Officials: US Plans to Escalate Syria Attacks

Strikes to Be Much Less 'Limited' than Advertised

Initially slated to be a very “limited” number of strikes, with some officials familiar with talks saying the original plan was about 50 missile volleys, the planned US attack on Syria seems to be growing precipitously.

Apparently fueled by the administration’s annoyance at having to wait for their way, they have ordered the Pentagon to dramatically expand their target lists, with a consideration for using warplanes as well as missile strikes.

Officially, the administration is arguing that the delay has given Syrian forces time to disperse. That makes little sense, however, since officials were arguing from the start that they weren’t trying to change the on-the-ground situation, but rather to send a “message.”

That seems to be what’s changing, as officials are now openly talking about “degrading” the Syrian military’s capabilities and significantly escalating the aid to rebel factions to change the situation on the ground.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.