Israel changes trajectory of Trump/Syrian pull back

When I previously posted on the charade of the chemical weapon attack, I was overly optimistic about Trump, having bellowed loudly and beaten his chest convincingly, would then pull back as he previously intended. I thought linearly, always a mistake in politics or war. Israel has now interjected itself into the conflict.

Israel lobbing missiles in Syria. 16 minutes.

Same thing from another source.

AMMAN/CAIRO (Reuters) - Syria accused Israel on Monday of carrying out overnight missile strikes on a major airfield, after earlier saying it suspected the United States of being behind the attack.

Russia, the Damascus government’s key ally, also said two Israeli F-15 war planes carried out the strikes near Homs in central Syria. An Israeli military spokesman said he had no immediate comment.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said Israel conducted the strikes from Lebanese air space, and Syrian air defense systems shot down five out of eight missiles, the Interfax news agency reported.

“The Israeli aggression on the T4 airfield was carried out with F-15 planes,” the Syrian state agency SANA said, citing a military source.

Washington has denied launching any air strikes against the country.

So what happens if Israel strikes Russian bases or personnel, something which Trump studiously avoided doing? Does Russia do what Putin said, counterattack the bases from which the attacks come? If he does, then does Trump robotically determine to defend poor, isolated Israel? Talk about the tail wagging the dog. The chihuahua is swinging the slobbering St. Bernard (or St. Donald) back and forth. Is there no way out? I am stumped for plausible replies.

The only reasonable Trumpian response would be for Trump to forcibly tell Israel to knock this crap off, through back channels of course, or Uncle Sam might let Israel take a few lumps on its own.

Israel knows quite well what this escalation of violence means. Will Trump allow it? Or will he flip Netanyahu the bird?

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp7zVPB2GD0]

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QMS's picture

Israel will not accept any limitations to its operations in Syrian airspace against ‘Iranian threat’, the defense minister said, expressing hope that “communication” lines with Moscow will help avoid any “friction” in the air.

What Iranian threat do they perceive? Sounds like doublespeak. They are dragging Russia and US into their little hot war and and being typically belligerent at it.

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Alligator Ed's picture

@QMS I think they should be more worried about Assad's outspoken protector, Putin. If the Israelis push the issue, I hope Trump will have enough sense and spine to tell Bibi "fuck you". But that is the problem, isn't it?

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@QMS

The fact is, we don't really know if the U.S./Western empire really plans on de-escalating things in Syria, or if that is just something they said they wanted after their latest round of air strikes (after all, from what I last read, there's still an American carrier battle group headed toward the eastern Mediterranean Sea.)

Also, I find two things very hard to believe, right now:

1. That the U.S. is just going to stop pushing against the Russian alliance, either in Syria, or someplace else, and

2. That whatever Israel is doing in terms of engaging in its own strikes on Syria, it isn't doing either in coordination with the U.S., or at least in consultation with the U.S.

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Alligator Ed's picture

@SoylentGreenisPeople Absolutely sure:
1. U.S. will continue pushing against Russia, with or without Israel or Syria due to our current McCarthyite era

But...

2. Israel may or MAY NOT be working in conjunction with U.S., but realizes it has a superior position to act with impunity, about which the US can do little--unless Trump does a 180˚ on Israel.

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CB's picture

@Alligator Ed
that wags the American dog.

But, with each passing year, oil/gas has become increasingly irrelevant in the ME as a cause of strife. I would suggest that 80 to 90% of the current reasons for destroying Syria (and Iran) is Israel and the KSA.

New technologies such as fracking plus moderating consumption world wide has caused a dramatic shift in oil trade. The US is no longer dependent on ME oil. In fact, the US now ships it's condensates (left over from gas production) to KSA. Another factor is that a pipeline from the gas fields of Qatar and Iran to send gas to Europe would undermine the latest efforts by the US to become a major LNG exporter to the EU. Right now, the ME gas has to be liquefied and shipped as LNG, just like American gas. Russia's Turkish Stream will be coming on line within the year and Nord Stream II has got most of its permits. These new pipelines make a pipeline through Syria much less viable.

If it weren't for Israeli backed neocons who control the levers of power in the foreign department in Washington, there would no longer be American backed wars of regime change in the ME. We can already see some ambivalence, on again, off again, in how this war is being managed.

By hook or by crook, Israel has to keep poking at the hornet's nest to ensure it gets what it wants (FUKUS military involvement and chaos) as well as to take the public's focus off it's genocidal policies against the Palestinians.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@CB

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

QMS's picture

@Anja Geitz Probably not Knight in Shining Armor or Kick Some Ass Wink

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dervish's picture

@QMS SA gets confused with South Africa, so KSA is used.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

travelerxxx's picture

@dervish

Say what? And all this time I thought the K in KSA stood for Korrupt.

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His videos rank very high on my lst,

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snoopydawg's picture

does Trump robotically determine to defend poor, isolated Israel?

If we put our military in bases in Israel, then if any country attacks Israel,then they are attacking the USA and we will war with them. This is one of Bibi's plans. It looks like Bibi has bigger hands than Trump does.

Russia is moving more military equipment into Syria. Is that to scare us off from attacking Syria again or for some other reason? BTW, Putin's approval rating has gone up after he didn't start a war with us. This was great news for Russian who had been shown what to do in case of war.

Russian Warships Carrying Military Hardware Spotted Crossing Bosporus Towards Syria

So much for congress telling Trump that he had to get authorization from congress before he attacked Syria. Pelosi was insisting that he did that even though with congressional approval it was still illegal for him to do it. And now this.

The original AUMF was for defeating Al Qaida, wasn't it? But since then Obama used it for bombing countries that had nothing to do with 9/11. How he thought it meant that he could help the Saudis commit genocide in Yemen is beyond me, but apparently the only one who had a problem with it was Tim Kaine.

US senators introduce new war authorization with no expiration date

Congress wrestles to update presidential 'war on terror' authorization

President Donald Trump would get broad authority to use force against terrorist groups, with no expiration date, under a new bipartisan proposal unveiled in the U.S. Senate on Monday.

The proposed bill would cover all terrorist groups the U.S. is currently fighting, (whether we fund them or our allies do) and it would not restrict the president from taking immediate action against enemies in other global hot spots.

So much for the Resistance! Congress has given Trump more power to spy on us and more money to bomb innocent people in the Middle East.

And just in case you thought that Trump had forgotten about North Korea, he hasn't.

US pumping weapons into Asia-Pacific using N. Korea as excuse, Russia tells Japan

Russian interference. The gift that keeps on giving.

IMG_1888_0.JPG

Looks like it's working.

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There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?

Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.

Alligator Ed's picture

@snoopydawg This I didn't know but certainly seems to be done in order to take advantage of diversion of world attention to Syria--rightly so because Syria is the present danger.

Russia is moving more military equipment into Syria. Is that to scare us off from attacking Syria again or for some other reason? BTW, Putin's approval rating has gone up after he didn't start a war with us. This was great news for Russian who had been shown what to do in case of war.

Russian equipment transfer is not to scare us off. I don't believe Putin bluffs. The bridge building equipment may be for Tartus or another not yet developed naval base.

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snoopydawg's picture

Why? Good question. But probably because ...

Israeli defense minister claims right of 'total freedom of action' in Syrian airspace

Israel will not accept any limitations to its operations in Syrian airspace against 'Iranian threat', the defense minister said, expressing hope that "communication" lines with Moscow will help avoid any "friction" in the air.

From the comments -

yeah yet you cant fight your own war without aid or U.S to help you cowards!
"We will maintain total freedom of action. We will not accept any limitation when it comes to the defense of our security interests," Lieberman told Walla News on Monday, noting that "all options are on the table."

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There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?

Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/04/16/israeli-defense-minister-lieberman...

Lieberman declined to confirm or deny Israel’s involvement in an air strike last week on an air base in Syria’s Homs region — an incident in which seven Iranian military personnel were reportedly killed.
Regarding Israel’s freedom of action in Syria — where the Russian military has been operating for the past two and a half years on behalf of President Bashar Assad’s regime — Lieberman said, “We won’t accept any limitations when it comes to Israel’s security interests. We’ve managed to prevent direct friction with the Russians and we talk to them all the time. We have a steady line of communications that has proven itself.
“ All options are on the table,” Lieberman continued. “We will not allow a situation in which Syria serves as a front base against Israel.”

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travelerxxx's picture

@humphrey

What they have in common is that both are Israeli citizens. So, there's that.

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. . . . much of a stranglehold this little country in the Middle East has over the American government and its policies.

In short, Israel has a blank check to engage in as much mischief as it wants, and because the United States is its "bitch," Israel and its operatives and "sayanim" in the United States do so with impunity.

Anybody catch Tucker Carlson's interview with Noah Rothman a few nights ago? This smug, slimy, and dishonest "Israel-firster" showed himself to be a true POS, while hiding behind professed concern for American military forces.

Watch this smug, slippery, practiced, and disingenuous POS--who reminds me of a young Bill Kristol--in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfq7Twh6J44

To his credit, Tucker doesn't let himself get steamrolled by this guy's rapid-fire bullshit.

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Alligator Ed's picture

@SoylentGreenisPeople @SoylentGreenisPeople I would say Noah Rothman reminds me of Robby Mook with his shit-eating grin and rapid, rabid spewing of bullshit. Send Noah to Syria so he can advise our soldiers on how to fight, oh you big, brave man!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=rFaSKJQSYQg

Sergei Lavrov discusses the recent false flag events. He also reads from the classified full report of the IPCW. I think that you all know the issues now, the the Scripals were actually attacked with a nerve poison BZ which disables but does not kill unless in very high doses. It appears, furthermore that the samples sent to the IPCW were laced with pure concentrated "Novichok". This would be an impossibility if the sample was really recovered from a crime scene as the stuff decomposes fast. This was the "tell" from the IPCW in the released summary of their report. The private report is read verbatim by FM Lavrov.

So what does this have to do with Israel? Plenty. Israel has been cheerleading the destruction of the Syrian state. They took their own potshot at Syria, just this morning and before the FUKUS (France, UK, US) strikes. They were sorely disappointed with Trump's raid.

Here's where speculation gets really interesting. The false flag events were clearly planned well, executed and then played to the max in the media. It looks certain that UK, via MI5/MI6 has their hands dirty with creating, backing and directing the White Helmuts. Is Mossad involved? It's hard to believe that they are not. But besides that point there is a direct connection between Trump's son in law and Netanyahu. They are long time friends, Netanyahu actually sleeping in Kushner's bed when he visited the US. So here's what I think is the probable connection: The false flag op is executed. An Israeli agent, if not Netanyahu himself calls/tests/secure emails Kushner to present the horrors of the fake flag event to his wife. And then encourages her to tell Daddy about the brutal Syrian regime. Daddy then pulls the trigger, and people die and we come that closer to global Armageddon. Trump keeps mentioning the personal horror of children gassed. Where is this coming from? This is speculative but it sure puts the pieces together.

How to stop this? Russia has to put the fear to Israel by threatening to arm Syria and Iran with some serious stand-off weapons, defensive and offensive. Then let Net-and-Yahoo know for certain that Russia knows what he has been up to and it better stop. There is no end to this until Syria established whole, secure boundaries and Israel and the US will never let this happen, unless pushed screaming and squealing. But what about the UK? There has been a 500 year hatred between Russia and the UK. Remember the bloody Crimean Wars? Remember Britain waiting as long as possible to open a Western Front against Hitler while Russians died by the millions? Remember London providing sanctuary for the worst of your Oligarch thugs, and draining your capital. London has been financed in part by the hard working capital of Soviet citizens, stolen and brought to London. The London housing boom was brought to them by stolen Russian money. London refuses to open any files on ex Russian thugs/oligarchs and refuses to extradite convicted criminals. Litvinenko was poisoned by polonium. Israel and the UK both produce this extraordinarily radioactive toxic substance. UK files on him are closed from Russian investigators, or any outside investigators. What are they hiding?
It looks like the Scripal flase flag OP called for poisoning the Scripals with BX toxin to disable them and then spiking the samples with "Novichok". Why did they not just kill them outright with Novichok? Perhaps too far considering that Scripal himself was a UK citizen.

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Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

CB's picture

@The Wizard
was because "in the wild" it would have probably killed police, rescuers and doctors. So we see that there is a bit of morality left with the fuckers. They also knew that the BZ would just incapacitate the Skripals yet still give a casus belli to accuse Russia with the use of CW as a trailer to enhance the upcoming shit show in Douma. It's all managed like a PR operation.

I think their food was laced at the restaurant where they ate lunch prior to their walk in the park. The timeline fits. I would like to know who photographed them at the restaurant. He was caught taking a picture by the mirror behind the Skripals.

After the initial take-down of the Skripals, the samples could be readily laced with Novichok. One of the problems is the speed at which "Novichok from Russia" was deemed to be the cause of the Skripals collapse. It was just hours before it hit the media while it took over a week for any labs to confirm this.

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travelerxxx's picture

@CB

I would like to know who photographed them at the restaurant. He was caught taking a picture by the mirror behind the Skripals.

Exactly. Unless Skripal was some kind of local folk hero, recognized enough that he had photogs following him to public spots, the photo is part of the PR production - and the photographer is a member of the "production company."

Mainstream media seems either 100% inept - or 100% paid-off/complicit to not immediately catch this. Of course, there are many, many other massive "oversights" in the story similar to this.

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CB's picture

@travelerxxx
Douma fell much more rapidly than was expected and everything had to be rushed so as to fit the pre-planned narrative. The Russians and SAS had discovered a cache of CW and neutralized it the week prior. This prevented the White Helmets aka Jaish al-Islam from getting the chemicals and staging set up. We do know that some Jaish al-Islam changed their mind at the last moment about being bused out and decided to continue fighting a hopeless battle. It was during this time the supposed CW attack occurred. I believe they had become desperate because they had failed to ensure their end of the PR production was per the pre-planned script. They just ended up winging it at the last moment with the hospital stunt.

Looking back, the entire false flag timeline seems staged.

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@CB

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Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.