War in Middle East

US Threatened Unilateral Action in Syria

Syrian Government forces, led by the Tiger Forces, launched a surprise attack to liberate the important town of Helfaya, in northern Hama. They entered the town but were forced to retreat, yet managed to capture the Al-Batish village and hill.

Elsewhere, clashes erupted in Maardas that was lost Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies earlier.  Government troops were attempting to liberate it but were slowed by sustained fierce fighting.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to the UN threatened that the US will take unilateral action if the UN Security Council fails to act on an alleged chemical attack in the village of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib

She emphasized that “The truth is that Russia, Iran, and Assad have no interest in peace,” suggesting that Damascus was clearly responsible, before any investigation.

In response, Russia said it will continue to support government forces in their anti-terrorism efforts across the country despite allegations.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also suggested that the UN Security Council should call for a fact-finding mission by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

US Launched Missiles at a Military Airfield in Homs

The US Navy launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Ash Sha’irat a military airbase near the city of Homs. The missiles cause some damage to aircraft and air defense systems as well as the runway and fuel depots. No reports of casualties were provided as yet.

The US said that they avoided sections of the airbase where Russian forces were believed to be present and has gone out of its way to minimize Russian casualties during the strikes.

President Putin called the move an “aggression against a sovereign nation” and demanded an urgent UN Security Council meeting.

Daesh terrorists responded immediately in a seemingly coordinated attack against government forces near the important town of Al-Furqalas, not far from the targeted air base.

$1.5 Million US Missile Liberate a Syrian’s Garden

The US’s decision to launch a few dozen missiles at a sovereign nation is a very serious escalation, showing a dangerous lack of common sense. 

The Russian Defense Ministry described the combat efficiency of the US strike as “quite poor.”

Some Syrian airplanes in various stages of repair and being stripped for parts were destroyed, but fully armed Su-22 bombers under hardened hangars in Sha'erat airbase were unharmed. The missiles were fired from an area near the Island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea.

Only 23 of them reached the Syrian airbase, according to the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman who said that the points of impact of the remaining 36 cruise missiles are unknown.

Yet, it appears that least parts of one of these missing ‘freedom’ missiles was found attempting to ‘liberate’ some turnips in the garden of a Syrian in Karto, near the coastal city of Tartus, about 100km away.

Quite an expensive ploughing job, I must add…

Missile Strikes Were Planned BEFORE Alleged 'Gas Attack' in Syria 

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US missile strikes against Syria were planned well in advance of the alleged "gas attack" in Idlib province earlier.

She added that it is obvious that these missile strikes were planned before. For every expert it is obvious that this decision was made well in advance and before the Idlib events. 

She concluded that that recent events in Syria are being used as a distraction of the rising civilian casualties resulting from deadly US airstrikes in Mosul.

Daesh Launched a Seemingly Coordinated Attack in Homs

Daesh used the US missile strikes against government forces in the Syrian province of Homs to launch an attack near Al-Furqalas in Homs province mere kilometers from the air base. Clashes also erupted at the highway linking Homs and Ash Sha’irat.

The Daesh attack followed just hours after the cruise missile launches at the military airfield in Ash Sha’irat. 

As a result of these strikes, the airfield was damaged and temporarily reduced the Syrian Air Force capabilities to provide fast air support in the northern Hama countryside and along the Homs-Palmyra highway.

Daesh Downed an Iraqi Helicopter in Western Mosul

Daesh downed an Iraqi helicopter with a rocket over a forested area in western Mosul, killing its crew.

They also launched two attacks in northern Baiji at the highway linking Haditha and Baiji utilizing 3 VBIEDs, allegedly destroying 9 armored vehicles and 3 tanks belonging to the Iraqi Army. Two tanks were reportedly also destroyed with ATGMs and over 39 Iraqi soldiers were killed as a result.

Conversely, sources of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) declared that they have repelled all Daesh’s attacks on Baiji killing 11 ISIS terrorists and another 18 killed in clashes at the highway.

The PMU also destroyed a collection of caves and tunnels belonging to Daesh in the Makhoul Mountain north of Salahiddeen.