New images are emerging from satellite shots of the Syrian port of Latakia, adding to speculation about Israel’s attack this week, and comments contradicting previous speculation.
Once again the images show that the container terminal at the port was targeted. Previous reports said the containers burnt contained food and medicine. More recent reports claim it was mostly car parts.
Officially Israel still hasn’t commented, but former officials are trying to spin this as an attack on Iran, and targeting weapons. Early reports were limited damage, though the satellite images show it more extensive because of the fires.
The death toll isn’t official either, with reports suggesting 10 dead. The strikes came when Russia was flying a plane to a nearby airbase, and as a result Syria didn’t activate air defenses.
“Officially Israel still hasn’t commented…” That didn’t stop the MSM filthy outlets such as Yahoo, CBS, and ABC from openly celebrating the destruction of a civilian port in a starving third world country. The US population remains distracted, brainwashed, and enslaved while their government and its criminal allies commit atrocities all around the world in the name of “democracy.” All that while we get closer to a nuclear Armageddon everyday because the congressional MIC/deep state thinks they can survive it. We all seem destined for and lack any meaningful opposition to it. It’s truly bewildering.
We should call for a consumer strike by all those opposing Imperial aggression, e.g., start by boycotting air travel. Hold it hostage to change in US policy from “swords to ploughshares”. Then go to the next, say, fast food, till Assange is freed, …nso on.
COVID-1984 kind of moots any such boycott, though.
“The death toll isn’t official either, with reports suggesting 10 dead. The strikes came when Russia was flying a plane to a nearby airbase, and as a result Syria didn’t activate air defenses.”
Syria should just let the air defense missiles fly. If a Russian airline goes down, then maybe Russia will say no more and react in a way that Israel will understand that they mean business. Maybe an attack on Israeli soil so we can watch the IDF scurry for cover when real weaponry is being used and not children throwing rocks.
Risks accidentally shooting down another Russian plane, though.
Even if the Syrians were careful, their targeting could be spoofed.
Iran accidentally shot down their own airliner. Syria accidentally shot sown a Russian plane. Accidents, aren’t always accidents.
I’ve had a discussion with The Saker over on his site about this. He points out that Russia has no brief to defend Syria against Israel, especially when the Israeli strikes are mostly pin pricks for Israeli domestic and international consumption. He’s mostly correct.
I pointed out that if Assad were to react as he should – using his S-300 crews to take out Israeli jets on leaving their airfields or over the Med – that Israel would use that as an excuse to attack Syria seriously. That might lead to a Syrian defeat which enable ISIS and Al Qaeda to take over – something Russia intervened in 2015 to prevent – or a Western puppet regime that might kick Russia out of Tartarus and Hmeimin. This wouldn’t be in Russia’s interests.
OTOH, I suggested that Putin could tell Israel that Assad is considering shooting down Israeli jets and that Russia would be upset if Israel were to escalate. This might make Israel more cautious. Or not, since Israel tends not to listen to anyone in these matters.
Putin is occupied with Ukraine and NATO at the moment, so as long as Israeli strikes aren’t doing real damage, he probably has Syria on the back burner.
Putin had to understand they were entering into proxy war against Israel when they attacked an Israeli proxy army.
Israel does have significant Russian sympathizers and there is a Russian Israel lobby. All significant nations have an empowered Israel lobby.
Putin can’t count on them not to choose Israel over Russia any more than we could count on our own Israel lobbies to prioritize our national security over Israel’s.
I just read a piece earlier today which listed all the ways that Putin has helped Israel over the last X years, from getting the Iranians to stop firing on Israel from near the Golan Heights to various other measures. The article even suggested that if Iran fired missiles at Israel that Russia would use its S-300 systems in Syria to shoot them down.
However, the article makes a mistake. The point of the article was that Putin doesn’t want to see unnecessary conflict, and would prefer Russia act as a neutral peace maker instead. I think this is accurate. Which is why in my view Russia would not support Israel in an Iran war and would not help defend Israel from Iran. And in the same vein, he is not taking sides in what we view as a proxy war in Syria between Iran and Israel.
Putin doesn’t see ISIS and Al Qaeda as an “Israeli proxy army.” He sees them as Islamic militants in the vein of Chechens. He also probably blames the US for the civil war in Syria, which is probably as accurate as blaming Israel.
I can see him trying to tone down Israel’s attacks on Syria a la what I suggested: a quiet word to Israel that things could get worse, but I don’t see him directly ordering Israeli jets shot down – even if I think he should.
Putin’s intel can’t be worse than Western alternative news and analysis which fingered Israel as among the sponsors of the IS.
I would agree, that Putin would much rather be the peacemaker, and especially avoid widening the Syrian proxy war into an Iran proxy war with Israel.
That’s not an angle I considered; Putin does not want to be on the hook for Iran too. That’s a lot of baggage for no real geopolitical gain, much as the Iranians would like to commit Russia to them more actively.
One thing that should be noted is that air power has never singularly defeated an opposing forces. This means that land power would be required and Syria today is known to have the most combat hardened army in the Mid East.
The IDF is not capable of defeating Syria on the ground…
They did in 1967 and 1973.
That was 1967 and 1973, not 2022…
The 1967 War was also predicated on a surprise attack against Egypt that had no idea they were going to war with Israel and as such, was completely unprepared for the attack. This has been corroborated by a number of Israeli generals.
In 1973 Israel came within a hair’s breadth of being destroyed by the Egyptian Army. However, the Egyptians made a tactical mistake when they moved beyond their missile cover. I believe the US under Nixon also came in and saved Israel’s butt.
Today, the IDF is nothing more than a bunch of amateurs as told by a US Army Liason NCO. The IDF has no professional NCO corp with no professional corp of soldiers. Their primary experience in combat now is attacking the defenseless… But Israel started out that way in 1948…
“Their primary experience in combat now is attacking the defenseless… But Israel started out that way in 1948…”
Yeah, because five intervening Arab armies and a Palestinian Arab force that had been organizing and fighting for a quarter century before that, and were then handed all key positions by the departing British, were “defenseless.”
I suggest you review the actual historical analysis of those Arab Armies. With the exception of the 20,000 person Arab Legion, which was trained by the British officer, Glub Pasha, no Arab Army was prepared to fight the armed-to-the-teeth early Israeli Forces.
Just because a side has a lot of men doesn’t mean they can fight a conflict effectively. Witness Russia in 1914 and their eventual and massive defeat at the hands of the Imperial German Army.
I suggest you review the meaning of the word “defenseless.”
Israel is not only anti Christ, Israel has turned its back on the God of the Old Testament, Thou shalt not kill, maybe they just haven’t been convinced, Lord have mercy
Isn’t it “thou shalt not murder” now? Today’s Christians that vote for warmongers have to justify it somehow.
Correct. Killing is OK in war.
Not any war. Not to steal land. We all know might proclaims right, but is it true???? Unjust killing is as always wrong, as is unjust war. Maybe nuclear winter or two would clear the minds of most people. Maybe not.
I guess Israel must be learning from the Christian nations.
Christian nations learned from the Jewish Bible. Which is cherry-picked by current “Christians”.
It seems that the Syrian port has Israeli spies who gave the wrong intelligence to IDF….Or, the intelligence were right but Israeli’s were too late and the Syrian army took possession of weapons intact before the strike…!
What a great ally Russia is. /sarc
Maybe Russia does what is best for Russia and avoids getting trouble from the suicidal Zionuts always gambling they will surely win.. And they largely do, but they tend to overplay their shitty hand, and when they lose they are on the road again, time after time. Always on the take, and there is no safe way to control all the people, all the time from a minority place. How many thermos to close their latest show…??? Their is nothing to be gained by making a religion based on earning bad Karma. Shooting CHILDREN to maim & cripple! To make aggressive war through deception & fleece the American taxpayer 4 such project. Tick tick tick tick BOOM…??? What will it take to get some justice…????