Trump Orders ‘Precision Strikes’ on Syria
Has spent the last week discussing possible moves.
President Donald Trump has announced that he asked our armed forces to strike targets associated with the chemical weapons in Syria.
LIVE FEEDS OF ATTACK ON SYRIA
Tweets from https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/lists/lebanon-syria
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EARLIER
Trump promised we won’t have a permanent presence in Syria. He said that deterring against the production and use of chemical weapons in Syria “is a vital national security interest” to America.
He also took a shot at Syria’s biggest allies, Russia and Iran. Like Ambassador Nikki Haley, he reminded us that we are here now because Russia broke its 2013 promise to get rid of chemical weapons in Syria.
“Today’s response is the direct result for Russia’s failure to keep that promise. Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilized nations as a force for stability and peace.” https://t.co/sekJohjdYE pic.twitter.com/kYBZfNy6xT
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 14, 2018
It also looks like France and the United Kingdom will join us in striking Syria.
What we know about the chemical attack in Syria from last weekend:
About 500 people may have been affected by a suspected chemical attack last week on Syria’s rebel-held town of Douma, according to the World Health Organization.
It remains difficult to place an exact figure on the number of people killed and wounded Saturday on the outskirts of Damascus, a development that has pushed the United States and its allies to the verge of military confrontation in Syria.
But in a statement Wednesday, WHO, citing reports from its health partners, said an estimated 500 patients seen at medical facilities exhibited symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals.
These symptoms included respiratory failure, severe irritation of mucous membranes and disruption to the central nervous system.
WHO said more than 70 people taking shelter in basements reportedly died in the attack, with 43 of those deaths related to exposure to toxic chemicals.
Two health facilities were also affected, its statement said.
The Syrian government and Russia, its key ally, have vehemently denied involvement and accused rebels in Douma of fabricating the chemical attack claims.
President Trump will address the nation tonight about Syria, a White House official said.
— Veronica Rocha (@VeronicaRochaLA) April 14, 2018
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Comments
I would love to hear POTUS, or, a spokesperson, announce something to the effect of, “The U.S. has taken action to enforce the Obama Administration’s much talked-about, but, ultimately, unenforced, “red line” on the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria.”
Sorry, Trump has been president for the last 15 months. If he was going to ‘fix’ Obama’s ‘mistakes, why is he starting now? This was not the first chemical weapons attack during the Trump administration. There have been a score of attacks with as much evidence as this last one.
Trump already made his own impotent ‘retaliation’ when he notified the Russians to clear out their planes and personnel before he lobbed $50 million worth of cruise missiles at a base that was operational the next day! The next day!
Whatever he does now, he owns; same as Obama couldn’t blame Bush. You prefer this charlatan grifter? OK, but you are not exactly impartial. You are part of the 40% that will follow him to hell. But I don’t see a groundswell because he starts firing off missiles a couple of days after saying we are leaving.
Just curious – does he have a strategic plan? A doctrine? Why wasn’t he disturbed a week ago? Why wasn’t he making it plain to the Russians a week ago?
You have to be the dumbest damn Marxist shill on the internet. Can’t you do anything right?
The only thing you do is make the case for abortion.
Wait… you are stating that Assad has been a chronic attacker of his enemies and any civilians in the way with chemical weapons since Trump’s inauguration…
…as a defense? As an attack on Trump? You’re serious?
Well here we go…
We have a destroyer in harms way presently in the Med off Syria. I trust that they are not “alone” and that Russia and Iran pause and consider… this isn’t a Carter, Clinton or Obama Administration they are dealing with. Israel will be drawn into this by Iran I imagine.
it is always a bigger more dangerous problem having to mop up after a policy of big talk, fake red lines and little action.
We are in this mess in part since the days because of Jimmy Carter not taking it to the Iranians over the embassy hostage crisis. The Soviet ambassador to Australia was asked what his country would be expected to do… he said demand the embassy people back and if not leave the place a dusty hole in the ground.
The Russians and Iran are going to do,
Nothing.
They know the current leader of the Free world has the resolve to do what it takes.
Has what it takes to do what?
Perhaps you’ll notice the recent news from this evening.
Get back to me when you see anything out of the Russians other than talk.
ASSadd should ask the Russians for his money back.
LOL! Resolve? Every morning the man gets up and has to be reminded what to think by Fox & Friends.
His only resolve is to eat a lot of cheeseburgers, play a lot of golf and figure out ways to monetize the presidency.
You’re a yellow commie idiot.
What were your Marxist leaders like Pelosi saying in the past few days?
If his primary concern was accumulating more wealth, he wouldn’t be President today. Say what you will about his style, leadership, etc… he’s not going to be an Obama or Clinton, endlessly pimping his former job for decades to come.
Aren’t you a supporter of the guy who constantly said he ‘only found out about’ important events from the news, while president?
I’m sure everyone here appreciates your incredible insight into such matters, but your break’s over and you have a bridge to guard.
That’s true about Carter, he really did f/u the Middle East. I have thought this k our not finishing ng off NL and NVN also played into it.
We lost our resolve and began fighting political wars, unfortunately many men died and were mangled in them in our name.
Sorry it posted before correcting . That would be NK and NVN. I don’t think Trump
Wants to fight unless we are balls to the walls full in. No more half measures
Tyrant Obama the Liar gave Iran what it takes to make it the dominant regional power, ei nuclear weapons, ICBMs, and $150 billion.
I see the yellow rose of obamas buttocks is here…
Someone has got to speak truth to dummies.
Keep licking Trump’s. That is what he expects of his sycophants.
We’ve been tryin to speak truth to you for months, dummie.
You need to take your tongue out of Obama’s butt.
What we know about the chemical attack in Syria from last weekend:
[et seq.]
In other words: not much. All I see here is a list of dead bodies, and reports of reasons to suspect gas attack. And those reports may well be accurate; there’s nothing particularly suspicious about them.
But none of that even begins to answer the question of responsibility.
Sorry, the days when I might take breathless TV reports at face value went out onto the rubbish heap of history about a half century ago.
Either the president and Mattis are lying, or they have the proof. They do not and likely will not provide you with all the reasons they have certainty.
And you have nothing.
Which is the whole point, genius.
They’re leaving everybody with nothing.
Genius.
Thanks. Apparently you have no understanding of military intelligence capabilities. Nor do you understand they are not going to tell you, and every enemy out there how and what they can do.
Genius.
The dictators in the Middle East have been buying defensive weapons systems from the Russians. Now they get to see if the $ was well spent. If the US etal sneak in and out with no losses, it will be a huge bitch slap to Putin’s arms industry. You can also bet the NORKs are watching, as are the Chinese.
Russian crap has always worked so well for the ME tyrants hasn’t it 🙂
They should ask for their money back.
The Russian/Soviet crap worked pretty well at the start of the 73 war with Israel. Especially the anti tank and anti aircraft missiles.
I believe the turning point was when the Egyptians came out from behind their SAM and AT shield to assist the Syrians.
… you are citing 45 years ago? Really?
…Yes. Really.
How has it worked out in recent times, say for Iraq?
Or Syria?
Who won the ’73 war?
Yup! The allies are united on this which leads me to suspect that this is more about a unified demonstration of force against Russia/Iran/Syria and the Palestinian Terrorists. This also sends signals to China which has been increasing its influence throughout Africa and the middle-east as well as China’s very disturbing overreaches in Southeast Asia.
The Russian “crap” has been getting quite good, from small arms and body armor on up. Their current tank…if it’s reliable…is very formidable, as are their air defense systems.
To be blunt, small arms and body armor are for policing actions, they do not have value in a real war of the modern variety.
I do not know if the Russian made air defense system was in use. I suspect it was. It’s worthless against our offensive systems.
Associated with? Doesn’t that mean Hezbollah?
Thomas Wictor makes some thought-provoking threads…
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/983064219783344131.html
…and more…
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/983105783062716421.html
…and more. We know Syria is a mess. Just how big a mess is unknown.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/984890157802258432.html
Mr. Wictor does have some interesting takes on this. Thanks for sharing the links!
I’m waiting for the reports of how well the defenses worked against our missiles. I suspect Putin was all talk or he’d already be out there claiming they were successful in shooting down a majority of the missiles.
Regarding Russian weapon systems. Do we know whether the Syrians control the S-400 AA missile system?
According to the press briefing now on-going, the Russian air defense systems were “not employed”.
Whether you like the CinC or not, there are a few things which have to be understood about the US involvement in Syria.
The first is that the Washington establishment has been directly attempting to remove Bashir Assad from power for the last 6 years. It has been doing that by directly and indirectly supporting the Syrian rebels there. A significant, if not majority, of these rebels belong to groups which the United States has designated as being terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda [you know, the organization which destroyed the Twin Towers and killed over 3000 US citizens on US soil] and Al Nusra. The reasoning behind attempting to replace the Assad government with one composed of Islamic terrorists who hate the US [ISIS was a splinter group of Al Qaeda] escapes me. But, we are actively pursuing that goal.
The second is that the US Establishment seems hell bent on engaging in a face-to-face military confrontation with Russia. Now, neither the US nor Russia is going to “win” such a confrontation. That has been understood since the 1940s. And, is the main reason why no such confrontation has occurred.
Third, there is no real justification for these US actions against Syria. Syria is not in the process of attacking the US, or its allies, including Israel. Syria, if it did use a chemical weapon, and there is still no known evidence that it did, has not used chemical weapons against anyone who was not in open rebellion against its government.
Fourth, there was no debate on this action. Again, there was no pressing international threat to the international community from the alleged actions of the Assad government. No tanks are rolling across the border into Iraq or Israel. No offensive missiles are being fired from Syria to any point beyond its borders. There was absolutely NO pressing reason not to investigate this incident and debate what constitutes an appropriate response. The CinC acted unilaterally, without consulting Congress. And, the US has no overarching authority to attack and invade a sovereign nation over the internal politics of that nation. People are all upset that Russia attempted to influence a US Presidential election through the use of none violent means. But, they seem to be perfectly alright with the US interfering in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation using military assets. Does anyone even remotely sense the immense hypocrisy here?
So, the US attacks Syria for an internal incident which has not been established to be the act of the Syrian government and which did not affect anyone outside its borders or which harmed American citizens. And, this attack presents the very real possibility of a negative response from both a strong military nation, Russia, and a nation having control of an extensive terrorist network, Iran, neither of which suffers any damage which would impair its ability to take forceful action against the US. When you add the fact that Syria has NO strategic importance to the US and the question then becomes, what was the hurry to take action?
Interestingly, this parallels the bombing of the Al Shifa pharmaceutical factory in the Sudan, in 1998. The Clinton administration justified that action, after the fact, by claiming that a precursor chemical in the production of VX gas, a nerve agent, was found in a soil sample outside the plant. There never any evidence produced that the plant was producing VX, or was responsible for producing the precursor chemical, and the chemical found is neither a proscribed nerve agent itself nor it is production limited solely to the manufacture of VX gas. There was claim that the factory had ties to Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be responsible for several terrorist attacks against US facilities around the world. However, later research suggested that bin Laden had no interest, or a very limited monetary interest, in the facility. The criticism, at the time and since, was that the only reason for this attack was to make Bill Clinton, who was facing impeachment in the House, look Presidential. This will be hung around Trump’s neck, as well. But, the Clinton’s attack on the “aspirin factory” did not bring the US into direct military confrontation with Russia.
Having any pubic debate over the advisability of militarily attacking another sovereign nation, after the fact, undermines the protections afforded by a democratic society. And, upholding those protections was one of the reasons that Trump was elected.