The BBC is reporting that Russian planes have begun to carry out air strikes against opponents of the Syrian government:
Russia has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
The strikes reportedly hit rebel-controlled areas of Homs and Hama provinces, causing casualties.
The US says it was informed an hour before they took place.Russian defence officials say aircraft targeted the Islamic State group, but an unnamed US official told Reuters that so far they did not appear to be targeting IS-held territory.
Reportedly the Russians have also cautioned the U. S. against flying within Syrian air space. If we’re not very, very careful, this could be the way that World War III begins.
The Russians have been asked for their assistance by the Syrian government. By what authority is the U. S. bombing targets in northern Syria?
Update
The United States said it would continue to lead coalition airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, ignoring Russia’s request for U.S. aircraft to avoid Syrian airspace as Russia began conducting bombing there Wednesday.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said a Russian official in Baghdad had given U.S. Embassy personnel notice earlier in the morning of the planned strikes in Syria against Islamic State targets.
“The U.S.-led coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as planned and in support of our international mission to degrade and destroy ISIL,” Kirby said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Don’t let those Russkis push us around! If we shot down one of their planes (purely by accident of course) or they shot down one of ours, it would be all in good fun, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it.
By what authority is the U. S. bombing targets in northern Syria?
Obama won. He has a pen. What else does he need?
Russia is bombing a Syrian rebel group the US supports. That raises the possibility the US will attempt to protect the rebels, with awful consequnces.
IOW, the Russians are bombing people the Americans are attempting to protect. And, the Americans are bombing Assad’s people, the man the Russians want to keep in power.
It’s another mess, that has no clear strategy attached, as to what remedies should be applied. It’s also another non-stop example of “being taken by surprise” by either a group, a country, a movement that the Obama Administration was unprepared to deal with. Having “our pants down” is getting to be the WH’s main coping strategy, resulting in the world ignoring our presence in the world.
So much for Obama and Putin clinking beverage glasses in agreement at their last meeting, which was less than 48 hours ago. 36 civilians, in western-backed rebel areas, killed in Russian airstrikes..
Whatever promises were made by Putin, appear to have been broken — fast. It brings to mind other reported promises made by another untrustworthy regime, which became the rationale behind a disturbing agreement highly repudiated in this country. Sigh…..
Kerry warns of “grave concerns” regarding these unexpected Russian airstrikes.”
Wow, I’m shaking in my boots, as are probably the Russians. After all, these “red line” warnings are ____________ (insert the proper wording).
I think “unexpected” needed scare quotes in that first sentence.
C’mon jan. He meant red carpet, not red line. Get with it…….
You do have to admit that it’s a perfect day to trot out Lurch and military men to talk about defense cuts, ladies in combat……….and Barry doing fund raisers. God I love this freak show…….
@jan
The Free Syrian Army is al-Qaeda, and without direct US support, they will never be able to hold Syria against against ISIS. There are no good rebels. It was a fantasy from day 1, and the events with the US trained and equipped so-called good rebels should have dispelled any remaining notions.
I am astonished that people who claim to be terrified ISIS would want them in charge of a modern country. Why is this better than Assad?
I disagree on one point, TB. I’m sure there were good rebels (from our perspective) in Syria. I expect there were maybe as many as one hundred of them. Some of them may still be alive and ‘good’ now, but their already small numbers have no doubt been reduced.
@Icepick
They are only good in a relative sense. They go with the highest bidder, and money is not always the highest bid.
How long could you and your neighbors last against one of the gangs in your neighborhood? Would you join them to ensure the safety of your wife and child?
In the even worse neighborhoods do you really believe that the police, politicians, do-gooders, or other assorted bleeding hearts give a rats ass if the people live, die, or suffer miserably? If the gangs promised better living conditions and protection from rival gangs, would you support the police, politicians, etc.? Do Americans really care what happens to any Syrian?
These are easy choices to make for people who are not forced to make them. You have been advised to just move, but as you know, it is not that simple.
“C’mon jan. He meant red carpet, not red line. Get with it…….”
Drew, a good laugh is always a perk. I got one after reading that comment!
“There are no good rebels. “
Tasty, opining from an armchair is self-limiting, for sure. I don’t have access to truthful info, nor can I reasonably check ID bands or the hearts of rebels to insure the authenticity of their motives. All I can do is weave through the news to ascertain how we are faring over in Syria, specifically, and generally in the ME. And, from my laywoman perspective it seems we are demonstrating Keystone cop acumen in our attempts to appease a president who doesn’t know what he is doing. It’s not a comfortable assessment out here from middle America.
@jan
It is worse than the Keystone Kops. President Obama has a silly childish understanding of the world. He is under the impression that the terrorists, dictators, and other bad guys are one or two good hugs away from redemption. The delusional hawks are bad, but he is much worse.
You all continually want him to do something, but whatever he does is not going to make it better. He is the fireman who thinks that you can smother a fire with gasoline, and you all keep encouraging him to put out the fire. At what point does it dawn on you all that it ain’t gettin’ any better. He is not trying to burn down the forest, but he does not have enough sense to figure out he is part of the problem.
The people that you get your information from are mostly political pundits not subject matter experts. The political pundits are experts on the subject of political punditry and the matter of selling it. Most of the subject matter experts they reference are several years or decades out of touch, and most of them spout tired worn out conventional wisdom.
The world does not revolve around President Obama, the Democrats, progressives, liberals, Obamacare, welfare, Black Lives Matter, or any other political issue. Most of these people cannot write a puff piece without throwing in something political. An article about sewing suddenly includes a reference to slaves picking cotton and Black Lives Matter, or an article about rebuilding an engine has a safety warning with a reference to the horrors of Obamacare.
Any pundit, commentator, expert, etc. who does this is stupid, lying, or both. Anything they have to say is garbage. A broken clock may be right twice a day, but since you do not know when those two times are, it is worthless as a timepiece.