US-Led Coalition Aircraft Target Syrian Army Forces

This is important.

Not a lot of details are available so cut me some slack as I use tweets:

I’m hearing a regime tank and engineering vehicles were hit by Coalition strikes in S. Syria. Seems they may have hit an advancing convoy

— Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio) May 18, 2017

BREAKING: US-led coalition has bombed Assad regime convoy in Southern Syria

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 18, 2017

my colleague @nancyayoussef also has confirmation from US defense officials on Coalition airstrikes on regime forces in southern Syria today

— Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio) May 18, 2017

@AFP #SYRIA: US official tells @AFP the convoy did not respond to numerous requests not to get too close to coalition forces at Tanaf

— Maya Gebeily (@GebeilyM) May 18, 2017

US official says coalition struck pro-gov forces near Tanf in Syria after a warning not to advance on their special forces base

— Josie Ensor (@Josiensor) May 18, 2017

The latter tweet is ambiguous. I’m not sure what “special forces” are being referred to here and I haven’t read of significant numbers of US special forces embedded with the al-Qaeda-lite rebels fighting the Syrians. Our people are with the Iraqis and Kurds facing ISIS.

This is a major departure from previous US policy. The last time we hit the Syrian army it was allegedly by accident and we apologized. Even after the nerve agent attack by the Syrian regime we selected weapons that were calculated to minimize casualties.

The U.S.-Russia deal to bring peace to Syria seemed near collapse late Saturday, as the two countries publicly accused each other of double-dealing and atrocities in the wake of an apparently mistaken U.S. airstrike that killed dozens of Syrian soldiers.

The U.S. Central Command acknowledged the strike, in eastern Syria’s Deir al-Zour province, saying it was “halted immediately” when U.S. forces were informed by Russia “that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military.” Central Command said the intended target had been Islamic State forces in the area.

A U.S. Defense official said the strike “appears to be an intelligence failure.”

The theater chosen for intervention is critical to understanding the objective. The Iranians and their stooges in Lebanese Hezbollah are trying to take an area sitting astride the supply lines linking Hezbollah in the Golan Heights border to Damascus. With this area in their possession, Hezbollah can open a front against Israel (see a more detailed post on the subject). This will, naturally, lead to Israeli retaliation and fragment the very fragile and problematic boots-on-the-ground part of the anti-ISIS and anti-Assad effort. The strike could also be tied to Trump’s attempt to put together an “Arab NATO.” This strike would show that we are willing to do more to stop Iran than share intelligence.

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