.

Regardless of the details, it appears to have been another deadly weekend in Syria.

The country's Network for Human Rights reports 88 deaths on Sunday aloneincluding 12 children, eight women, five torture victims and 35 armed rebels. The organization said 23 of the deaths occurred in Aleppo, 16 in and around Damascus, 13 in Idlib, 12 in Hama, 10 in Homs, and nine in Daraa.

Update: Confirmation of the attack from Israel is yet to be released. El Arabiya reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his ministers to stay silent on anything relating to Syria.

Fox News posted a video interview with Israeli ambassador to the the U.S. Michael Oren, who offers what may be the reason we never receive any confirmation from Jerusalem at all, even if the strike actually occurred:

"[R]emoving the threat posed by Syria's chemical weapons stockpile by military force "is very, very complex."

"Even under international law, if you strike a chemical weapons base and there is collateral damage to civilians it is as if you, the attacker, used chemical weapons," he said.

What that could mean is that if the strike happened it was likely with tacit U.S. approval, or it never went down at all.

We'll keep looking for any additional information from the FSA and other sources.

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Missiles were fired at a Russian plane containing 159 passengers as it flew over Syrian airpace, according to Russian media.

Russia's Interfax News Agency reported the threat around 22:00 in Moscow (14:00 EDT).

The crew of the Airbus A330 spotted a "threat to safety" and took evasive maneuvers to avoid two ground-to-air missiles, an informed source told Interfax (via Russia Today). The missiles reportedly exploded in the air near the plane.

RT reports they've confirmed the attack:

BREAKING: Officials confirm missiles fired at Russian Airbus A320 flying from Sharm el Sheikh to Kazan, plane landed on.rt.com/m17lqw

— RT (@RT_com) April 29, 2013

Russia's Foreign Ministry had taken "emergency measures to clarify circumstances of incident with Russian jet flying over Syria," according to Interfax.

Meanwhile Russian news reports say the Syrian Aviation Authority has released a message denying the reports:

“We contacted the service that monitors traffic within Syrian airspace. None of the air traffic control services or other ground services at the airports in Damascus and Latakia have confirmed the information of a Russian plane plane being fired at."

The reports conflict with the known capabilities of rebel groups in Syria, according to Syrian arms expert Eliot Higgins:

@brian_whit @leshaque And I very much doubt the opposition are capable of launching and targeting larger missiles

— Brown Moses (@Brown_Moses) April 29, 2013

Russian authorities are still investigating the incident.

*Update*

RT is now retracting their confirmed report to instead indicate that the plane maneuvered to evade "signs of war" from the ground below:

Russian passenger jet carrying 160 evades 'signs of war' over Syria youtu.be/7cKvrQdCVkE @lucykafanov

— RT (@RT_com) April 29, 2013

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According to unconfirmed reports by the Free Syrian Army and others, Israeli jets flew over Damascus on Saturday morning, circled Assad's palace, and then bombed a chemical plant.

If it really happened, the strike could be a both risky and prudent move for Israel.

One analyst recently advocated a "one-off" strike  as the most measured response to Syrian chemical weapon use:

"The most proportional response (to limited chemical weapons use) would be a strike on the units responsible, whether artillery or airfields," said Jeffrey White, a former senior official at the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency and a Middle East expert who is now a defense fellow at the Washington Institute For Near East Policy told Reuters.

"It would demonstrate to Assad that there is a cost to using these weapons - the problem so far is that there's been no cost to the regime from their actions."

One-off strikes are among the most viable ways to intervene in Syria, with the U.S. and allies wary of getting too deeply involved. They may also serve as a way to rein in Assad without deposing him and risking the chaos that follows.

Israel also has defensive reasons for bombing Syria.

Amos Yadlin, a former chief of Israeli military intelligence who directs the Institute for National Security Studies, told Washington Post there are four types of weapons whose transfer to militant groups would not be tolerated: advanced air defense systems, ballistic missiles, sophisticated shore-to-sea missiles, and chemical weapons.

Israel has decided that stopping the spread of these weapons is worth conducting targeted strikes, and the risk of starting a war.

But there is a gamble with this aggressive strategy.

The last time Israel bombed Syria — in January when its planes supposedly bombed a weapons convoy and a military research center without even entering Syrian air space— Russia and various antagonistic Middle Eastern states immediately condemned the action. Syria delivered a letter to the United Nations declaring its right to self-defense. Iran promised there would be "grave consequences."

Another strike, this time supposedly in Syrian air space and attacking Syrian infrastructure, would represent a significant escalation.

It would also confirm that we have entered "a new and more volatile phase in the regional repercussions of Syria's civil war," as described by Washington Post's Joel Greenberg and Babak Dehghanpisheh after the January attack.

Finally, there's the question of whether the U.S. was involved at some level of the supposed Israeli air strike.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Fox News Sunday that while the U.S. and Israel "can't discuss details, we are working out ways we can address this threat"— indicating that the U.S. may have been involved if there really was an attack.

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President Barack Obama held a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, answering questions on a broad array of items on his legislative agenda that have struggled to gain any momentum in Congress. 

Obama was asked about the recent failure of gun-control legislation to pass through the Senate, as well as the fact that sequestration is still in place. ABC reporter Jonathan Karl asked Obama if he was, essentially, a "lame duck" at this early stage of his second term.

"If you put it that way — maybe I should just pack up and go home! As Mark Twain said, rumors of my demise might be a bit exaggerated at this point," Obama said.

Obama also answered questions about the conflict in Syria and the Boston bombings. And he praised NBA player Jason Collins, who on Monday became the first player in a major American sports league to publicly reveal that he is gay.

Check out a full recap of the press conference, question-by-question, below:

Question 1: Obama gets a question on his "red line" on Syria and on survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. 

"What we've been seeing is a slowly unfolding disaster for the Syrian people," Obama said, repeating that the use of chemical weapons is a "game-changer."

He suggested that the administration needs more evidence on Syria's chemical weapon use in order to decide what type of action to take. 

"When I said the use of chemical weapons would be a game-changer, that wasn't a position unique to the United States," Obama said.

When asked a follow-up on whether that would include military action, Obama said that the U.S. would have to "look at the range of options that are available to us."

On Benghazi survivors, Obama said he is "not familiar with this notion that anyone has been blocked from testifying."

Question 2: Obama is asked about the Boston bombings by CNN— and if it means, as some like Sen. Lindsey Graham has suggested, that the U.S. has taken a "step back" on national security.

"No, Mr. Graham is not right, though I'm sure it generated some headlines," he said.

"Based on what I've seen so far, the FBI performed its duties," Obama added. "But this is hard stuff."

He said that one of the challenges the U.S. now faces is the threat of "self-radicalized" individuals like the Tsarnaev brothers.

Obama said that Russia and its leaders have been "very cooperative" with the U.S. since the Boston bombings.

Question 3: Obama gets a question from ABC's Jon Karl, who asks if he "still has the juice to get the rest of your agenda through Congress."

"If you put it that way, Jon," he quipped, "maybe I should just pack up and go home. Golly."

"Rumors of my demise have been a little exaggerated," he said, paraphrasing Mark Twain.

Obama blamed what he called "dysfunction" on Capitol Hill — lamenting, for example, that "even the most modest piece of legislation" needs 60 votes to pass through the Senate. 

Obama said that the sequester is harming the economy, and that he has been proven right on the sequester by people who called him "chicken little" because of the recent passage of a bill to fix the mounting flight delays at U.S. airports.

"You seem to suggest that these folks over there have no responsibility, and my job is to get them to behave. That’s their job," he said of Congress.

Question 4: Obama is asked about the growing hunger strike in Guantanamo Bay. He said that it is "not a surprise" that the U.S. has problems at the facility.

"Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe," he said, casting it as expensive, inefficient, and a recruitment tool for terrorist groups.

"We've got to close Guantanamo," he said.

"The idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals that have not been tried — that needs to stop."

He pointed to the individuals who planned to bomb Times Square and the so-called "underwear bomber" as examples of "how we prosecute terrorists."

"We can handle this," he said.

Question 5: NBC's Chuck Todd asks about Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) recently calling the implementation of the President's signature health care law a "trainwreck."

"All the implementation issues coming up are implementation issues related to" a narrow group, Obama said. Many people are already experiencing benefits from the law, "even if they don't know it."

He added: "Even if we do everything perfectly, there will still be glitches and bumps."

Question 6: Obama is asked about immigration reform. He said he has been "impressed" by the work of the bipartisan "Gang of 8" in the Senate, though it is not the ideal bill he would have written.

After answering the question, Obama stepped back to the podium to remark on Jason Collins, and said he "couldn't be prouder" of him after Monday's announcement.

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Hackers calling themselves the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) are causing serious trouble around the world.

The pro-Assad group may have scored its biggest hit last week, after the Associated Press Twitter account was hacked and tweeted a false story about a bomb at the White House that briefly caused stocks to plunge. The SEA have claimed responsibility for the hack.

Then, this week the SEA claimed they were behind a hack that took over several of the Guardian's Twitter accounts.

When Business Insider reached out to the group via their remarkably professional English-language website, we were put in touch with a member called Th3 Pr0 (pronounced The Pro), who has also talked to everyone from Vice to the Financial Times.

Th3 Pr0 says he is the "Leader Of Special Operations Department," though he says that the group of hundreds-to-thousands of members does not have a single leader.

Th3 Pr0 has a large online presence, including a now-suspended Twitter account and accounts on Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Flickr.

According to his About.me page, Th3 Pr0 is just 18 years old.

When asked about this week's Guardian attacks, Th3 Pr0 sent two screengrabs which appear to show him inside the accounts.

He also sent a screenshot that appears to show he had access to the AP Twitter account.

Th3 Pr0 also answered several questions over email. His unedited responses are below:

---

Business Insider: The SEA have attacked a variety of U.S.-news outlets in recent months, perhaps most notably the AP Twitter account. Could you explain why you choose to attack these media outlets?

Th3 Pr0: Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis our mission was to defend our country against the media campaign that they keep publishing fabricated/false news/reports about our homeland Syria in addition to make possible damage to the country who supports the terrorists groups in Syrian and sure the US government is in the top of the list.

BI: Have you been happy with the response to the hacks? For example, the Dow Industrial Index dropped significantly after the AP hack, how did you feel about that?

TP: Yes, and that was our goal of that hack attack ... it was a big victory for us.

BI: How difficult have these attacks been to pull off? Will things like two-step authentication on Twitter be difficult for you to get around?

TP: It was not easy and not hard either ... maybe will prevent some attacks but in the end we will take our target down whatever how secure it is.

BI: Where are you and the rest of the SEA-based? Are you all Syrian/of Syrian descent?

TP: The administration of SEA is based in Syria ... but some of our members are not in Syria but we all are Syrians.

BI: Do you receive payment for the hacks? If so, who is paying?

TP: Sure not, we don't need money for our work, Syria is our homeland and our duty to defend it.

BI: Your about.me page lists you as an 18-year-old. Are you in High School/College?

TP: Yes true, i'm now in the High School now and i will be in the college next year.

BI: Does the SEA take up much of your time? What do you like to do when not involved in SEA projects?

TP: Yes, but i'm trying to organize my time between working for SEA and studying ... I used to be a hacker before i joined the SEA.

BI: How do you think SEA's actions can affect the war in Syria?

TP: Its affect really ... we are trying to spread the truth about what is really happening in Syria through our social media accounts, website, in addition to our attacks.

BI: If Bashar al-Assad were to lose the conflict in Syria, would the SEA continue?

TP: We are not talking about one person here, we are talking about a whole country and people, if the President lose then Syrian and the Syrian people will lose, but Syria will not lose ... the right never lose.

---

We have not been able to verify Th3 Pr0's story. It is notably different than the story from some other outlets, however.

For example, one Guardian story reported that the group was now based out of Dubai and received financial backing from the Syrian government, via Assad's wealthy cousin Rami Makhlouf.

However, Th3 Pr0 clearly says he hacks for free and that the SEA is still based in Syria.

When we sent the Guardian article to Th3 Pr0, he responded (within one minute) with two links, and a brief comment:

"The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) sprang up in 2011 at the beginning of the anti-Assad revolution. According to defectors from inside its ranks, the group moved last year from Damascus to a secret base in Dubai."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/29/hacking-guardian-syria-background

"The attack was quickly identified and is in the process of being dealt with. The Guardian has since discovered the attack originated from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses within Syria."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/29/assad-syrian-hackers-cyber-attacks

They lied as always...

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Jon Stewart outlined the complicated approach to taking action in the Syrian conflict on "The Daily Show" Tuesday, chiding Republicans for urging quick action without a clear plan.

Stewart hit President Barack Obama for what were all-or-nothing comments on the use of chemical weapons being a "red line" for the U.S.

But he spent most of the segment slamming Senate Republicans who have urged Obama to take immediate action — while seeming to make conflicting and vague statements about that action.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said Sunday that the U.S. should intervene because it has never sat back while thousands of civilians were killed by regimes.

"Thank you," Stewart said sarcastically. "Well, obviously except for, you know, Rwanda. And Darfur, and Bosnia, and Cambodia — point taken, point taken. We as America have never let something like that happen before — in Syria with this particular Assad."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), meanwhile, urged Obama to arm Syrian rebels — as long as they're "the right people."

"Oh, the right weapons to the right people!" Stewart quipped. "Maybe we could do background checks."

Stewart got to the heart of the problem — nobody seems to want to send U.S. troops to Syria. But to invoke international action, Russia has to be persuaded, leading Stewart to say that "we are f—ed."

"A little more complicated than the good ol' days, isn't it, fellas?" Stewart said. "Back when you could just invade a country because a guy named 'Curve Ball' told you there were mobile biological weapons laboratories in Iraq. It's as though that little misadventure made all of us a little more cautious as to what constitutes the crossing of a red line." 

Watch the clips below, courtesy of Comedy Central:

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BOSTON, Mass. — After a five-month investigation inside Syria and the wider Middle East, GlobalPost and the family of missing American journalist James Foley now believe the Syrian government is holding him in a detention center near Damascus.

“With a very high degree of confidence, we now believe that Jim was most likely abducted by a pro-regime militia group and subsequently turned over to Syrian government forces,” GlobalPost CEO and President Philip Balboni said during a speech marking World Press Freedom Day.

“We have obtained multiple independent reports from very credible confidential sources who have both indirect and direct access that confirm our assessment that Jim is now being held by the Syrian government in a prison or detention facility in the Damascus area. We further believe that this facility is under the control of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence service. Based on what we have learned, it is likely Jim is being held with one or more Western journalists, including most likely at least one other American.”

Balboni said that GlobalPost representatives were now meeting with the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon in Beirut to secure his support. The ambassador has delivered letters to the Syrian ministries of defense, interior, information and foreign affairs.

The Syrian government, however, has so far not acknowledged knowing of Foley’s whereabouts.

“We continue to explore all avenues privately and through diplomatic channels to convince the Syrian government to release Jim so that he can return to his family,” Balboni said. “We remain hopeful and totally committed to bringing Jim Foley home safely and as quickly as possible.”

A freelance journalist and veteran of conflict zones, Foley most recently contributed to GlobalPost and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Foley’s family has made regular appeals in the media — and set up a website — seeking information and support for his release.

Foley had set off toward the Turkish border in a car about an hour before his capture. An eyewitness later told GlobalPost that an unmarked car intercepted Foley. The witness said men holding Kalashnikovs shot into the air and forced Foley out of the car.

That was the last anyone heard from him.

“The not knowing is the hardest part. He hasn’t been seen. He hasn’t been heard from. We don’t know the state of his health,” said John Foley, his father, who attended the World Press Freedom Day event in Boston.

“We spend a lot of time in church, a lot of prayer, faith in God,” Foley’s mother, Diane Foley, added.

Foley previously wrote for GlobalPost in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. In April 2011, while on assignment for GlobalPost, forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi captured Foley in the eastern part of the country. Two other journalists, American Clare Gillis and Spaniard Manu Brabo, were also captured. A fourth journalist, South African Anton Hammerl, was killed. Foley, Gillis and Brabo spent 44 days in Libyan prisons before being released. Foley later returned to Libya to cover Gaddafi's fall.

Foley had written for GlobalPost periodically since then, including from Syria. His last article for GlobalPost detailed the growing frustration among civilians in Aleppo — Syria's largest city — with the ongoing conflict.

World Press Freedom Day is held every year to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives.

In 2012, Syria was one of the most dangerous places in the world for reporters, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The organization recorded 28 deaths in 2012, along with numerous kidnappings. This year has been no better.

Austin Tice, another American journalist who worked for the McClatchy Co. and the Washington Post, has also been missing in Syria since Aug. 13.

The violent conflict in Syria has now dragged on for more than two years, killing more than 70,000 people. Evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside Syria has led to increased calls for foreign intervention in recent weeks. But US President Barack Obama said earlier this week that his administration still lacked enough proof to determine who might be responsible for such attacks.

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A company owned by Saudi royal Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has sold large amounts of Dell computer equipment to the Syrian government, Ron Nixon of The New York Times reports.

The transactions, detailed in documents obtained by The Times, are odd primarily because Saudi Arabia has been arming rebels seeking to topple Assad.

In 2011 the Saudis bought $33.4 billion worth of weapons from the U.S. and sent a portion to Syrian rebels. Also, late last year the Kingdom financed a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia for the opposition.

Prince Alwaleed owns BDL Gulf*, which is an authorized dealer for Dell in the Middle East and Africa.

The sales included hundreds of laptops, tablets, and desktop computers as well as equipment used to censor Internet activity and track activists.

The move appears to violate strict trade sanctions intended to ban the selling of technology to the regime of Syrian president Bashar al Assad.

Alwaleed is the world's 26th-richest person, according to Forbes. He is best known for saying Forbes underestimated his net worth, which he places at more than $29 billion.

NYT's Nixon notes that the Syrian company made it clear to BDL that it was buying the equipment on behalf of the Assad government.

*UPDATE: Here's The New York Times correction from May 3:

An earlier version of this article and an accompanying picture erroneously identified Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia as the owner of BDL Gulf. Representatives of Prince Alwaleed said that neither he nor his senior advisers are aware of any connection between the prince and BDL Gulf.

SEE ALSO: Here's How Prince Alwaleed Spends His '$29.6 Billion' Fortune

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Following a week of increased Israeli Air Force activity over Lebanon, Israel reportedly struck Syrian targets with their air force either Thursday or Friday the 26th of April.

Initial reports said the target was a chemical weapons facility, which was under siege by rebels at the time and had sustained no reported damage. Instead, according toCNN, it looks like Israel may have struck another convoy containing possible transfer of weapons— just like the last air strike.

"We will do whatever is necessary to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to terrorist organizations. We have done it in the past and we will do it if necessary in the future," an unnamed source told CNN's Sara Sidner.

And just as they did in the last strike, Netanyahu had told his staff to remain silent on the matter.

So it hadn't been reported by U.S. sources, until now:

Sources: U.S. believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria. on.cnn.com/16BcuTu

— CNN (@CNN) May 3, 2013

From CNN:

U.S. and Western intelligence agencies are reviewing classified data showing Israel most likely conducted a strike in the Thursday-Friday time frame, according to both officials. This is the same time frame that the U.S. collected additional data showing Israel was flying a high number of warplanes over Lebanon.

The strike had been called out by sources on the ground earlier this week, which the Jerusalem Post reported. Like the last strike, sources tell CNN Israel allegedly did it without ever breaking Syrian airspace — though Lebanon is less than happy about what they claim was usage of their airspace.

Oddly enough, Free Syrian Army sources on the ground who initially reported the incident, differ in their account of the Israeli strike. They said Israeli jets circled over Assad's compound in Damascus, which is obviously in Syrian airspace.

The Lebanese Daily Star confirmed heavy FSA fighting occurred near the plant, the Scientific Studies and Research Center, but troops lacked the resources to breach the heavily fortified site.

READ THE ORIGINAL REPORT HERE: Report: Israel struck targets in Syria >

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The pro-Assad hacking group Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) appear to have taken over the Twitteraccount of E! Online, using it to tweet a fake headline that said Justin Bieber had come out as gay.

The hack comes after similar attacks on the Twitter accounts of the AP and the Guardian.

Here's a screenshot of the E! Online Twitter account at the time of writing (update: the account has since been suspended):

The Bieber story seems to shock a lot of E! Online's followers:

Bieber's online fanbase is on the defensive:

Do not be alarmed: @eonline was hacked so the tweets about Justin were FAKE.

— Justin Bieber Army (@bieberarmy) May 4, 2013

We reached out to one alleged member of the SEA, known as Th3 Pr0, who told us that he was behind the attack (Business Insider interviewed Th3 Pr0 — who claims to be just 18 years old— last week). 

Th3 Pr0 sent us this screen-grab that appears to show himself in the E! Online account:

It's not entirely clear why the Syrian Electronic Army would target an entertainment group like E! Online (or, for that matter, a pop star like Bieber).

When we asked Th3 Pr0, he sent us a link to this tweet:

The next target will be different... expect the "Syrian Electronic Army Was Here"#SEA#Syria#SyrianElectronicArmy

— SyrianElectronicArmy (@Official_SEA12) May 2, 2013

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Israeli warplanes bombed targets in Damascus early on Sunday morning local time. This marks the second confirmed attack in three days, not to mention unconfirmed reports of other recent attacks.

From Al-Arabiya:

“Everything was quiet and suddenly we saw this bright orange light in the sky followed by a very loud explosion,” said Tarek Hillnawi, a Damascus resident who was sitting on his balcony chatting with his friends when the blast occurred.“I felt that it was over for us, that all of Damascus is set on fire.”

Syrian state TV claimed that a military research center was destroyed in the attack. Syria called the attack a declaration of war by Israel.

Sources tell Reuters and the AP, however, that the target was a shipment of Fateh-110 missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has made clear that it will take aggressive action to prevent major weapons transfers to militant groups.

Recents comments from United States Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself.

SEE ALSO: Israel Has A Few Good Reasons For Bombing Syria

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Early Sunday Israeli jets targeted the Syrian military's fortress on Qasioun Mountain, Damascus, causing the most powerful explosions near the capital in more than two years of fighting.

The strike on key command and control structures of the regime lifted the spirits of Syrian rebels, who have recently been pummeled by a regime counteroffensive, but experts believe the move has more to do with the shadow war between Israel and Iran.

“This shouldn’t be seen as Israel intervening on behalf of the rebels or against [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad],” said Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, told The Times. “This is an escalation in a conflict we know about, and that is the conflict between Israel and Iran, the long shadow war, as people call it. This is an incident in that war.”

The second Israeli airstrike in Syria in two days and the third this year appears to have mostly targeted Iranian missiles suspected of being transferred the Lebanese militant group Hezoballah.

"In last night's attack, as in the previous one, what was attacked were stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah," a Western intelligence source toldReuters.

The Associated Press notes that the Fateh-110 has a range of about 185 miles and is more accurate than anything Hezbollah is known to possess. With the missile, the Iranian proxy would have almost all of Israel in range and able precisely to target Israeli infrastructure and military installations.

"For Israel, it is very important that the front group for Iran, which is in Lebanon, needs to be stopped," Israeli lawmaker Shaul Mofaz told Israeli Army Radio. "Everything that goes into the hands of Hezbollah is not directly related to the rebels. ... [At the same time,] Hezbollah helps the Iranians navigate against the rebels."

Late Thursday Israel reportedly bombed a warehouse holding missiles at Damascus International Airport. In January Israel bombed the Jamraya military research facility near Damascus, which is the regime's main research center for work on biological and chemical weapons.

According to residents and activists, Sunday's strike hit about 10 targets including the mountain headquarters of the army’s Fourth Division, the elite and feared unit run by the president’s brother Maher, the command of the government’s elite Republican Guard, and the Jamraya military research facility.

"The sky was red all night. We didn't sleep a single second," one man told Reuters from Hameh, less than a mile from Jamraya. "The explosions started after midnight and continued through the night."

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad said that the attack represented "declaration of war" and proved that Israel was acting"in support of terrorism and Al-Qaeda." 

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said the act "opens the door to all possibilities."

An unnamed senior Israeli official told The Times that he doesn't expect Syria or Hezxbollah to respond, saying that Assad“has his own problems” and Hezbollah "has no intention of opening a war in Israel.”

Nevertheless Spyer said that “one has to ask oneself about Israel’s calculus" because obviously “there is a risk in that at a certain point, a response becomes more likely.”

Some precautions have been taken by Israel as airspace over northern Israel and Haifa area closed off to civilian flights.

Lebanese media quoted Seyed Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, as saying: "Resistance forces will respond to the Israeli aggression… Iran will not allow to Israel destabilize the region."

Professor Eyal Zisser of Tel Aviv University summed it up to the Times like this: “Israel is still not involved in the war in Syria, but it is getting closer.”

Here's a video of the airstrike:

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The Onion's Twitter account appears to have been hacked, tweeting out a variety of stories relating to Syria.

The tweets now appear to have been deleted, but you can see some in the screenshot below:

While there has been some speculation that this could be some kind of joke/parody by the satirical news site, we reached out to one member of the Syrian Electronic Army — the pro-Assad group who have claimed responsibility for hacks against the AP and the Guardian — who told us the group was behind the attack.

Th3 Pr0, who claims to be just 18-years-old, sent the following screenshot:

E Hacking News has another screenshot that appears to show that hackers gained access to @theonion,@OnionSports, @onionpolitics, @onionstroe and  @TheAVClub.

When we asked Th3 Pr0 why they would attack a satirical website, he responded:

The Onion is a satire news organization and quite often is more trusted to reflect the news than the corporate media is known to. Recently they have published an article that savages Syria and its current circumstances. This hurt the feelings of many Syrians who relied on it to tell the truth in a funny way. We hoped that our effort to correct their news would draw attention to the fact that it was likely that an outside decision was involved in changing The Onion's tune.

We don't expect The Onion to change its course as many large US based organisations have proven to be too weak to resist the course their regime chooses for them, but we hope it will draw reader's attention to their double standards even on satire.

The group does appear to be widening the scope of their targets — this weekend the group claimed responsibility for an attack on E! Online.

We've reached out to the Onion for comment, and will update when we hear back.

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After its Twitter account was compromised earlier today and began sending out rogue tweets (more on that here), the Onion has come back the only way it knows how.

First, on the futility of passwords:

Then a pretty brutal insult to the Syrian Electronic Army (which has claimed responsibility for the attack):

Finally, an "infographic"on the hack:

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The internet in Syria has apparently been shut off as of 3 p.m. EST, according to Umbrella, an internet security company that tracks data.

Google Transparency Reports also verify the web outage.

This graph from internet monitoring group Akamai shows the precipitous drop in internet service:

This isn't the first time Syria lost internet service either. The internet went down last year for two days, and experts were quick to point fingers at the Assad government, according to the Associated Press.

Some say the internet kill switch is an attempt to abridge rebel communications; there were even reports of spotty cell phone usage during the blackout last year.

So far there are only a few sporadic reports of lost phone service floating around twitter, but nothing confirmed.

Libyan dictator Muamar Qaddafi used a kill switch in 2011, and Egypt made an attempt at killing the internet during the Arab Spring as well (and web-famously, internet collective Anonymous helped them get the internet back up).

Assad has been in a deadlocked, bloody civil war with Syrian rebels for the last two years. Estimates report that approximately 70,000 lives have been lost in that time.

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