White House says it retains right to self-defence in Syria; Moscow warns Washington

[webfact]

White House says it retains right to self-defence in Syria; Moscow warns Washington

By Steve Holland, Phil Stewart and Andrew Osborn

 

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Mediterranean Sea June 28, 2016. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan U. Kledzik/Handout via Reuters

 

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that coalition forces fighting Islamic State militants in Syria retained the right to self-defence as Russia warned it viewed any planes flying in its area of operations as potential targets.

 

Tensions escalated on Sunday as the U.S. military brought down a Syrian military jet near Raqqa for bombing near U.S.-allied forces on the ground, the first time Washington had carried out such an action in the multi-pronged civil war.

 

It was also the first time the U.S. Air Force had shot down a manned aircraft since May 1999.

 

In a move that will fan tensions between Washington and Moscow, Russia made clear it was changing its military posture in response to the U.S. downing of the jet.

 

Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it would treat U.S.-led coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates River in Syria as potential targets and track them with missile systems and military aircraft. It stopped short of saying it would shoot them down.

 

The Russian Defence Ministry said it was also immediately scrapping a Syrian air safety agreement with Washington designed to avoid collisions and dangerous incidents.

 

Moscow accused Washington of failing to honour the pact by not informing it of the decision to shoot down the Syrian plane despite Russian aircraft being airborne at the same time.

 

Washington hit back, saying it would "do what we can to protect our interests."

 

"The escalation of hostilities among the many factions that are operating in this region doesn’t help anybody. And the Syrian regime and others in the regime need to understand that we will retain the right of self-defence, of coalition forces aligned against ISIS," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

 

The U.S. military said it was repositioning its aircraft over Syria to ensure the safety of American air crews targeting Islamic State.

The White House also said it would work to keep lines of communication open with Russia amid the new tensions. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the United States was working to restore a "deconfliction" communications line with Russia meant to avoid an accidental clash over Syria.

 

Marine General Joseph Dunford said there were still communications between a U.S. air operations centre in Qatar and Russian forces on the ground in Syria, adding: "We'll work diplomatically and military in the coming hours to re-establish deconfliction."

 

The U.S. Central Command had issued a statement saying the downed Syrian military jet had been dropping bombs near U.S.-backed SDF forces, which are seeking to oust Islamic State from the city of Raqqa.

 

It said the shooting down of the plane was "collective self-defence" and the coalition had contacted Russian counterparts by telephone via an established "de-confliction line to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing.

 

Russia is supporting Assad militarily with air power, advisers and special forces as he tries to roll back Islamic State and other militant groups. Unlike the United States, it says its presence is sanctioned by the Syrian government.

 

Adding to the tension, Iran launched missiles at Islamic State targets in eastern Syria on Sunday, a strike seen as a projection of military power into part of Syria identified as a top priority by Damascus and its allies.

 

(Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-20

[observer90210]

what are all these global fools pitching for?...WW3?!!

[boomerangutang]

Several issues are cloudy on this incident.  Did the US warn the Syrian jet - to get it to fly further away (both prior to, and during the time the Syrian jet was dropping bombs)?   Does the US have a formal agreements with Syria, or is the US simply occupying parts of Syrian territory?

 

Also; if ISIS or other rogue forces know they're safe from Syrian bombing by camping near US occupying forces, then that's where some of them may hide out.

[boomerangutang]

2 hours ago, observer90210 said:

what are all these global fools pitching for?...WW3?!!

In the not-so-long-ago 20th century, there were major wars every 15 years or so.   two world wars withing a span of 30 years between 1915 and 1945.  It's somewhat of a miracle there hasn't been a 3rd WW in 70 years.  I hate to say it, but the world is past due for another major war, bigger than VN or either of the Iraqi wars.  However, I think it will be triggered by the problems with China in the S.China Sea,

 

[Srikcir]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Iran launched missiles at Islamic State targets in eastern Syria

Yawn.

Six of the seven medium-range missiles Iran fired failed to hit their target.

“If the Iranians were trying to show their capabilities and to signal to Israel and to the Americans that these missiles are operational, the result was rather different,” Channel 2 analyst Ehud Yaari said.....Still, he added dryly, “it photographed well.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-sources-iran-missile-strike-a-flop-with-most-missing-target/

 

[dunroaming]

These countries spend vast amounts of money on their boys toys and they have to justify the cost by using them sometimes.

 

GRRRRRRR..........my bazooka is bigger than your bazooka!

[nycjoe]

What a perfect product!!! You blow it up and you have to replace it. Planned obsolescence at its grandest. We were warned about the military and the war industry and we didn't take safeguards. Now we are gutting health care and throwing more money at the pigs in the trough. The masters of war are never it's victims, we send our children and sacrifice them to the Gods of War. The last US president who served in the military was G. H. Bush and he left office 25 years ago.

The USA is by far the biggest seller of weapons of destruction in the world and we are selling them to the highest bidder, no matter if they are war criminals or not. 

But keep your eye on the tangerine clown, while the band plays on.

[Grubster]

I guess this stuff could escalate real fast if just a few things happen. I don't see Trump or Putin turning their wheels in a game of chicken

[midas]

11 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

Several issues are cloudy on this incident.  Did the US warn the Syrian jet - to get it to fly further away (both prior to, and during the time the Syrian jet was dropping bombs)?   Does the US have a formal agreements with Syria, or is the US simply occupying parts of Syrian territory?

 

Also; if ISIS or other rogue forces know they're safe from Syrian bombing by camping near US occupying forces, then that's where some of them may hide out.

 

Use Google and you will see plenty of articles saying Assad has never invited USA to Syria (where is he did expressly invite Russia) and regards them as invaders. And the Americans even had the further audacity to mention imposing a no-fly zone.

And why do you think ISIS feels comfortable camping near US forces the supposedly enemy ? What is wrong with this picture?

While America's infrastructure is crumbling more and more people are waking up and asking what are we doing there?

 

 

[midas]

11 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

In the not-so-long-ago 20th century, there were major wars every 15 years or so.   two world wars withing a span of 30 years between 1915 and 1945.  It's somewhat of a miracle there hasn't been a 3rd WW in 70 years.  I hate to say it, but the world is past due for another major war, bigger than VN or either of the Iraqi wars.  However, I think it will be triggered by the problems with China in the S.China Sea,

 

It will have a domino effect. Have you seen the most up-to-date assessment of the Pakistan and India dispute over Kashmir? Things are probably more tense and now than they have ever been. Both nuclear powers. Maybe the NWO guys have deliberately strategised so this will be the result.

Whoever pushes the button first it will then spread around the globe like a wildfire

Edited June 20, 2017 by midas

[Morch]

18 hours ago, midas said:

 

Use Google and you will see plenty of articles saying Assad has never invited USA to Syria (where is he did expressly invite Russia) and regards them as invaders. And the Americans even had the further audacity to mention imposing a no-fly zone.

And why do you think ISIS feels comfortable camping near US forces the supposedly enemy ? What is wrong with this picture?

While America's infrastructure is crumbling more and more people are waking up and asking what are we doing there?

 

 

Compared to the US, Russia is probably on better legal grounds when it comes to its presence in Syria. That said, Assad legitimacy as the country's ruler could be disputed - without getting into the realities of him being in power regardless.

 

Other than yourself and the poster you replied to, who said ISIS is camping near US forces?

[simple1]

On 2017-6-20 at 11:43 AM, boomerangutang said:

Several issues are cloudy on this incident.  Did the US warn the Syrian jet - to get it to fly further away (both prior to, and during the time the Syrian jet was dropping bombs)?   Does the US have a formal agreements with Syria, or is the US simply occupying parts of Syrian territory?

<SNIP>

From the OP...

 

"the coalition had contacted Russian counterparts by telephone via an established "de-confliction line to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing"

 

At the very least US and Australian governments have declared areas not under the control of Assad as non-governed areas, the legal advisory on Rules of War enables them to attack ISIS and others in parts of Syria. One of the outcomes of the Russian withdrawal of liaison is Australia has ceased air missions in Syria until matter is resolved.

Edited June 21, 2017 by simple1