US Air Force will also target Syria’s air force, ballistic missiles and sections of its air defenses
US Air Force will also target Syria’s air force, ballistic missiles and sections of its air defenses.
The reports coming out of Washington in the last 24 hours indicate that US President Barack Obama has resolved not just to degrade Syria’s chemical capabilities but also to take down Bashar Assad’s air force, destroy his air bases and knock out his ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, using giant B-52 bombers and B-2 stealth bombers. Some of the bombers will fly in directly from the US; others from the Al Udeid base in Qatar. F-22 Raptor fighter-bombers are also scheduled to take part in the US air offensive.
Obama decided to expand the scope of the US operation for Assad’s use of chemical warfare against civilians on Aug. 21, when his experts advised him that these additional blows would dramatically diminish the Syrianj ruler’s military edge over rebel forces without toppling him. These air raids could moreover be conducted from afar without American aircraft coming within range of Syrian air defense batteries.
The US operation will also target the Syrian army’s 4th and Republican Guard divisions, protectors of the Assad presidency and regime, which were responsible for using chemical weapons, but not the weapons themselves. debkafile’s military sources say they can’t be destroyed by air assault – only by ground forces, which the US president has ruled out in advance.
It was that conclusion which led Washington to considering air strikes for taking down the ballistic missiles, which may be used as the vehicles for delivering the poison gases both within Syria and beyond its borders.
This expanded inventory of targets portends a broader operation in scope than Obama’s first plan, which was designed only to caution the Syrian ruler of his peril for engaging in chemical warfare. The extensions to this plan would go a lot further than a deterrent warning and seriously downgrade his military and strategic capabilities.
Russia and Iran are already getting set to replenish by air and sea the losses the US air and missile offensive is expected to inflict on the Syria military.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and ambassador to the UN Samantha Power stressed in the last few hours that the US felt fully justified in going forward against Syria’s use of chemical weapons without a UN mandate and, indeed, they indicated, the president would consider such action “the right thing to do” even if US Congress withheld its support.
For now, Obama will be spending all his time on a blitz to win lawmakers round to the strike against Syria, while Kerry seeks European and Arab partners for the operation, in addition to France which has already come forward.
WarSclerotic 
September 7, 2013 at 2:31 PM
B52s over Syria lol not going to happen
September 7, 2013 at 3:03 PM
ah nevermind I misread
September 7, 2013 at 4:32 PM
You are in for a big surprise, my friend. The real thing its about to happen.
September 7, 2013 at 6:06 PM
Let me spell this out as clearly as I can, so that all can understand; let it really sink in, good and deep: A US ATTACK UPON SYRIA IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, PERIOD; THE RUSSIANS ALREADY HAVE SHIPS IN THE NEIGBOROOD, AND HAVE ALREADY SWORN TO COME TO SYRIA’S AID, AND THE CHINESE HAVE WARSHIPS ON THE WAY, AS WELL; THERE ISN’T THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE IN HELL THAT THE US WILL START WORLD WAR 3 ON ACCOUNT OF SYRIA!
September 7, 2013 at 6:36 PM
IAS, could not agree more, the American public will not allow it and Congress will not allow it. Obama does not want to go down in history as starting WWIII. This will also be true for Iran. If anyone here does not believe this would all play out the same for Iran then they are hopelessly delusional.
September 7, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Why do you think Obamas pushing the issue?
Do you believe there is a hidden motive behind his drive to strike?
September 7, 2013 at 7:26 PM
France and England didn’t want to start the Second World War either, and yet, the WWII has started without their ”permission”.
”To start a world war for Czechoslovakia? Are you nuts? Lets sacrifice those mother fuckers and their damn Sudeten region. Lets not upset Herr Hitler with such nonsenses. We, England and France, are holding in our hands an important paper that Lord Chamberlain himself got from Hitler, so fuck the Czechs.” After a short period of time, those ”super powers”, France and England got the fact that the Chamberlain paper isn’t useful even for the toilet and Hitler invaded Poland. ” Hm…Lets bombard the Germans with pamphlets, that will scare the shit out of them.” And the two super power clowns, France and Britain did just that, starting the ”phony war”, while the Wehrmacht blitzkrieged through Poland.
After that, France was overrunned and England was standing alone, facing the Nazi fiery beast. And now, please pay attention:
When the bombing of London has begun, the Americans thought that is not their business and didn’t intervene. In fact, the US didn’t officially enter the war until Pearl Harbor, when they saw the Japanese eyes from zero distance. The US entered the war two years after the WWII has started.
Don’t be worried, brothers, that an intervention in Syria by the USA will start the WWIII. This conflict already started when the ”Arab Spring” – what a name, sweet Jesus…- has begun. That was the symbolic starting date. The War, technically, has begun in Syria, when Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Al Qaeda were all implicated, in one form or another, in this war. So, my friends, nobody is frightened anymore that the WWIII might spark because the US intervention in Syria, after the Syrian Army started to use the WMD which it has in its arsenal.
The Third World War, my friends, is already here. I wish the world ”super powers ” wont repeat their grave strategic blunders from the past and will know, this time, to slap in the face those dictators who are playing with the fate of the world; I also wish that the key people in the good guys camp will got the character, the scope and the magnitude of this War, for reacting accordingly.
September 7, 2013 at 7:39 PM
Luis I agree with everything you have said, but I cant see the west doing much
September 7, 2013 at 8:06 PM
You are right, the west wont do nothing, but the US punishment strike while the objectives will be to degreed Assad’s air capacities and deliverance of WMD through missiles. But those events will be the trigger for leveling here some foes, because they will be idiots enough for messing with Israel and attacking it. Israel will finish the job for the west, let it be no doubt about it. The Middle East landscape and its geography will never be the same.
September 7, 2013 at 6:43 PM
There will be no all out attack on Syria, like I said a limited hit if even that. There is no way we will see US air force over Syria.
September 7, 2013 at 7:53 PM
Yes, we’ll see US air forces over Syria. Why are you all afraid from that? Read carefully the actual facts. Listen to the History, when it is speaking to us. Get out from your bubbles and look closely to the events. When Obama was not, apparently, with Israel and an US action in Iran seemed like science fiction to all of us, what we have said? Obama is like this, Obama is like that, he is a coward, he abandoned Israel and many other ”funny” things. I was with you on that one, because I felt the same. But now, my friends, Obama is making a stand – for the first time – in a crucial international issue that is vital for Israel, too, and you are starting to look for the reasons why he might doing this? Suddenly, its preferable if Obama will do nothing? Is this nothing else but hypocrisy from your part.
”Let someone else do the job, not us. Fuck the Israelis. they are causing only trouble. Fighting in Syria for Al Qaeda? Are you nuts?
So what if there is WMD on the wild out there? We’ll act only when one of those gas canisters will blow up our asses in our beloved New York. We don’t care about no one and anybody anymore. We are tired of wars. Fuck the world. We’ll act only if it will be another nine eleven.”
And another nine eleven will surely come, if no one will prevent that, starting from now. No one has succeeded to run from his Nemesis by putting his head in the sand.
September 7, 2013 at 9:22 PM
“Yes, we’ll see US air forces over Syria.”
You’ll see cows fly over Syria before you’ll see the US Airforce. We’re talking Obama here, not Bush. Obama got the US out of two Middle East wars he’ll not get America into a third. Wishful thinking a flowering prose aside.
September 7, 2013 at 10:49 PM
Get up and get real and stop seeing flying cows over Syria. We know that will be an American operation in Syria. You still don’t know. That’s all. I’ll catch with you after the war. My best.
September 7, 2013 at 10:58 PM
Once the American citizenry through Congress hold Obama in check, the ball will be in Israels court. . It will be interesting to see developments then.