Syrian land and airspace are sovereign state territory. No foreign power may deny its military or other aircraft from operating anywhere within its borders—or Russian planes and ground personnel invited by its government.
America and its rogue partners operate illegally in Syria. On the phony pretext of combating ISIS, they’re waging war on its government, terror-bombing selected targets, using terrorists called “moderate rebels” as imperial foot soldiers on the ground.
After a near confrontation between Syrian and US aircraft last week in territory where American special forces operate on the ground aiding terrorist fighters, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook outrageously said, “[W]e would advise the Syrian regime to steer clear of those areas.”
In other words, don’t attack US-supported death squads killing Syrian civilian and military personnel.
“We are going to defend our people on the ground, and do what we need to defend them,” Cook stressed. Claiming an illegally imposed US de facto no-fly zone isn’t one, Cook added “the Syrian regime would be wise to avoid areas where coalition forces have been operating.”
He threatened Russia, saying, “[I]f they threaten US forces, we always have the right to defend” them.”
Last Friday, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said two Syrian Su-24 warplanes attacked Kurdish forces training with US Special Operations troops. They left the area before US aircraft intercepted them.
In response, a Syrian Army General Command statement said Kurdish forces were “attacking state institutions, stealing oil and cotton, obstructing exams, kidnapping unarmed civilians and spreading chaos and instability.”
Last Saturday, commander of US forces in Syria and Iraq General Stephen Townsend threatened Russia and Syria, saying “we will defend ourselves if we feel threatened.”
During a Monday Security Council session, Syrian UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari blasted nations claiming to be “friends of the Syrian people” while supporting terrorist elements massacring them.
He criticized UN General-Secretariat reports, willfully falsifying facts on the humanitarian situation. He denounced characterizing foreign-supported terrorists as “armed opposition” elements.
He stressed conflict won’t end until terrorism is defeated, its backers ceasing to support it. His government granted no permission for the US-led “international alliance” to operate in Syrian territory—in its airspace or on the ground.
He explained US warplanes destroyed a power plant supplying Aleppo with electricity. So-called “friends of the Syrian people” are its worst enemies.
Instead of combating terrorism, they support it. Millions of suffering Syrians attest to their barbarity.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Visit his blog at sjlendman.blogspot.com . Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Under international law – which the USA is as bound by as anyone else – Syria is a sovereign state with an inalienable right to defend its territory from external invasion or internal revolt (subject to qualification by the UN’s Security Council). What the USA is doing therefore is a clear violation of international law and Russia and others should call out the USA on this issue and make quite clear the illegal nature of US actions. I don’t know if Syria would want the UN in to monitor the situation but I think if it did it might very well lead to confirmation of US collusion with these terrorist entities and condemnation by the General Assembly, which in turn would lend greater legitimacy to subsequent military actions by Russian, Iranian and Syrian forces.
The USA seems to be pushing the world to the brink of war and it must stop. The one-and-a-half decade long rampage since 9/11 must stop now, before it’s too late.