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MEDITERRANEAN.
LET'S GO TO THE PENTAGON.
BARBARA STARR IS GETTING MORE
INFORMATION.
WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING?
>> Reporter: ANOTHER U.S. NAVY
WARSHIP IN PLACE TONIGHT OFF THE
COAST OF SYRIA.
THE "U.S.S. SAN ANTONIO" HAS
COME THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL, 300
MARINES ON BOARD, PART OF THE
SO-CALLED PRUDENT PLANNING IN
ADVANCE OF ANY U.S. MILITARY
ACTION.
THEY WILL STAY PUT FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS RIGHT THERE.
BUT IT IS THE INTELLIGENCE
EVERYONE IS FOCUSING ON TONIGHT.
AN EXTRAORDINARY LEVEL OF DETAIL
ABOUT HUMAN INTERCEPTS,
SATELLITE INTELLIGENCE, ALL
KINDS OF INTELLIGENCE THAT THE
U.S. LEARNED ABOUT THIS ATTACK.
LET'S START WITH RIGHT BEFORE
THE ATTACK.
WHAT THE CASE THE U.S. IS MAKING
IS THAT THEY HAD INTELLIGENCE
THAT THEY GOT THAT UNFOLDED THAT
THE SYRIAN FORCES WERE PREPARING
TO ATTACK IN THE DAYS BEFORE
CHEMICAL WEAPONS WERE BEING
PREPARED, FORCES WERE USING
THEIR GAS MASKS.
ON THE DAY OF THE ATTACK, AUGUST
21st, SATELLITES DETECTED ROCKET
ATTACKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY CALCULATED THROUGH
INTELLIGENCE MEANS THAT THOSE
ROCKETS WERE FIRED FROM
REGIME-HELD AREAS.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE BEGIN SHOWING
UP AT THE HOSPITALS, DYING AND
INJURED.
THOUSANDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS
AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA ELEMENTS
BEGIN TO RECORD THIS EVENT.
AFTER THE ATTACK, INTERCEPTS,
AGAIN, U.S. INTELLIGENCE
INTERCEPTS OF SENIOR REGIME
OFFICIALS IN SYRIA DISCUSSING
THE FACT THAT A CHEMICAL ATTACK
HAS TAKEN PLACE AND A CONTINUED
BOMBARDMENT OF THOSE
NEIGHBORHOODS TO TRY AND WIPE
OUT ANY EVIDENCE BEFORE THE U.N.
INSPECTORS SHOW UP.
SO I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE HERE,
WOMAN, IS WHAT WE SAW TODAY WAS
AN EXTRAORDINARY LEVEL OF DETAIL
ABOUT INTERCEPTS, HUMAN
INTELLIGENCE AND SATELLITE
INTELLIGENCE.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS KIND OF
DETAIL BEFORE.
>> THE REPORT AND THE SECRETARY
SAYS 1,429 PEOPLE WERE KILLED ON
THAT AUGUST 21st ATTACK.
INCLUDING AT LEAST 426 CHILDREN.
BUT THEN THE REPORT LATER GOES
ON TO SAY THIS -- IN THE THREE
DAYS PRIOR TO THE ATTACK, WE
COLLECTED STREAMS OF HUMAN
SIGNALS AND GEOSPECIAL
INTELLIGENCE THAT WE ASSOCIATED
WITH A CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK.
IT'S PRETTY STARTLING AND PRETTY
AMAZING.
IF YOU UNDERSTAND PRESUMABLY
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, IF THE U.S.
KNEW THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE THIS
WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE, WHY
DIDN'T THE U.S. TRY TO STOP IT,
WARN THE REBELS, WARN THE PEOPLE
THERE GET OUT OF THE WAY,
PROVIDE GAS MASKS OR WHATEVER?
>> Reporter: YOU KNOW, WHAT'S A
REALLY GOOD QUESTION TO WHICH
THERE IS NOT A REALLY GOOD
ANSWER TONIGHT, WOLF.
U.S. OFFICIALS BRIEFING THE NEWS
MEDIA TODAY WERE ASKED ABOUT
THIS POINT AND THEY SAID THAT IT
WASN'T NECESSARILY THE CASE THAT
THEY HAD SO-CALLED REALTIME
INTELLIGENCE, THAT THEY SAW IT
LITERALLY UNFOLD BEFORE THEIR
EYES.
THE INTELLIGENCE IN THESE
MATTERS COMES IN, THEY SAY,
SOMETIMES AFTER THE FACT.
SO WE ALSO ASKED MILITARY
OFFICIALS HERE IN WASHINGTON
WHETHER THERE WAS EVER ANY