With the US military announcing that it is preparing for "options" in Syria ahead of what appears to be an imminent battle for Syria's last rebel stronghold of Idlib - which may or may not include another false flag chemical attack to justify the US presence - and which could involve such proxy foreign powers as Russia, the US, Turkey and Iran, today Russia announced that it has staged large-scale military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria, involving both its Navy and Air Force.
Footage released by Russia’s Defense Ministry showed marine special forces equipped with the latest Russian gear landing on the shores of the Syrian Latakia province. As part of the staged invasion, the marines used helicopters, fast attack craft and armored vehicles while landing from major amphibious ships under cover of dozens of Russian combat aircraft.
The purposefully dramatic display was part of a week-long exercise, which is said to be the "first of its kind" in this part of the Mediterranean. Apart from the naval infantry training, in which the marines also practiced protecting Russian Navy ships from sabotage activities, the war games also involved maritime live fire drills.
Held between September 1 and September 8, the drills also involved establishing a foothold on the territory controlled by a "simulated" enemy. In total, 26 vessels from all Russian fleets, including two submarines, as well as 34 aircraft took part in the war games.
In the full-blown combat simulation, more than two dozen battleships, including the ‘Marshal Ustinov’ cruiser and three of Russia’s newest frigates, launched anti-ship missiles and fired high-caliber guns. The drills also saw Russian strategic Tu-160 Blackjack bombers and long-range Tu-142 Bear submarine hunters train simulated missile launches.
Spoiling the suspense, on Saturday a Kremlin spokesman explained that the drills were partly linked to the situation in Syria’s Idlib province. Idlib is “a hotbed of terrorism and nothing good may come from it, unless action is taken,” Dmitry Peskov said in late August ahead of the drills, adding that some “additional safety measures” are “justified.”
The drill comes amid heightened tensions in the region (read "Everything you need to know about the looming battle for Idlib") as Moscow warns that the US is deploying additional military assets towards Syria for a potential missile attack against Syrian government forces. As previously reported, the missile destroyer USS Ross was deployed to the Mediterranean, carrying 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles; at roughly the same time the USS The Sullivans was deployed to the Persian Gulf and a B-1B Lancer strategic bomber was relocated to an air base in Qatar.
The Russian ministry said the preparations are “the latest evidence of the US intention” to strike after what it says will be a false flag chemical attack in Syria.
The Pentagon also announced that it has already compiled a list of preliminary targets in Syria, which the US military are planning to hit in case of a “chemical weapons attack.” And, It has also “routinely” briefed the White House on “military options” in case of such incident.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly warned that the militants in Idlib have been preparing a false flag attack using chemical weapons to justify the US strike against the forces loyal to the Syrian government. On Saturday, the ministry’s spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said that these preparations entered their “final stage."
Local sources have speculated that a "chemical attack" could take place as soon as the next few hours, after which events will accelerate rapidly, as both US and Russian military forces are likely to engage in what has the potential to be a conflict that quickly spirals out of control.
The development comes amid US media reports claiming that the Russian military had allegedly warned Washington of its plans to attack militants near America’s al-Tanf military base in Syria.
Over 100 US Marines were sent as reinforcements to the military base in al-Tanf, Syria after Russia allegedly revealed intentions of launching precision strikes on an area under the US-led coalition’s control, Task & Purpose reported.
While the official statement by the Pentagon did not mention that the reinforcements had been sent as a precautionary measure to the alleged threats, chief Central Command spokesman, Captain William Urban, said that the troops flown to the area would conduct multiday drills using live ammunition.
“Our forces will demonstrate the capability to deploy rapidly, assault a target with integrated air and ground forces and conduct rapid exfiltration,” Task & Purpose cited him as saying.
According to the report, US officials tackling the Syria issue have recently claimed that “the administration is now resolved to stay in Syria longer than President Trump previously indicated,” purportedly referring to POTUS’s March speech, when he suggested that the United States would leave the war-torn country “very soon.”
The news came on the heels of a CNN report about Moscow’ s alleged warnings of an impending attack on militants in the area protected by US troops.
The media outlet’s report also claimed that US Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford were aware of the latest intelligence, adding that US troops in Syria “have the right of self-defense if they are attacked and would not need to ask permission from higher levels of the government before acting.”
Pierre Le Corf, founder of the NGO “WeAreSuperHeroes,” who has been living in Syria’s Aleppo for over 2 years, has offered some insight into the escalating situation in Idlib, terrorists’ last stronghold, in an interview with Sputnik France.
In light of the Syrian government’s preparations for a large-scale military operation in the rebel-held province of Idlib, the founder of the NGO “WeAreSuperHeroes,” Pierre Le Corf, has told Sputnik that he fears a fresh provocation from militants.
According to Le Corf, terrorists’ principal aim is to prompt a Western intervention – something that would exacerbate the chaos in Syria, which has been engulfed in a civil war for over seven years.
"It will not be just a battle [in Idlib]. This is the last chance for Western forces (including my country, France) to interfere in the situation in Syria, to find an excuse to be able to start off a more global conflict. […] The day when the battle for Idlib is over, the coalition – Europe and the US – will lose the war in Syria, this will be the end. "
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