With tensions between Russia and the United States rising precipitously in recent days, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is warning the US away from the possibility of launching “carpet bombing” attacks against military sites within Syria, saying Russia air defense systems in the country are ready to protect Russian assets there.
Lavrov warned the US is playing a “very dangerous game” in discussing such attacks. While the State Department has only referred to such operations as “non-diplomatic options,” they have repeatedly insisted the administration is discussing that option irrespective of Russia’s ability to defense Syrian airspace.
There have been long-standing calls from some in the administration to start attacking Syrian military targets, or even to put the war against ISIS on hold to shift focus to a war of regime change. Russia’s substantial presence in Syria had been a deterrent to such action, but hawks are now presenting the possibility that US attacks on Syrian bases would kill Russian troops as just a perk.
Russia made a big deal this past week of deployment advanced S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Syria, which as a practical matter gives them the ability to quickly and accurately target US warplanes in Syrian airspace if this becomes an overt battle.
Though US officials have insisted the S-300 wouldn’t necessarily deter the US from acting militarily, it would be far more reckless to launch such attacks now, knowing that Russia has already made preparations which necessarily would mean the loss of a substantial number of US aircraft in such an action.
Is Syria really a nation over which we want to pick a fight with Russia? Is Syria that important to the national security of the US?
Somehow I don’t think so, and control Syria is not worth the blood- not to mention the life- of one American.
I think Syria is worth a lot but did we improve the life for the people in Iraq , Ukraine , Libya ? No we hurt them a lot more than we helped them . Lets stop bombing people OK
It is only to Saudi Arabia and our establishment bows to them.
How many times do I have to repeat the fact that these proposed military attacks on Syria would be clearly violative of our (US) Government’s treaty obligations under the UN Charter — as well as “the supreme war crime” under the Nuremburg Principles — for our Government to launch an aggressive (non-defensive) military attack on Syria (or Russia or any other member nation of the UN)? Is there no one among our political “representatives” (Democratic or Republican) in Washington who knows or cares that what they are advocating now is exactly the same war crime for which German and Japanese politicians were tried, convicted and executed after WWII? Having grown up in the Great Depression and WWII — in which my late brother served as a Navy combat pilot — I cannot forget the slaughter of more than 55 million human beings that resulted from the aggressive warfare initiated by the Germans and Japanese. Have we (North) Americans become so convinced of our national “exceptionalism” that we feel free to ignore those rules which we insist other nations must follow? This is madness.
We ignored our own laws in attacking Yugoslavia . Again in Iraq NATO looks more like a group of criminals
Exactly! But, when you become a superpower, laws and treaty’s do not apply. They only apply to others. Obama and Bush Jr along with all their senior officials absolutely have violated international laws and have committed serious war crimes but there is no country on earth who can enforce these laws on them. Not militarily nor sanctions nor anything. So, it will be interesting to see if Russia will stand their ground against these warmongers in DC and rightly resist any war of aggression against Syria.