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Russia To US: Let’s Coordinate Your Punitive Airstrikes On Assad
Hotair ^ | 04/12/2018 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 04/12/2018 9:15:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Is Russia negotiating missile strikes as a method of appeasing Donald Trump? The Washington Post reports that Russia has shifted gears from confrontation to mitigation with the US after assisting Bashar al-Assad’s capture of the rebel stronghold Douma. At first, Moscow threatened a military conflict if Trump followed through on his threat to punish Assad for yet another use of chemical weapons that Russia had guaranteed were destroyed:

Russian officials on Thursday sought to tamp down public fears of a looming conflict with the United States, even as Syrian government forces took control of the town where they are suspected of carrying out a chemical attack last weekend. …

Russian officials in recent days had warned of the possibility of a direct military confrontation with the United States as a result of a U.S. strike. Any missile attack that puts Russian lives at risk, Moscow has said, would result in Russia striking back at the missiles and at the planes or ships that launched them.

Today, however, they’ve changed their tune to the point of signaling that a nominal strike on targets without Russian personnel might not get a response. In fact, Russian military sources suggest that they will help coordinate the strikes to ensure no Russian casualties:

In the wake of Trump’s Wednesday tweet warning Russia of a planned U.S. missile strike, however, Moscow appears to be trying to make clear it does not want a war and that a limited attack that doesn’t risk Russian lives would not precipitate a military response.

“I rule out a scenario in which the United States will intentionally strike a facility in Syria where Russian servicemen are located,” Military Sciences Academy vice president Sergei Modestov said in Thursday’s edition of the government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

The Kommersant newspaper quoted anonymous Defense Ministry sources as saying that Russia’s General Staff was in touch with the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and expected to receive coordinates on airstrike targets from the Pentagon in order to avoid Russian casualties.

That might explain why Trump appeared to walk back his threat to strike Syria this morning, a day after promising to rain “smart” missiles down on Assad:

Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018

Russians apparently feared that Trump was about to go all-in on Assad:

President Trump’s desire to prevent future chemical attacks in Syria has fueled speculation that the U.S. leader may authorize an attack that is more far-reaching than the one he launched a year ago.

A larger strike, possibly including stealth aircraft and strikes on multiple sites, could inflict lasting damage to military facilities and economic infrastructure that have been vital to President Bashar al-Assad’s ability to regain his grip on Syria seven years into a grinding war.

But a wider attack will face multiple immediate and longer-term risks, including the possibility of a dangerous escalation with Russia, Assad’s main military backer, in a country that Moscow has used as a testing ground for some of its most sophisticated weaponry.

It’s not just the US preparing to strike Assad, though. Theresa May has sent an attack group from the British navy to the coast of Syria to join the US in its reprisals. France affirmed its support for new attacks on Syria this morning, making it yet another diplomatic nightmare for the Russians. If they can hold down the damage while allowing some punitive action that’s limited to just Assad, Vladimir Putin might just ring that up as the cost of doing business.

Putin’s worried about another player looking to reset the battlefield entirely. He called Benjamin Netanyahu earlier to ask him to stop attacking Iranian positions in Syria. Netanyahu gave him the answer you’d expect:

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday, and the Russian leader urged Israel not to take action in Syria and to threaten its security. Israeli officials confirmed the call took place and said that Netanyahu told Putin that Israel will not permit Iran to set up a military presence in Syria.

The news of the telephone call between Netanyahu and Putin appeared as Netanyahu took the stage in Israel’s main Holocaust memorial event and issued a threat to Iran not to “test Israel’s resolve.” The Russians announced the call in statement on the website of the Kremlin, which specified that Putin insisted it is “important” to maintain Syria’s sovereignty.

Putin’s trying to head off yet another proxy war in its newly won back yard. It may already be too late for that:

The air raid that Israel is said to have mounted Monday against the Iranian airbase called T4 in Syria was apparently a watershed moment in Iran’s aspiration to establish a local foothold. The bombing raid had significant results compared to previous attacks, and Tehran’s threats to retaliate make the collision course already marked with Israel more likely. An Iranian retribution may lead in turn to an Israeli response that could almost entirely wipe out Iran’s military presence in Syria. …

It’s been half a year now that the leadership in Jerusalem – the prime minister, defense minister, cabinet ministers and chief of staff – have been openly stating that as far as they’re concerned, a new line has been drawn in the Syrian sand. Israel will do what it takes to frustrate Iran’s military establishment there.

Based on foreign media reports, these threats were backed by acts: first with attacks ascribed to Israel in which it reportedly reacted to fire from battles in the Golan between the Assad forces and the rebels that seeped over the border; Iranian transponders and intelligence outposts on the border were also bombed. …

The latest attack ascribed to Israel exposes Iran’s real intentions: Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and a crony of Khamenei’s, is building an extensive, smart system in Syria, aimed against Israel. The nature of this activity is being kept secret from Russia, which sees itself as allied with the axis supporting Assad. Its dimensions are apparently also secret from top Iranians as well: President Hassan Rohani balks at increasing investment in the Quds Force and in the wars that Soleimani is pursuing in the region.

For Russia and the Assad regime, it is a big headache. A collision between Israel and Iran would imperil the regime’s ambition of regaining control and could have other prices for Assad. Soleimani, according to Israeli pundits, is in effect undermining Russian interests in Syria. Meanwhile Assad lost a lot of his anti—aircraft power because of Israeli raids after the F-16 was shot down.

The US might be looking to make Syria and Russia pay a steep price for its alliance with Iran in Syrian territory. If so, then allowing the US a few targets for a one-off reprisal might be the cheapest way out of the conundrum for Putin.



TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; Syria
KEYWORDS: airstrikes; assad; bloggers; kabuki; neocon; russia; savingface; shamwow; syria; trumpgwot; trumprussia
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To: Responsibility2nd

PDJT gets a quadruple WIN.
The Norks, Chicoms, Putin and moonbeam Jerry bow to the master.


101 posted on 04/12/2018 6:13:44 PM PDT by spokeshave (recovering Spokeshave from another computer.)
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To: Karliner

Spot on post Karliner.
I pray I’m wrong, and I’m not dogmatic about it, but this might be it.

We’re less than 1 month away from Israel’s 70th “rebirth” anniversary.


102 posted on 04/12/2018 6:13:47 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (This country & world is living on borrowed time (Luke 17:26-27))
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To: SaveFerris

And the “young lions” refuse to act. What would cause that inaction?

Oh wait....


103 posted on 04/12/2018 6:15:25 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (This country & world is living on borrowed time (Luke 17:26-27))
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To: spokeshave

And add Saudi Arabia to the pot.


104 posted on 04/12/2018 6:16:27 PM PDT by spokeshave (recovering Spokeshave from another computer.)
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To: Karliner

Not sure if you’ve ever read Matt Ward’s stuff?

Worth the read and your post brought this article to mind:

Our Proximity to the Tribulation :: by Matt Ward

http://www.raptureready.com/2015/06/10/proximity-tribulation-matt-ward/


105 posted on 04/12/2018 6:19:46 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (This country & world is living on borrowed time (Luke 17:26-27))
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To: Roman_War_Criminal; SkyPilot; null and void

I believe the Deep State, the Democrats, the GOP Establishment (excuse the redundancy) will have created a Constitutional Crisis or somehow made the USA basically a third-world nation by that time. Or at least second-world.

The sheer stupidity of people trying to destroy their own country is mind-boggling. Too stupid to figure out Obama and co.


106 posted on 04/12/2018 6:19:50 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: SeekAndFind

Since WWII, Russian’s as a people are cowards. Someone please name a time when US Soldiers were attacked by Russian soldiers in a concerted effort.

The times I can name without researching are the Berlin Airlift and the Cuban Missile Crisis. They called off their actions re the Berlin Airlift and their ships turned around in the middle of the Atlantic and went home during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The leaders of Russia are NEVER EVER going to take on the US head on....................for a plethora of reasons not just that they would get annihilated.


107 posted on 04/12/2018 6:19:59 PM PDT by Cen-Tejas
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To: SaveFerris

Possibly, but I was thinking more along the lines of the last trump. 1 Corinthians 15:52


108 posted on 04/12/2018 6:22:24 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (This country & world is living on borrowed time (Luke 17:26-27))
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

If it all happens at pretty much the same time, then sudden destruction could.....


109 posted on 04/12/2018 6:24:59 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

Oh that British guy? I like him.

Alex Jones makes up nonsense though, whether it’s he’s a nutcase or just wants to get eyeballs, I couldn’t say.


110 posted on 04/12/2018 6:40:49 PM PDT by Impy (I have no virtue to signal.)
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To: All
100 million in Tomohawk missiles against dummy targets ought to sooth these pretenses.
111 posted on 04/12/2018 6:48:43 PM PDT by veracious (UN = OIC = Islam ; Dems may change USAgov completely, just amend USConstitution)
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To: Impy
Alex Jones makes up nonsense though, whether it’s he’s a nutcase or just wants to get eyeballs, I couldn’t say.

The FR admins may not be aware that Watson is not in that category.

112 posted on 04/12/2018 7:32:38 PM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Mozart tells you what it's like to be human. Bach tells you what it's like to be the universe)
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To: Cen-Tejas

RE: Since WWII, Russian’s as a people are cowards.

Didn’t they defeat and stop Hitler’s advance? They dealt the Nazi’s one of their most disastrous loss in the Second World War.


113 posted on 04/12/2018 8:03:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Didn’t they defeat and stop Hitler’s advance? They dealt the Nazi’s one of their most disastrous loss in the Second World War.

Thanks to us.

According to Khrushchev Stalin himself privately stated “if we had had to deal with Germany one-to-one we would not have been able to cope because we lost so much of our industry.” Marshal Zhukov, perhaps the most important allied General of the war and arguably the 2nd most influential man regarding the Soviet war effort likewise said that without the aid (lend-lease) the Soviet Union “could not have continued the war.”
114 posted on 04/12/2018 8:09:26 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

“... Didn’t they defeat and stop Hitler’s advance? ...”
-
Yes, thanks to the U.S.A. and Studebaker trucks.


115 posted on 04/12/2018 8:14:42 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (I was conceived in liberty, how about you?)
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To: Cen-Tejas

It’s not taught that way in US history books, but the reality is that the USSR did more of the actual grunt work of defeating Germany than everyone else combined. They reduced Hitler’s army by a million men over 8 months in Stalingrad alone.

Operation Barbarossa was the largest land invasion in human history, performed by a technologically cutting-edge great power, and the USSR put it down.

How high you want them to jump to earn your respect?


116 posted on 04/12/2018 8:16:51 PM PDT by thoughtomator (Number of arrested coup conspirators to date: 0)
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To: thoughtomator

“the USSR did more of the actual grunt work of defeating Germany than everyone else combined...
...How high you want them to jump to earn your respect? “

They deserved every death they got in WWII. They formed an agreement to conquer and divide Poland up with the Nazis. Only because of the German betrayal did they fight on the good side. They get no respect from any self-respecting person. But if they want respect, they can give back Crimea, and get out of Georgia, Syria, stop aiding Iran and North Korea. .....They won’t so FRussia.


117 posted on 04/12/2018 8:23:55 PM PDT by rbmillerjr (Reagan conservative: All 3 Pillars)
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

I’ve been considering that also. Not that we can pinpoint but it is a full generation and anything divisible by seven from the Bible mathematically amazing( read Ivan Panin’s works). Just Israel as a nation again is miraculous and fulfilled prophecy to the very day. Whenever it is I think we’ll be like the disciples and understand it after it all happens.


118 posted on 04/12/2018 8:24:47 PM PDT by Karliner (Jeremiah29:11,Romans8:28 Isa 17, Damascus has fallen)
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

Similar to Chuck Missler. Transhumanism is a wild subject and I do wonder just how bad the days of Noah were. And our days are as bad, or worse!


119 posted on 04/12/2018 8:27:35 PM PDT by Karliner (Jeremiah29:11,Romans8:28 Isa 17, Damascus has fallen)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

It’s Jones site though, so I understand why they have a blanket ban on it. Sensible people should cut ties with Jones. I saw a clip of Watson trying to talk about serious stuff and he had to stand there and listen to Jones ramble about some conspiracy nonsense and he was clearly uncomfortable, I felt bad for him.


120 posted on 04/12/2018 8:56:10 PM PDT by Impy (I have no virtue to signal.)
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