Despite Trump Warning, Russia Resumes Major Airstrikes On Idlib

Image via VOA News

By Tyler Durden  /  ZeroHedge

lt doesn’t appear that Syrian and Russian forces are overly concerned with the Monday evening threatsfrom both President Trump and Nikki Haley warning Assad and Russia against attacking Idlib Province, as Middle East sources now report that Russia has resumed an intense air campaign over Idlib for the first time in 22 days. 

Beirut-based Al Masdar News reports, citing Syrian military sources, the Russian Air Force has begun its largest bombing campaign of the year in the Idlib Governorate. 

Moments ago at least ten Russian Sukhoi jets launched dozens of airstrikes over the southern and western parts of the Idlib Governorate.

Al Masdar’s sources said the Russian Air Force specifically targeted the Jisr Al-Shughour District, including the towns of Al-Shughour, Mahambel, Basnqoul, Zayzooun, Ziyarah, Jadariyah, Kafrdeen, Al-Sahn, Saraseef, and dozen others. The source added that the Russian airstrikes numbered over 50 thus far.

With the large Russian bombardment, the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) long-awaited ground offensive is bound to start in the next few days.

Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!

3:20 PM – Sep 3, 2018

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Meanwhile the Kremlin has responded to President Trump’s Monday evening tweet. According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Just to speak out with some warnings, without taking into account the very dangerous, negative potential for the whole situation in Syria, is probably not a full, comprehensive approach.”

The Kremlin added that the area was a “nest of terrorists” in what’s a clear dismissal of Trump’s warnings of “Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!”

And following Trump’s Monday tweet, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tweeted her own statement based on the president’s words, while specifically invoking the US charge that Assad plans to use chemical weapons. Haley wrote: All eyes on the actions of Assad, Russia, and Iran in Idlib. #NoChemicalWeapons.

It appears that Trump and his cabinet were likely briefed on Monday that Russian strikes would be imminent.

We described previously how Washington is seeking to use the “Assad is gassing his own people” claim to gain leverage over Syria, Russia, and Iran as they seek to root out last major pocket of the al-Qaeda jihadist insurgency from the country. 

Despite the latest words from President Trump condemning Syrian and Russian actions in Idlib, the White House’s own top State Department official, special anti-ISIL envoy Brett McGurk,  issued an unusually frank and accurate assessment of the situation in Idlib a year ago: 

“Idlib provice is the largest al-Qaeda safe-have since 9/11, tied to directly to Ayman al Zawahiri, this is a huge problem.” 

But Trump’s latest words appear primarily designed for leverage as there is little on the ground pressure that the US is capable of exerting at this late hour, barring some kind of “chemical provocation” claim. 

As Russia has initiated what’s already being widely described as a “massive” campaign, we will likely see the major powers involved in the Syrian proxy war go further up the escalation ladder. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-04/despite-trump-warnings-russia-resumes-major-airstrikes-idlib

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