Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

US, France, UK Prepare Air, Navy Units for Sustained Multi Day Assault in Syria Against Iran
Debkafiles ^ | Apr 10, 2018 @ 11:04

Posted on 04/10/2018 6:23:27 PM PDT by ethom

US President Donald Trump’s “major decision” on Syria is contingent on the rallying of sufficient air and naval strength and allied participation. Military sources report that the only US warship immediately available for the promised US military response to Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons in Douma is the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook, which sailed from Larnaca Monday, April 9, on its way to the eastern Mediterranean. The USS Iwo Jima strike group, which visited Haifa last month, is now cruising in the Arabian Sea, days away from the scene, whereas the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group only departs the US port for the Middle East on Wednesday, April 11, and is not due in the Mediterranean before next week.

The Trump administration is negotiating with Britain, France and other allies, including Arab governments, for their roles in the Syrian operation. Our Washington sources report that the commander-in-chief is looking at a major operation in Syria, to unfold over several days and lead to a concerted allied assault on the Iranian military presence embedded in that country. This extended goal may give US allies pause.

Trump’s line to UK Prime Minister Theresa May is this: You owe me for supporting you against Russia in the spy poisoning affair; now, back me up in holding Russia and Iran to account for the chemical attack in Syria. Britain maintains an air base in Cyprus. France’s only aircraft carrier, the FS Charles de Gaulle-R 91, is in dock for lengthy repairs. On April 6, 350 French airmen started a joint training exercise aboard the USS George HW Bush in the West Atlantic. Bringing them over would entail complicated, time-consuming coordination between their two headquarters. Trump has promised to reach a decision on the Syrian operation by Thursday after consulting his security chiefs and allies. What he has in mind is much more than a one-off strike like the Tomahawk assault he ordered on a Syrian air base a year ago to punish the regime for a chemical attack that left 80 civilians dead. This operation is likely to be sustained and continue well into the second half of April.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; Israel; News/Current Events; Russia; Syria; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cyprus; debka; emmanuelmacron; erdogan; europeanunion; france; germany; greece; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; israel; kurdistan; lebanon; macron; nato; receptayyiperdogan; russia; syria; turkey; unitedkingdom; waronterror
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last
To: yarddog

> anyone associated with the mullahs, the Revolutionary Guard or the present government

Oh, I see. What about the majority of the sitting Iraqi “democratically elected government”, should they be sent there? What about the Shia militias which performed the brunt of the work in driving out ISIS from Iraq, more than the conventional army (still supported by Iran)? The Kurds? Everyone involved in Iran-Contra?

Who’s going to take over when Iran gets taken out then? Communists? Royalists from a dynasty that Iran’s young population largely despise and do not remember? A “democracy” made up of the subversive factions we supported? Communists? When will America learn not to overthrow governments it does not like? It is costing us, and it is going to cost my generation when the older ones get to invade and mess up anyone they like.


21 posted on 04/10/2018 7:42:20 PM PDT by Ulmius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: mvonfr

WW-III began with Operation Masterdom
in Vietnam
on September 13, 1945


22 posted on 04/10/2018 7:45:02 PM PDT by ASA Vet (Make American Intelligence Great Again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Ulmius
That’s another regional power destabilized, and that means more unpredictable militant groups to counter. That also upsets the balance of power in a catastrophic manner.

That's well put. Did removing the Shah, Hussein, and Gaddafi make things better? Egypt was one step away from the Muslim Brotherhood taking power. Removing Assad is pure insanity.

When we break things we own it. When we forcibly remove or help remove a leader, albeit a despot or dictator of a country, history has proven that the replacement leader or regime is worse.

23 posted on 04/10/2018 8:35:09 PM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: ethom

There seems to be a scale of escalation possible that we haven’t seen in a long time, imho.


24 posted on 04/10/2018 9:10:32 PM PDT by Crucial
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Crucial

25 posted on 04/10/2018 9:11:27 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: shanover

I don’t see an upside to removing Assad either. Russia will surely try to undermine any effort to remove Assad and interfere is Assad is removed. Iranian forces will definitely try to take advantage of any vacuum with Putin backing them. Time, this is next level stupidity.


26 posted on 04/10/2018 9:14:37 PM PDT by Crucial
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: TheTimeOfMan
Correct. What is needed is:
  1. Toss out Turkey from NATO
  2. Unequivocally support the formation of a Kurdish state across Iraq and Syria
  3. Get Russia to squeeze Assad to agree (or at the least not disagree) in return for Assad getting a free hand with all regions to the west of a line from Homs to Palmyra
  4. American troops to be moved to Israel and Kurdistan (strictly stating that these are defensive troops and if either state attack neighbours, American troops will not participate)
  5. Russia gets what it wants - its base in Latakia and a free hand with Turkey when the time comes
  6. Shia Iraq gets freedom from the Sunni Anbar area and a trade deal with the Kurds to transport oil
  7. The jordanians are to be bought off by giving them the Sunni parts of Syria and Iraq

27 posted on 04/11/2018 12:23:36 AM PDT by Cronos (Obama's dislike of Assad is not based on his brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Thought I would ask. Are the gas pipelines that Europe needs in the Sunni Syria area.. I just remember the pipeline negotiations several years ago and thought.. why do we care? It is ridiculous to be at war with Russia because the Europeans are dragging us in to serve them.
I don’t know how many hundreds of posts I read here claiming Iraq had no wmds... after the gas attack there..
I wonder where those creepers are now?
FR has been hijacked by people that now want trillions of dollars in shovel ready jobs, people who blindly support an administration that has imposed more 2A restrictions than Obama and the use of military force within our borders.


28 posted on 04/11/2018 2:04:17 AM PDT by momincombatboots (No Wall, No Way 2018.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: ethom

This time the Russians have said publicly they will respond - taking out incoming, platforms, planes, and ships. Hold onto your hats and find the nearest fallout shelter.


29 posted on 04/11/2018 2:39:18 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: momincombatboots

Remember that the East of Syria and south of the Euphrates is majority Sunni. Iran's pipeline goes across Sunni lines

The Western part is mixed -- and remember that it's not that simple that all Sunnis hate Assad - in fact the majority of his army are Sunni. These guys despise the Saudi version (School) of Sunnis, the Wahabbi/Salafi school

The southern pipeline from Qatar goes across mixed lands

It's not "the Europeans" dragging in the USA. It is primarily Saudia. For the Brits and the French I don't see what they gain except breaking a Russian potential monopoly (though the Baltics are already doing this by importing American oil and gas)

30 posted on 04/11/2018 4:00:25 AM PDT by Cronos (Obama's dislike of Assad is not based on his brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

If the west wanted to act against the use of gas in warfare, it's a bit late to be getting excited.

31 posted on 04/11/2018 4:51:46 AM PDT by SJackson (The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TheTimeOfMan

us says they have chem samples...


32 posted on 04/12/2018 6:56:24 PM PDT by ethom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson