Pretty much nobody can say with enough evidence that will stand up in a court of law, even ballistic experts are unclear.

As for attacking the building.............you can't because like the oft claims of just go into Ecuador building and take Julian Assange. SAS go in and shoot lots of people then you allow ANY Govt to do exactly what occurred in Benghazi and in diplomacy then use precedence all the time.

Oonce you do it then Uk diplomatic missions overseas are fair game for any country and you have no fallback................would you really wish FSB to walk into Embassy in Moscow ?

Benghazi embassy attack was 'preventable,' US Senate report finds | World news | theguardian.com

Senate report out. While it criticises the US govt for some failings, it doesn't substantiate some of the claims made in this thread.

I cannot believe that the Senate Select Committee has failed to address our claims. What are we? Some sort of rumour network?

CM you've shattered the illusion. :{

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi in cinemas now.

13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack.

Its a movie................... don't expect truth, may get entertainment.

Actually, the movie is fairly accurate.

Greg Hicks, deputy chief of mission in Libya; and Eric Nordstrom, regional security officer in Libya, offered unshakeable testimony, despite efforts by several Democratic lawmakers to protect both the current administration and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, their party’s most viable presidential candidate for 2016. What the witnesses averred reveals a grim web of deceit likely orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to cover up the order to ground U.S. rescue teams that could have easily saved our besieged countrymen in Benghazi.

Some of the most compelling and emotional testimony was provided by Hicks, who offered the House Oversight and Government Reform committee a damning blow-by-blow account of the September 11, 2012 attack: In Tripoli at the time, Hicks recounted how he had spoken with Stevens early in the evening, and there was no sign of unusual activity. After relaxing for a while, he got an alert that Benghazi was under attack. When he checked his cell phone he saw two numbers, one of which he didn’t recognize. He called that number first and got Stevens on the phone. “Greg! We’re under attack!” said Stevens, according to Mr. Hicks.

Later, when it became clear that Stevens was missing, the first concern was that he had been taken by terrorists. “We began to hear also that the ambassador’s been taken to a hospital,” said Hicks. “We learn that it is in a hospital which is controlled by Ansar al-Shariah, the group that Twitter feeds had identified as leading the attack on the consulate.” As this information was coming in, a “response team” from Tripoli arrived at the Benghazi airport, one that Hicks thought might become involved in a “hostage rescue” operation, even as officials worried they were being “baited into a trap.”

Hicks then spoke of the mortars that landed on the compound shortly after a group of Americans fleeing the consulate arrived at the annex. The first mortar landed among a group of Libyans who had helped bring the Americans to safety. “The next was short,” he said. “The next three landed on the roof.”
Those were the mortars that killed Doherty and Woods.
Hicks was visibly choked up when he recounted learning about Stevens’ death from the Libyan prime minister. “I think it’s the saddest phone call I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.

In one of the most stunning portions of the hearing, Hicks confirmed the chilling refusal of the Obama administration to send in readily available U.S. assets to stop the consulate slaughter. This order to “stand down” was given not once, but at least twice. Hicks also revealed that an explicit order from the chain of command prevented a four-man special forces rescue team in Tripoli from getting to the Americans trapped at the annex. He noted the order came from “either AFRICOM or SOCAFRICA” and that the team was “furious” when they were told to stand down. “I will quote Lieutenant Colonel Gibson,” said Hicks, referring to the officer on the receiving end of that command. “He said, ‘This is the first time in my career that a diplomat has more balls than somebody in the military.’

Bob C

I'm confused

you say "That the witnesses ... reveals a grim web of deceit likely orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to cover up the order to ground U.S. rescue teams that could have easily saved our besieged countrymen in Benghazi."

But "In Tripoli at the time, Hicks recounted how he had spoken with Stevens early in the evening, and there was no sign of unusual activity. After relaxing for a while, he got an alert that Benghazi was under attack."

So things changed very quickly, it was nighttime, it was hard to get clear information........ cockup certainly, "web of deceit" ..... a stick to beat Mrs C in an election year

It was the transparent, provable, and extended lying about the origins of the attack that made the rest of the government's description of events non-credible. 'Web of deceit' isn't all that hyperbolic.

That said, I'm not at all sure we had any air support resources that could (in retrospect) have been generated and launched in time to do any good. But it appears that in real time there was no attempt to do so, even though we had no way of knowing for how long the assault would go on.

Aviano had the QRF for FRY. These were/are dedicated to the FRY mission and thus “unavailable” for other uses w/o political consent. There was also dedicated tanker support.

173 Abn (along with USAFE) is in Vicenza. Both report (boast) of the ability to launch either a Co. or Bn. to anywhere in the where within two hours.

USMC had KC-130s in Sigonella along with other assets.

USN had HC-4 in Sigonella (MC-53Es). Though not primary trained in vertical assault plenty of HLZs South of the compound.

Supposedly a USA SF Charlie (DA) was in FRY along with USAF crews able to respond.

If you listen to the released recordings one of the dead former NSW members is heard to be designating targets and requesting weapons release. It is not clear from the transmissions what platform or weapons were being talked about. For those that think this individual lost his head, was playing around like a teenager on a video game, etc. ask yourself what are the odds of someone of his background wasting time designating a target (mortars) and requesting weapons release without an armed platform of some sort being available?

S/F, FOG