MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : THE COALITION STRIKES CONTRA GASSAD (ASSAD) / DETAILED REPORT & REACTIONS

By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – 14 April 2018 – The Russian news agency RIA, in contrast to the initial claim of about 30 missiles, is now asserting, “over 100 cruise missiles and air to ground missiles were launched by the air and sea missile carriers of USA, France and the UK”.Sputnik claims the “majority” of the missiles were intercepted. The Russia Defense Ministry, continuing to say the advanced S-400 air defense system was not needed, said Assad forces repelled the attack with Russian-made S-125, BUK, and S-200 missiles.

Syrian State news agency SANA says three civilians have been injured. It does give a bit of concrete information, identifying two of the targets as a military facility in Barzeh, near Damascus, and military depots near Homs.

Hundreds of people reportedly gathered at squares in Damascus, honking car horns, flashing victory signs, and waving flags, as vehicles with loudspeakers roamed the streets and played nationalists songs.

Bashar al-Assad’s office tweeted, “Good souls will not be humiliated,” Syria’s presidency tweeted after the airstrikes began. A State broadcaster pronounced “Good morning steadfastness.”

State TV has reinforced the message that all is well by showing Assad arriving at his office for work, repeating the caption, “A Morning of Steadfastness”.

The US, UK, France have launched airstrikes “on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities”.

The attacks on three sites, just before 4 am local time, were in response to the Assad regime’s two chemical attacks a week ago on Douma, in East Ghouta near Damascus.

As Donald Trump announced the operations, explosions were heard in Damascus, Homs, and other locations. A US official said the attacks were on multiple targets and included Tomahawk cruise missiles.

“I ordered the United States armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of Syrian dictator of Bashar al-Assad,” Trump said, late Friday night Washington time.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said, “We would have preferred an alternative path. But on this occasion there is none.” She assured that the attacks were not about “regime change” or “intervening in a civil war”, but were to “deter the use of chemical weapons”.

President Emmanuel Macron confirmed France’s involvement, saying Paris could not tolerate the normalization of the use of chemical weapons. The French Defense Minister said operations targeted three sites and Russia was informed beforehand. Missiles were fired from a frigate in the the eastern Mediterranean and from Rafale aircraft based in France.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that the three targets were chosen to minimize the chance of Russian casualties.

The head of NATO, Jen Stoltenberg, said, “I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France….This will reduce the regime’s ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged members to “show restraint in these dangerous circumstances” and to “avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people”:

Any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent. The suffering it causes is horrendous. I have repeatedly expressed my deep disappointment that the Security Council failed to agree on a dedicated mechanism for effective accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. I urge the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and fill this gap.

Assad Regime-Russia-Iran Reactions

As it has done repeatedly with Israeli attacks on military positions, Syrian State TV claimed air defences shot down several missiles. The SANA news agency declared, “The tripartite aggression is a flagrant violation of international law.”

The Russian Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, focused on the effect on President Vladimir Putin:

pre-designed scenario is being implemented. Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.

Insulting the President of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible.

Russia’s Defense Ministry tried to deflect questions as to why advanced S-400 air defense systems had not blocked the attacks, saying no US or allied missiles had entered Russian defense zones.

The other essential ally of the Assad regime, Iran, said through Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi:

The United States and its allies have no proof and, without even waiting for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to take a position, have carried out this military attack…and are responsible for the regional consequences.

A senior pro-Assad official, probably from Hezbollah, said “all [targeted] military bases were evacuated a few days ago”, and maintained that a third of about 30 missiles had been shot down.

A Token Attack?

The Syrian opposition, activists, and analysts all expressed concern that the strikes would have little effect on the wider regime-Russian conventional bombing which has killed many tens of thousands of civilians and contributed to the displacement of millions.

Opposition leader Nasr al-Hariri said, “Maybe the regime will not use chemical weapons again, but it will not hesitate to use weapons the international community has allowed it, such as barrel bombs and cluster bombs. www.mesop.de