US, UK and France Escalate Aggression on Syria
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Israel was a silent partner in the overnight attack – likely involved in choosing targets, along with providing intelligence, serving its own interests.
Launching the aggression was virtually certain following chickenhawk Trump’s tough bluster – only its timing, severity and US partners unknown until overnight.
Details of the attack so far are sketchy. Scores of air and naval cruise missiles were reportedly launched on selected Syrian targets – most downed by Syrian air defenses, not all, unclear how many struck targets.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Syria’s air defenses downed most incoming missiles in flight, adding:
“None of the cruise missiles launched by the US and its allies entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian air defenses, covering objects in Tartus (naval facility) and Hmeymim” airbase.
A total of 100 cruise and air-to-surface missiles were launched overnight between 3:42 and 5:10 AM Moscow time, the ministry explained.
The attack came from the Mediterranean and Red Seas, along with aerial operations, including by US B-1B bombers, its report added.
Russia failed to intercept and destroy incoming missiles, remaining a passive bystander, shaming itself.
Syria alone acted in its own self-defense – Moscow merely saying the attack won’t be “without consequences,” a meaningless statement without strong actions nowhere in sight so far.
It’s unclear if overnight attacks were the first wave of more to come. The fullness of time will explain, including details on sites struck and damage done.
Reportedly Syria’s Mezza military airport outside Damascus, a research center, military sites near al-Dumeir airbase, and alleged chemical facilities near Homs were targeted.
Trump again proved himself a world-class thug, a war criminal, serial liar, and disgrace to the office he holds – responsible for naked aggression on multiple countries since taking office, Syria its epicenter.
His address to the nation explaining his action was beginning-to-end bald-faced lies.
Trump: “Last Saturday, (Assad) again deployed chemical weapons to slaughter innocent civilians (in) Douma…”
A Big Lie! No incident occurred, no one ill, hospitalized, harmed or killed by CWs! The incident was fake – staged theater, not reality, to justify the unjustifiable overnight attack, maybe more to come.
Trump: “The evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children, thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead.”
Trump finds new ways of disgracing himself, along with repeatedly showing he’s a geopolitical know-nothing, surrounded by bloodthirsty neocon extremists, raging for endless wars of aggression, wanting one sovereign independent country after another raped and destroyed, the human toll of no consequence.
Trump: “The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread, and use of chemical weapons.”
The overnight attack had nothing to do with Douma, CWs, their alleged production or use – everything to do with advancing Washington’s imperial agenda based on Big Lies, the pretexts for all acts of aggression.
The rest of his address continued turning truth on its head like his above remarks – Trump guilty of high crimes of war and against humanity.
Defense Secretary Mattis and Joint Chiefs chairman Dunford said no further attacks are planned at this time, not excluding additional ones ahead for whatever fabricated pretexts may try unjustifiably justifying them.
Dunford said he was not aware of “any Russian activity” to interdict incoming missiles – a disgraceful Moscow nonresponse to escalated US-led aggression on sovereign Syria based on a Big Lie!
A Final Comment
Vladimir Putin issued the following statement in response to the overnight attack, saying:
Washington, Britain and France launched “aggression against a sovereign state which is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism…in violation of the UN Charter and principles of international law, (escalating conflict), impact(ing) the whole system of international relations.”
He failed to explain why Russia remained a passive bystander, shirking its responsibility, failing to foil US-led naked aggression by joining Syrian forces in downing incoming missiles.
Here’s a rough translation of his remarks in full:
“On April 14, the United States, with the support of its allies, struck a missile at the facilities of the armed forces and civilian infrastructure of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
“Without the sanction of the Security Council of the United Nations, in violation of the UN Charter, norms and principles of international law, an act of aggression against a sovereign state that is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism has been committed.”
“Again, like a year ago, when the United States attacked the Shayrat airbase in Syria, the staging of the use of poisonous substances against the civilian population was used as a pretext – this time in the Duma, a suburb of Damascus.”
“Russian military experts, having visited the place of the alleged incident, did not find any traces of the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances. No local resident confirmed the chemical attack.”
“The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons sent its experts to Syria to clarify all the circumstances.”
“But a group of Western countries cynically disregarded this, undertaking a military action, without waiting for the outcome of the investigation.”
“Russia most seriously condemns the attack on Syria, where Russian servicemen are helping the legitimate government in the fight against terrorism.”
“By their actions, the United States further exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, suffers suffering to the civilian population, in fact they indulge the terrorists who have been tormenting the Syrian people for seven years, provoking a new wave of refugees from this country and the region as a whole.”
“The current escalation of the situation around Syria has a devastating impact on the whole system of international relations.”
“History will put everything in its place, and it has already laid heavy responsibility on Washington for bloody reprisals against Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya.”
“Russia convenes an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the aggressive actions of the US and its allies.”
Missing from the statement is what Putin intends doing about escalated US-led aggression besides complaining about it – his remarks falling on deaf ears in the West.
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