ALERT !!! = US Says Assad Has Approved Gas Attack In Idlib, Setting Stage For Major Military Conflict

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-09/us-says-assad-has-approved-gas-attack-idlib-setting-stage-major-military-conflict



US Says Assad Has Approved Gas Attack In Idlib, Setting Stage For Major Military Conflict




[size=10]by Tyler Durden
Sun, 09/09/2018 - 20:31[/size]

At this point there's not even so much as feigning surprise or suspense in the now sadly all-too-familiar Syria script out of Washington. 
The Wall Street Journal https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Assad%20Idlib%20threat_0.jpg?itok=L9F7EK9Ehas just published a bombshell on Sunday evening as Russian and Syrian warplanes continue bombing raids over al-Qaeda held Idlib, citing unnamed US officials who claim "President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has approved the use of chlorine gas in an offensive against the country’s last major rebel stronghold."
And perhaps more alarming is that the report details that Trump is undecided over whether new retaliatory strikes could entail expanding the attack to hit Assad allies Russia and Iran this time around. 



[url=https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Assad Idlib][/url]
That's right, unnamed US officials are now claiming to be in possession of intelligence which they say shows Assad has already given the order in an absolutely unprecedented level of "pre-crime" telegraphing of events on the battlefield. 
And supposedly these officials have even identified the type of chemical weapon to be used: chlorine gas. 
The anonymous officials told the WSJ of "new U.S. intelligence" in what appears an eerily familiar repeat of precisely how the 2003 invasion of Iraq was sold to the American public (namely, "anonymous officials" and vague assurances of unseen intelligence) — albeit posturing over Idlib is now unfolding at an intensely more rapid pace:

Quote :

Fears of a massacre have been fueled by new U.S. intelligence indicating Mr. Assad has cleared the way for the military to use chlorine gas in any offensive, U.S. officials said. It wasn’t clear from the latest intelligence if Mr. Assad also had given the military permission to use sarin gas, the deadly nerve agent used several times in previous regime attacks on rebel-held areas. It is banned under international law.

It appears Washington is now saying an American attack on Syrian government forces and locations is all but inevitable.
And according to the report, President Trump may actually give the order to attack even if there's no claim of a chemical attack, per the WSJ:

Quote :

In a recent discussion about Syria, people familiar with the exchange said, President Trump threatened to conduct a massive attack against Mr. Assad if he carries out a massacre in Idlib, the northwestern province that has become the last refuge for more than three million people and as many as 70,000 opposition fighters that the regime considers to be terrorists.

And further:

Quote :

The Pentagon is crafting military options, but Mr. Trump hasn’t decided what exactly would trigger a military response or whether the U.S. would target Russian or Iranian military forces aiding Mr. Assad in Syria, U.S. officials said.

Crucially, this is the first such indication of the possibility that White House and defense officials are mulling over hitting "Russian or Iranian military forces" in what would be a monumental escalation that would take the world to the brink of World War 3.


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Quote :

Mark Ames

✔@MarkAmesExiled





[ltr]"Lots of evidence"
Trump regime not even trying, they're just phoning this disinformation campaign in[/ltr]


7:43 AM - Sep 7, 2018

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The WSJ report cites White House discussions of a third strike — in reference to US attacks on Syria during the last two Aprils after chemical allegations were made against Damascus —  while indicating it would "likely would be more expansive than the first two" and could include targeting Russia and Iran. 
The incredibly alarming report continues:

Quote :

During the debate this year over how to respond to the second attack, Mr. Trump’s national-security team weighed the idea of hitting Russian or Iranian targets in Syria, people familiar with the discussions said. But the Pentagon pushed for a more measured response, U.S. officials said, and the idea was eventually rejected as too risky.
A third U.S. strike likely would be more expansive than the first two, and Mr. Trump would again have to consider whether or not to hit targets like Russian air defenses in an effort to deliver a more punishing blow to Mr. Assad’s military.

Last week the French ambassador, whose country also vowed to strike Syria if what it deems credible chemical allegations emerge, said during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Idlib: “Syria is once again at the edge of an abyss.” 
With Russia and Iran now in the West's cross hairs over Idlib, indeed the entire world is again at the edge of the abyss. 
developing...

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/68247/pentagon-sends-marines-for-snap-livefire-drill-in-syria-as-strong-message-to-russia-.html

PENTAGON SENDS MARINES FOR SNAP LIVE-FIRE DRILL IN SYRIA AS ‘STRONG MESSAGE’ TO RUSSIA – REPORTS
Published: September 9, 2018
SOURCE: RT

More than 100 US marines flew to southeast Syria for a snap live-fire exercise, sending a “strong message” to Russia not to conduct operations near the US base, two Pentagon officials told Fox News. The marines were deployed via assault helicopter to Al-Tanf military base, located in Syria’s Homs Province, which borders Iraq. The drill includes air assaults, supported by artillery barrages. “Our forces will demonstrate the capability to deploy rapidly, assault a target with integrated air and ground forces and conduct rapid exfiltration,” said spokesman for the US Central Command, Captain William Urban. U.S. Central Command ✔@CENTCOM .@CJTFOIR Coalition conducts defeat-ISIS exercise in eastern #Syria #AtTanf #Tanfhttp://ow.ly/oL5m30lJ6GU 7:46 AM - Sep 7, 2018 OIR Coalition conducts defeat-ISIS exercise in eastern Syria TAMPA, Fla. – Operation Inherent Resolve Coalition forces kicked-off an exercise in eastern Syria to hone their warfighting skills for counterterrorism operations Sept 7.The exercise involved an centcom.mil 107 106 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Urban stressed that the US “does not seek to fight the Russians, the government of Syria or any groups that may be providing support to Syria.” The drill was launched after the US Army reported that Moscow had issued two warnings that it is planning to conduct operations against militants in the area. The use of the wording “precision strikes” in one of the notes had “sparked alarm with US commanders,” CNN reported on Friday, citing its own sources in the Pentagon. Russia had repeatedly stated that it considers the US military outposts in Syria to be illegal, since they were not authorized by the Syrian government. Moscow has suggested that the US is using the Al-Tanf base to get a foothold in the country. “During the existence of the base, we don’t know of a single US operation against IS [Islamic State, formerly ISIS] in the area,” the Russian Center for Reconciliation reported last week. SHARE THIS ARTICLE...