Posted on 08/29/2013 5:19:59 AM PDT by Zakeet
Some took a prior report the that the "developed" nations would use Cyprus as a warplane strike base just as a leaked memo predicted in 2011, skeptically. Today we finally got official confirmation from that Britain that it is sending six RAF Typhoon jets to Cyprus "as a defensive measure amid growing tensions over Syria and talks of Western military intervention." It's defensive in case Syria launches an airborne assault of the UK we take it?
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the air-to-air interceptor jets would be deployed to the British Akrotiri base in Cyprus on Thursday."This is purely a prudent and precautionary measure to ensure the protection of UK interests and the defence of our Sovereign Base Areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region," the spokesman said.
"This is a movement of defensive assets operating in an air-to-air role only. They are not deploying to take part in any military action against Syria.
And just as expected, with the US already piling up naval assets in both the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea, Russia is responding in kind, and has dispatched a submarine and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. CBS reports:
Russian news service Interfax is citing military sources as saying Moscow is dispatching an anti-submarine ship and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. Interfax says the moves are being made due to the "well-known situation" there -- referring to the Syria crisis. But a Russian government news service, Rianovosti, says the reassignments are part of a planned rotation and aren't linked with the situation in Syria.
This comes as the US decided to postpone the pullout of its Nimitz aircraft carrier which is near the Straits of Hormuz currently, and which was supposed to return home. The Navy has ordered the Nimitz, which is in the Indian Ocean, to stay for now.
Finally, keeping things exciting, China reiterated that the West should stay the hell out. SCMP reports:
Chinese state media warned the West against strikes on Syria on Thursday as momentum mounted for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to be punished over an alleged chemical weapons attack.In an editorial headed “No excuse for strikes”, the state-run China Daily said the US and its Western allies were “acting as judge, jury and executioner”.
“Any military intervention into Syria would have dire consequences for regional security and violate the norms governing international relations,” it said, adding such a move “will only exacerbate the crisis and could have unforeseen and unwelcome consequences”.
Making a comparison with the war in Iraq, it said the international community should not allow “itself to be led by the nose by US intelligence, which after all was responsible for claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”.
The foreign ministry has advised any Chinese citizens in Syria to leave as soon as possible, and recent media reports from China's First Financial Daily have revealed that Chinese entrepreneurs and businessmen working in Syria have begun pulling out of the country.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Syria surnamed Feng told First Financial Daily reporters that major Chinese-funded enterprises remaining in Syria were few, and most would "soon withdaw or reduce staff".
So with the unscheduled early pullout of UN inspectors from Syria on Saturday morning as was reported earlier, we know the who, we know the how, and just may have learned the when.
All this posturing is just stupid. I think everyone should just meet and settle their differnces at a neutral site, like Megiddo.
First he destabilizes the region...now he is trying to start WW3 with the Russians.
this is probably not what the pansyass liberals were expecting when they voted in this POSOTUS.
This evil POS in the WH is nothing more than Satans man to pave the way for The AntiChrist to step up. Can’t think of a better way than starting WW3.
“Making a comparison with the war in Iraq, it said the international community should not allow “itself to be led by the nose by US intelligence, which after all was responsible for claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”.”
Yes, it was the US, all by itself that led the world by the nose with only our intelligence on Iraqi WMDs. Sure, I’ll bite on that.
What utter bullsqueeze! Besides, we did find a fair bit of evidence to back up that claim, it was just buried and never reported on in the mainstream news outlets...
Which ships? If it is one of their rust buckets, they are not serious; if it is the Peter the Great, they are.
Putin has read the tea leaves and knows that his excellency has over reached on his own. He has been happy to have left our allies out in the cold and they have not forgotten: go ahead Odumbo, we are right behind you here, you just cannot see us. Meanwhile POSOTUS (thanks to made that one up) now has no clothes. Not only has he gone back on what he said to the people about needing congressional approval, he has gone on record saying we need to decommit in the mid east and in the world at large. This is what happens to a novice bettor who wins the first few bets he makes and doubles up feeling he is invincable. Putin is coming to collect the vig now.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Does nobody read what they just typed before hitting the send button? I had a grammar checker program in 1988 that had more than enough horsepower to catch an obvious error like this.
Real question: do the Russians now have a naval base on Cyprus?
They are planting the “blame Bush” senario.
Great flick.
No
These include an intelligence ship (CCB201), an anti-submarine cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate, amphibious warfare ships, a tanker, and some rescue tugs.
According to the AFP/Yahoo article, an anti-submarine ship and a rocket cruiser will be heading there soon. Not sure what the anti-sub ship is, but the rocket cruiser is the Slava class Moskva, which is a pretty capable surface combatant (for one thing Syria just 'received' 64 S-300 missiles, since that is the Moskva's main anti-air component). Another report states that the Varyag, another Slava class cruiser, is in the area or soon to be. That is another 64 S-300s.
Now, I do not expect anything to happen. Neither country really wants to engage each other. The only chance of problems is a mistake. Say the Moskva uses its tracking radar to keep tabs of inbound F/A-18s, and one of the F/A-18s believes it is under attack and launches a weapon at the Moskva. Or the inverse ...the Moskva sees F/A-18s and some idiot thinks they are attacking it and launches a missile at the Super Hornets. Don't think it can happen? Ask the crew of the USS Vicentes how Flight IR655 was shot down, or ask the Russians about KAL 007. Mistakes can happen.
I am particularly thinking of a ‘mistake’ that may arise when some overzealous radar operator in the Moskva or Varyag decides to switch from the scan/track radar to the fire control/engagement radar, just to ‘scare’ the F/A-18s. To the Hornet pilots they just got lit up and a missile may be heading their way, and although I am sure the ROE will be very strict not to engage, one may decide not to take the risk. I don’t think they will be carrying any anti-ship missiles, but I have always wondered how a HARM missile would respond to a ship-based radar. ....
If a single hair on a single Russian serviceman is disturbed by the psychopath Obama, WWIII is on and will end human life on this planet.
One
Big
Ass
Mistake
America
Thanks, the Moskva is one of their more capable ships and one that is used on long range, extended deployments. A lot of the Black Sea fleet is a ghost fleet, but this is a ship in better repair.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
