Hitting Syrian chemical weapons facilities with 105 GPS-guided missiles from the air and sea, the U.S., Great Britain and France claim to have successfully degraded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ability to use chemical weapons. While denied by Syria and Russia, last week’s April 7 Sarin-laced chlorine barrel bomb attack on the Damascus suburb of Douma proved the last straw for U.S. allies. Exactly one year earlier April 7, 2017 President Donald Trump hit Syria’s Shayrat Airbase with 59 Tomahawk Cruise missiles for the April 4, 2017 chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, killing 74, injuring 557. Trump left al-Assad a clear message: Violate the 1997 Chemical Weapons Ban again and you’ll pay a heavy price.. Hitting chemical weapons facilities today delivered on that promise, warning al-Assad one more breach would face far more draconic circumstances.
Russian’s S-400 missile defense system did little or nothing to stop the U.S., U.K. and French bombardment of Syria’s chemical weapons sites. Refuting the damage, Russian Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi insisted that Russia shot down 71 of the 105 missiles launched by allied powers. Rudskoi’s statements are meant for Russia’s domestic consumption, reassuring Russians that the Kremlin has the defenses and firepower to compete with the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]. If word really got out that Russia’s S-400 missile defense was an abysmal failure, it would embarrass the Kremlin. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must have buyer’s remorse after putting a deposit on the $2.5 billion S-400 system. Yesterday’s strike “will significantly impact the Syrian regime’s ability to develop, deploy and use chemical weapons in the future,” said Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
Pentagon officials warned yesterday about Kremlin propaganda, now flowing like a broken water main. “The high effectiveness of the weaponry in Syria and the excellent training of Syrian servicemen prepared by our specialists,” succeeded in shooting down 71 of the 105 missiles said Gen. Rudskoi. Whether last night’s missile strikes prevent another Syrian chemical attack is anyone’s guess. What’s known fore sure is that the Kremlin was thoroughly embarrassed by the effectiveness of U.S., U.K., and French military actions. “I suspect, however, that they’ll think long and hard about it based on the activities of last night,” said McKenzie, saying that one more chemical attack could bring down al-Assad’s regime. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to respond but has limited options. If he shoots down an allied plane or warship, it would trigger a wider military involvement.
Declaring the mission a “total success,” Trump gave credit to the U.S., U.K. and French militaries for hitting all their targets. Trump admonished Putin for promising, after al-Assad’s 2013 chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta, to dismantle Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. Holding Putin in part responsible for the Douma chemical attacks, U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley warned al-Assad that the allies were “locked-and-loaded,” ready to respond if he launches more chemical attacks. “All the options looked at ways to balance minimizing collateral damage against maximum effect. These three targets seemed to hit the sweet spot and do that,” said McKenzie, refuting the Kremlin’s assertion that Russian missile defense worked. All indications point to a complete failure of the S-400 missile defense to protect any targets in Syria. Syrian officials were already minimizing any damage to Syria’s military.
Putin lost a vote of condemnation for allied strikes in the U.N. Security Council today, claiming the strikes violated the U.N. Charter. Neither Putin nor al-Assad see the use of chemical weapons as a violation of international law. Putin and al-Assad see their denials as proof that chemical weapons were not used. But the U.S., U.K. and France had all the proof they needed to confirm the April 7 chemical attack. “The Russian response was remarkably ineffective in all domains,” said McKenzie, suggesting that allied forces operated with little or no resistance. Russia’s problem now is explaining how allied force hit their targets without any resistance. Telling the Russian public that it shot down 70% of U.S., U.K. and French missiles makes zero sense. Pentagon’s Bomb Damage Assessment shows that all targets in Syria were hit with precision and overwhelming effectiveness.
Looking out for possible Russian retaliation, the U.S. must be ready in case Putin orders strikes on U.S., U.K. or French targets. Putin’s confused about the difference between the role of an ally vs. Syria’s role to defend its sovereignty. Russia has its Mediterranean Tartus naval base plus its Khmeimim Air base in Syria. Allied attacks threaten Russian’s long-term national security, calling for the Kremlin to respond at some point soon. “We do not seek conflict in Syria, but we cannot allow such grievous violations of international law,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White. If Putin responds too forcefully, he’ll jeopardize his energy contracts with the European Union, which backed attacks on Syria’s chemical weapons’ facilities. Putin isn’t likely to heed Trump’s call to stop backing al-Assad’s rogue regime, instead continuing to deny that al-Assad used chemical weapons.
