MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : TRUMPS ACTUAL OPTIONS IN SYRIA / 10 April 2018 / CHARLES LISTER & DEFENSE ONE REFLEXIONS
Two options for strikes: “Dumayr air base, which is home to Syrian Mi-8 helicopters and has been linked in social media to the strike in Douma,” or “Humaymim Airfield in northwest Syria, which was singled out by the White House in a March 4 statement that identified it as the starting point for bombing missions by Russian military aircraft in Damascus and Eastern Ghouta.” No U.S. officials told Reuters even the vaguest of plans under discussion, only acknowledging Monday evening that “military options were being developed.”
Russia’s reax: Any U.S. response to Saturday’s alleged attacks could have “grave repercussions,” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council in its emergency meeting on Syria Monday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un-russia/russia-says-it-warned-u-s-of-grave-repercussions-if-syria-attacked-idUSKBN1HG30L
By the way, Russia has apparently figured out how to jam U.S. drones in Syria, NBC News reports this morning, citing four U.S. officials. “The Russians began jamming some smaller U.S. drones several weeks ago, the officials said, after a series of suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians in rebel-held eastern Ghouta… The drones impacted so far are smaller surveillance aircraft, as opposed to the larger Predators and Reapers that often operate in combat environments and can be armed.”
Affecting U.S. operations? Yes, NBC writes. “The Defense Department will not say whether the jamming is causing drones to crash, citing operational security… But one official confirmed the https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931 tactic is having an operational impact on U.S. military operations in Syria.” Read on, here. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931
LongRead: One message of Monday’s airstrikes in Syria is that Israel will continue to deter and contain Iran as its troops fight in support of the Assad regime, the Middle East Institute’s Charles Lister argued for The Daily Beast on Monday.