Syria

[rcfieldz]

Did Syria use chemicals in recent attack?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43697670

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/499341002/

For me it seems to be way past due for Assad and Syria to experience shock and awe.

[Peter1469]

False flag.

[MisterVeritis]

Did Syria use chemicals in recent attack?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43697670
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/499341002/

For me it seems to be way past due for Assad and Syria to experience shock and awe.

Why are you so easily manipulated? How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?

And why should any American care one way or the other?

[rcfieldz]

Why are you so easily manipulated? How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?

And why should any American care one way or the other?

You know you are disgusting?

[MisterVeritis]

Why are you so easily manipulated? How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?

And why should any American care one way or the other?

You know you are disgusting?

Really? I asked you three questions. You answered precisely none of them. Every question was reasonable.

Take another attempt. I will check back. Oh. Would you like them enumerated?

1) Why are you so easily manipulated?
2) How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?
3) And why should any American care one way or the other?

[waltky]

Israel behind the missile attack in Syria...

Israel Blamed for Missile Strike in Syria; 14 Reported Dead
9 Apr 2018 — Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a missile attack Monday on a Syrian air base that reportedly killed 14.

Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack Monday on a Syrian air base that reportedly killed 14 people, including three Iranians, while international condemnation grew over a suspected poison gas attack over the weekend that was said to be carried out by the Syrian government. Opposition activists said 40 people died in the chemical attack, blaming President Bashar Assad's forces. The U.N. Security Council planned to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the chemical attack. The timing of the strike on the air base in the central Homs province, hours after President Donald Trump said there would be "a big price to pay" for the chemical weapons attack, raised questions about whether Israel was acting alone or as a proxy for the United States. Israel typically does not comment on its airstrikes in Syria.


It was the second such attack this year on the air base, known as T4, where Iranian fighters are believed to be stationed. Russia's Defense Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the T4 air base, firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the western part of the base. Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli F-15 warplanes fired several missiles at T4. It gave no further details. Israel's Foreign Ministry had no comment when asked about reports of the airstrikes. Since 2012, Israel has struck inside Syria more than 100 times, mostly targeting suspected weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces.

This photo released by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows smoke rising after Syrian government airstrikes hit in the town of Douma, in eastern Ghouta region east of Damascus, Syria, Saturday, April. 7, 2018.

Israel hit the T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base. The base, which was used as a launching pad for attacks against Islamic State militants who were at one point stationed nearby, is near the Shayrat air base, which was targeted by U.S. missiles last year in response to a chemical weapons attack. Saturday's suspected gas attack took place in the town of Douma, the last remaining rebel bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. It killed entire families in their homes and underground shelters, opposition activists and local rescuers said. Syria's state news agency SANA initially said the attack on the T4 air base was likely "an American aggression," but the Pentagon denied involvement, and the agency then dropped the accusation, blaming Israel instead. SANA said the missile attack resulted in a number of casualties, but provided no specific figures.


Iran's semi-official Fars news agency identified three Iranians it said were among those killed. It did not provide their ranks or further information. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war through a network of activists on the ground, said 14 died, including Iranians and three Syrian officers. Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory's chief, said the assault targeted a mobile air defense unit and some buildings inside the air base. He said it also hit posts outside the base used by the Iranians and Iran-backed fighters. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Monday that Israel had not notified Russia of the airstrike, even though there may have been Russian military advisers at the base, which he described as "a cause for concern for us."


MORE

See also:


Why would Israel launch strikes on Syria?
Mon April 9, 2018 - The Russians, the Syrians, and the Iranians all pointed the finger at Israel for carrying out a strike on a Syrian military base near Homs.

Israel has not commented, but a former commander of the Israeli Air Force has said it was almost certainly Israel that carried out the strike. Monday's incident is a reminder that proxy wars continue in Syria amid the seven-year conflict's shifting sands. Here's what you need to know:


Why now?


The strikes come just two days after a suspected chemical attack in Douma, the last rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. Several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for carrying out the attack. Syria has denied involvement and accused rebels of fabricating the chemical attack claims. Former Israel Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben Eliyahu said the alleged use of chemical weapons "could not have gone without a response."

But the suspected use of chemical weapons may also have provided a timely pretext for a far more pressing matter for Israel: the growing presence of Iran in Syria. Israel has repeatedly expressed its red lines when it comes to Syria. It will not allow the transfer of high-powered weapons to Hezbollah; it will not allow any breach of Israeli sovereignty; and, as apparently in this case, it will work to prevent Iran from entrenching itself in Syria.


The base that was struck, known as T-4, has an Iranian presence, which Iran confirmed when the semi-official Fars News Agency said four Iranians had been killed in the strike. In addition, Israel says an Iranian drone that penetrated Israeli airspace in February was launched and controlled from this base. Speaking to Israeli Army Radio, leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, said: "T-4, which is the base we're talking about, is no longer just a Syrian base, it is a Syrian-Iranian base. And Israel has said -- and we are clear on this -- that Israel will not accept an Iranian military presence in Syria, and will not accept (Iran's) creeping presence in Syria. This has a price."


Why is Iran such a concern?

Related:


Trump Promises Decision 'Very Quickly' on Syria Response
9 Apr 2018 | WASHINGTON — Trump condemned the "heinous attack" Saturday that killed at least 40 people, including children.

President Donald Trump said Monday he will decide on a U.S. response to the apparent chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians "probably by the end of today." Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump condemned the "heinous attack" Saturday that killed at least 40 people, including children. "It was an atrocious attack," he said. "It was horrible." He said he will be huddling with military advisers to consider U.S. options and "nothing's off the table." Trump said the U.S. is still investigating the possible involvement of the Iranian and Russian governments in the strike. "If it's Russia, if it's Syria, if it's Iran, if it's all of them together, we'll figure it out," he said. He added of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "everybody's going to pay a price — he will, everybody will."


Trump planned two meetings with senior national security aides Monday on Syria, in addition to a previously scheduled late-afternoon White House conference with leaders of U.S. military commands around the world. Monday was the first day on the job for Trump's new national security adviser, John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against Syria. The White House deliberations came as Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack on a major air base in central Syria, saying Israeli fighter jets launched missiles from Lebanon's air space. A group that monitors Syria's civil war said the airstrikes killed 14 people, including Iranians active in Syria. Earlier Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis took aim at Russia for what he suggested was its failure to ensure the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. The Pentagon chief said he would not rule out a U.S. military strike against Syria in response to a suspected poison gas attack.

This image released early Sunday, April 8, 2018 by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, shows a child receiving oxygen through respirators following an alleged poison gas attack in the rebel-held town of Douma, near Damascus, Syria.

Over the weekend Trump threatened a "big price to pay" for the suspected poison gas attack. The government of President Bashar Assad has denied using poison gas. Officials in Washington were seeking to verify early reports by rescuers and others that the Assad government was culpable. The Russian military, which has a presence in Syria as a key Assad ally, said its officers had visited the site in a suburb of Damascus, the Syrian capital, and found no evidence to back up reports of poison gas being used. At a photo-taking session in the Pentagon on Monday, Mattis said "the first thing" to consider in how to respond was why chemical weapons are "still being used at all." He noted that Russia was a guarantor of a 2013 agreement to eliminate Syria's entire chemical weapons arsenal, suggesting Moscow shares blame for the suspected gas attack. "And so, working with our allies and our partners from NATO to Qatar and elsewhere, we are going to address this issue," Mattis said in brief remarks to reporters as he began a meeting with the emir of Qatar.


The U.S. military has a wide range of warplanes and other capabilities in the Middle East. They include sea-launched cruise missiles aboard ships within range of Syria. Syria's state news agency SANA initially said Monday's the attack on the T4 air base was likely "an American aggression," but Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood quickly denied the United States was behind the strike and the agency then dropped the accusation, blaming Israel instead. Saturday's suspected poison gas attack took place in a rebel-held town amid a resumed offensive by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce.


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[Ethereal]

Did Syria use chemicals in recent attack?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43697670

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/499341002/

For me it seems to be way past due for Assad and Syria to experience shock and awe.

And would I be correct in assuming that you will be watching this war from the safety of your living room?

[MisterVeritis]

Why are you so easily manipulated? How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?

And why should any American care one way or the other?

Really? I asked you three questions. You answered precisely none of them. Every question was reasonable.

Take another attempt. I will check back. Oh. Would you like them enumerated?

Originally Posted by rcfieldz
You know you are disgusting?

1) Why are you so easily manipulated?
2) How would Assad benefit from a chlorine attack?

3) And why should any American care one way or the other?

Hey! $#@!? RC? Answer my reasonable questions.

[waltky]

Others want to get in on the action...

US Mulls 'Coordinated' Response to Syria Gas Attack
April 10, 2018 - The United States on Tuesday consulted with allies in preparation for possible expanded military action in Syria following the latest suspected deadly chemical weapons attack on a Syrian rebel-held village.

"We are looking for a coordinated response, whatever that response might be," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert about possible U.S. military action in Syria. President Donald Trump has warned those responsible will pay a "big price" for Saturday's attack in eastern Ghouta that killed at least 40 people. Over the past day, Trump has talked repeatedly with his British and French counterparts about a possible response to the attack. Trump has blamed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as Assad's backers in Iran and Russia. Assad denies the allegation. A global chemical weapons watchdog on Tuesday said it would send a team to investigate the incident.

U.S. troops drive on a road leading to the tense front line with Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, northern Syria

At the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Russia vetoed a U.S.-drafted plan that would have set up a commission to investigate and assign blame for the chemical weapons attack. As the U.S. mulled its response, the White House said Trump canceled a trip to Latin America, which was to begin Friday, so that he could "oversee the American response to Syria." Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also called off domestic travel plans.

No details

White House officials refused to say whether the response included the possibility of prolonged U.S. military action in Syria or would amount to more than just a "one-off" airstrike. "The president and his national security team thought it was best that he stay in the United States while all these developments are taking place," said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The U.S. is already deeply involved in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war. Over 2,000 U.S. troops are in Syria. A U.S.-led coalition has launched thousands of airstrikes there, mostly against Islamic State and other extremist rebels. Almost exactly a year ago, the U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase in retaliation for another chemical weapons attack.

A Russian military helicopter flies over a desert in Deir el-Zour province, Syria

But too intense a response to the latest attack risks escalating the Syrian civil war and exacerbating military tensions between major world powers that all have proxies on the ground, according to analysts. "There's no easy answer here," retired Admiral Michael Mullen told VOA contributor Greta van Susteren on Tuesday. "It's delicate, it's dangerous. I worry that it could expand fairly rapidly." Trump has said he would like to pull U.S. troops from Syria, citing progress in fighting Islamic State. Many in the U.S. foreign policy community, including Mullen, disagree with such a withdrawal. "The couple thousand troops that we have there are a stabilizing force," Mullen said. "I think [they] need to be there until it's very obvious that they shouldn't be there or that they don't need to be there anymore." It's unclear what an expanded U.S. military campaign in Syria would look like, including what the targets would be or which U.S. allies would be involved.

Options appear few

[Dr. Who]

I find some recent events very odd.

1) that the Russians would commit attempted murder on two individuals and leave their fingerprints all over the scene, so to speak.

2) that Assad (ostensibly aided by Putin), would use chemical warfare when the entire world would view them as monstrous criminals, guilty of crimes against humanity.

Putin has an IQ of 127, so he's not a moron. I can't imagine that Assad is a moron. None of this makes any sense at all. It's just so convenient, like the IRS texting you and suggesting they owe you $100K.