Trump escalated Obama’s war in Syria. Endless conflict rages in its ninth year with no prospect for resolution because bipartisan US hardliners reject restoring peace and stability to the country.
US-led aggression is all about wanting pro-Western puppet rule replacing Syrian sovereign independence, eliminating an Israeli rival, isolating Iran, while pushing to return the country to US client state status — along with gaining control over its vast oil and gas resources.
The US, NATO, and Israel are waging war on Syria without declaring it, their warplanes aiding ISIS and other terrorists, proxy forces serving their interests — heavily armed, funded, trained and directed by the US and its imperial partners.
According to a Syrian military source on Monday,
“(o)ur air defenses intercepted hostile missiles fired by Israeli warplanes from the Lebanese airspace towards some of our military positions in Homs and the surroundings of Damascus.”
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said
“four civilians, including a baby, were martyred and 21 others, including children, were injured in Sahnaya town in Damascus Countryside due to the aggression,” adding:
“(M)aterial damage was inflicted on a number of civilians’ houses in Sahnaya,” injuries sustained by occupants.
Other reports indicated that powerful blasts struck Homs and the Damascus countryside, causing “material damage.”
AMN News reported that Israeli warplanes struck “a number of sites near the capital city and Lebanese border.”
Southfront reported that “most (IDF) missiles (fired from Lebanese airspace) were able to hit their targets,” adding:
“(M)ilitary positions in the districts of al-Mazzeh, al-Dimass and Jomrayah north and northwest of Damascus, as well as three bases in the outskirt of the city of Homs were hit.”
The large-scale attack suggests more of the same coming, the Pentagon and IDF likely coordinating their aggression at designated targets.
Along with the US and NATO, Israel has been waging war on Syria for years without declaring it.
Last September, an IDF statement said it conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian targets in the last 18 months alone, some near Russia’s Khmeimim airbase, Lebanese airspace most often used to launch attacks.
A Lebanese source said “10 or more Israeli military aircraft entered the (country’s) airspace” ahead of the latest attack, flying at low altitude to minimize detection.
Israeli military intelligence-connected DEBKAfile (DF) called the pre-dawn Monday attacks by IDF warplanes “(o)ne of the largest” against Syrian targets, saying Israeli naval vessels were involved.
DF disinformation falsely claimed the “operation became urgent (sic) when Iran and Hizballah were discovered to be preparing to embark on an operation against Israel (sic), as part of Tehran’s campaign against US Middle East allies in retaliation for the Trump administration’s sanctions (sic).”
The Islamic Republic never attacked another country preemptively, responding only to aggression against its territory, its fundamental right under international law.
The US, NATO, Israel, and their imperial partners attack other nations aggressively time and again, a flagrant UN Charter and other international law violation, accountability never forthcoming.
Separately, a Russian statement said
“(w)e are open for discussions on delivering S-400 Triumph air defense systems, including to Iran,” adding:
“Especially given that this equipment is not subject to restrictions outlined in UN Security Council’s resolution, issued on June 20, 2015. We have not received an official request from our partners on this matter yet.”
Iran and Syria have Russian S-300 air defense systems. S-400s are more technologically advanced.
They’re able to down ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as other aerial targets up to 400 km away at low and high altitudes up to 90,000 feet, including fifth generation warplanes.
S-400s are protected against electronic warfare, able to hit targets beyond the horizon. No other country has anything matching them, including the US.
They can distinguish between airborne and ground-based targets. Its sophisticated radar spots everything within its range, including tiny aircraft and stealth ones at low or high altitudes.
It can simultaneously engage up to 36 targets with up to 72 missiles, fitted with homing devices able to lock onto and destroy targets. They’re deployed at Khmeimim airbase in Syria to protect Russian aircraft and ground personnel.
Russia hasn’t supplied Syria’s military with its most advanced air defense missiles (S-500s going into production but not yet available).
Perhaps it’ll reconsider this issue following overnight Israeli aggression on multiple Syrian targets, including a residential area.
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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
