Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a phone call Saturday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, warned that Russia considers the recent US attacks on pro-government forces in southern Syria categorically unacceptable, and said the US must take steps to prevent any further clashes of this sort.
The US had multiple recent incidents in which they’ve attacked Shi’ite militia forces in southern Syria, accusing them of getting too close to a rebel base which has US personnel stationed in it. The indications, however, are that the Shi’ite militias in the region have been attacking ISIS and al-Qaeda forces, not the US-backed rebels at al-Tanf.
Russia has harshly criticized the US attacks, saying that they are risking cooperation in the fight against ISIS. Syrian officials have also issued a statement harshly criticizing the US attacks, noting that the US presence was never authorized by the government in the first place, and that they consider attacks on their allies within Syrian soil is a violation of sovereignty.
The US has maintained that its various attacks were done in “self-defense” because the “regime forces” got too close to the Tanf base, despite no suggestion they were moving against the base in the first place. The US has made clear they are displeased with the Shi’ite militias’ efforts to reach the Iraqi border, and link up with Iraqi militia forces fighting ISIS there, but there appears to be no real basis for the US to prevent this move.
The US has no legal standing to be in Syria, no less the legal right to attack Assad’s forces. Once again, the US is on the side of jihadis looking to depose Assad’s secular regime…
Drump &Co are now dramatically calling Putin’s number… All Putin has done in return, is launch an Impotent protest…Putin could try taking this to the UN… but either he makes a military response… or turns tail…
I’ll bet Putin turns tail… because any military action will risk immediate escalation, and Putin won’t roll the dice…not for Syria.. Trump (unfortunately) wins this round.
That’s what the US expected in Georgia and Ukraine, and once before in Syria. This expectation is 0 for 3.
Ok. You’re right… but there’s a wild card now on the American side… and in those cases a direct confrontation with US forces was not in play…
I think the Russians backs are to the wall. They have that naval base there. I don’t think they leave. Even in the case of direct confrontation. They know it is coming and I think they are already prepared. Trump. Mad Dog and McMaster are probably walking us right into.a horrible war. .
Walter… this could very well be the case… I guess the question is not “whether” but “when”… I would consider this to be a very grave condition.
Sadly I agree, why most of the American people do not understand the danger we are all in is to me, the most tragic fact of all.
Hardly a win for Trump or U.S. Trump, on the campaign trail, presented himself as wanting nothing to do with this stupid, undeclared Obama fiasco. Now with Israel wrapped around him like a Boa Constrictor he’s all-in. . . . Just like Obama.
Likely McMaster and Mad Dog are a big factor too… the difference is that Obama backed off in Syria… the GOP was against intervention in Syria as were many Dems … different story now
“the GOP was against intervention in Syria as were many Dems” – what ?
Go back and read accounts of how the GOP reacted to Obama’s Red Line threat in Syria… there was uniform denunciation…. including the GOP.
Later on, they hypocritically denounced Obama for backing off the Red Line
That’s because the terrorists, with the assistance of Turkey, have carried out the chemical attacks, not Syria.
While true, it is not accepted anywhere in the US Gov — especially GOP circles– that the Syrian gas attacks are false flags. And least of all is it accepted by Trump.
Most GOP and at least half of Dems are hawks.
Your assumption goes too far. A couple scirmishes are not the fall of Damascus. If Assad is deposed and Russia abandons her bases in Syria then and only then would the US win.
What is the prize?
Total and permanent global hegemony.
I am an American not a Nazi. Our Constitution says nothing about ruling the whole world by the Demonic application of brute force.
Actually, the Constitution – and International law – forbid ruling the world by the Demonic application of brute force.
The US MUST vacate Syria, NO EXCUSES. It was NOT invited in by the Bashar Al-Assad gov’t., only Russia was .. and this was to help eliminate ISIS and other Jihadists. President Trump has to recognize this fact and rein in his Generals .. McMaster and Mad Dog Mattis are responsible for this fiasco in Syria and must be fired. Michael Flynn must be brought back as National Security Adviser and a much more reasonable retired military leader be chosen for Secretary of Defense.
If Flynn had been kept on, this fiasco would’ve never happened. McMaster never should’ve replaced him, since he was too deeply involved with the disgraced ex-CIA director David Petraeus. Trump has to take charge, as he’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He just can’t give his military commanders carte blanche; otherwise, the chaos in Syria would’ve benefited the Jihadists .. And, this is just what happened. If not for Russian military help, the Assad gov’t. would’ve been long gone and Syria would’ve been another Libya.
It’s a bad omen… recent action seems to be a change of policy to allow the US- Kurd coalition to occupy large chunks of Syrian territory, probably with the aim of dividing up Syria once ISIS is defeated.
That won’t go down well with ISIS.
The US is inside Syria. If they Syrian government cannot go near US bases in Syria, that is a permanent occupation.
The US repeatedly says it is not doing that. It lies.
Russia would rather go to war with all the NATO nations then go down to defeat in Syria. For a loss of all trust would it be for the Russian-backed nations who fear Western wars of aggression.
If Empire building and brutal imperialism is going to expire in a convulsion on our watch, then it behooves us to comprehend the root cause, if for no other reason than it gives us a head start in picking up the pieces.
Superiority complex — Root cause of imperialism
A society norm morality prevails throughout the world, such, that if you have more whiteness, knowledge or wealth then others, you have a superiority complex toward them.
For imperialism is not a government caused problem, as imperialism existed long before there was a government.
Jeffrey St Clair has called Lavrov the shrewdest diplomat since Chou En-lai. I think he could be Putin’s heir apparent, that is if Vlad ever gives the seat up again. Either way, the children in the sandbox would be wise not to f**k with little Lavrov. He’s one chess master who doesn’t play games.
It is hard to describe the absolute disgust I feel for a hegemon/tyrant nation attempting to control the world for the deadly few (NWO) bankster elites.The USA…arguably the most evil of all nations to have ever existed.
also, Lavrov….. best of the best……
I’m unimpressed by Russian whining about the US striking their allies in Syria. The whining serves no purpose beyond making the Russians look weak and it weakens their own position as a Syrian ally if that whining is not also a warning.
They have made it very clear they are whining not warning – so the attacks will continue. Because that’s the way it works. The Americans do not “leave.” They attack, invade, occupy, but they do not leave, If Russia wants them out their sphere and off their doorstep they have to throw them out.
But America also does not initiate or becomes embroiled in wars that could result in attacks on their homeland, Russia should therefore extend their missile defense protection to her allies in Syria – cover Syria in an A2/AD bubble as they’ve done in Kaliningrad and Crimea.
It would also be nice if people would stop pandering to this terrorist/ISIL nonsense. This is not a “war on terror” it’s a showdown between two military powers for, at the moment, regional dominance. ISIL and Al Nusra etc are just part and parcel of the cannon fodder.
And really, if all Russia ends up doing is making oil deals with upstart Kurdistan “govts” in Iraq and partitioning Syria to share Syria with “our partners” then they are no better than those invasive Americans and just as amoral; they’re just not as strong – YET.