US jets bomb Assad tank convoy advancing on coalition base in Syria

US led coalition aircraft bombed forces allied to the Syrian government on Thursday, after they advanced too close to a base where Western special forces are training rebel fighters.

American jets were understood to have struck a convoy of 27 tanks as they moved to within 15 miles of a coalition garrison in al-Tanf, a border crossing point to Iraq in southern Syria, marking the most direct clash between coalition forces and fighters with Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Syrian, Iranian and allied Lebanese Hizbollah forces have in recent days moved surface-to-air missiles closer to the eastern frontline with the moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) units, in an apparent warning to the US-led coalition, which flies sorties against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in the area.

"A convoy going down the road didn't respond to numerous ways for it to be warned off from getting too close to coalition forces in al-Tanf," a US official confirmed, saying they breaching the so-called deconfliction zone radius around the encampment.

US aircraft then attempted to buzz the regime, but when the convoy did not turn around, they conducted a strike against some of the vehicles.

"Then there was finally a strike against the lead portion of that movement,"he official said.

Mozahem al-Saloum, spokesman for the FSA’s Maghawir al-Thawra brigade at the base, told The Telegraph that the fighters are trained to only fight Isil but were forced to “defensively” engage with the pro-regime fighters.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...b-assad-tank-convoy-advancing-coalition-base/

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Thanks Trump... Now you attack a country's ground force just because they advanced towards your ILLEGAL presence within that very same country. Bravo...

 

We all know Assad's days have been numbered since Arab Spring. It's part of your Geo-Political Strategy. Just roll with it.

 

The US action raises a lot of questions. It can be interpreted more narrowly given certain factors at play as a so-called 'defensive measure', or more broadly as part of the agenda peddled by Israel and Wahhabi Arabia against Iran.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/05/syria-trump-assad-iran/527352/

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/18/world/us-syria-airstrikes/
With latest airstrikes, US signals to Iran: Containment is back

 

Caused by...... who was that last president. Oh yeah..

 

I think this is the start of more to come, clearly the US is on a collision course with Turkey, Iran, Assad/Russia unfortunately the alternative is to allow the genocide of the Kurds and Syrian rebels, the US very much out of options and poised to be sucked deeper into this conflict. I believe they know this and have already come to terms with this fact.

Suppose you can consider the US "invited" by the Syrian rebels and the Kurds and therefore their illegal presence can be disputed.

 

More and more, this seems to be, not so much about the Kurds, but the US backed so-called rebels that are working to prevent pro Assad forces securing several roads and beating the rebels to the liberation of several ISIS held towns which lie on the land corridor from Baghdad to Damascus.

 

Wherever the US goes we can always be sure they'll make it worse.

 

Appears this will be another win for the military/industrial complex. Keep track of how many times the WH comes up with a new criticism of Assad. If it becomes a weekly occurrence, expect us to greatly expand our presence there.

 

Lucescu please... He's still the only legitimate ruler of the country and his ground forces are hit because they are too close to "invaders". This is total new level of American cheekiness.

 

Anyway ... that Assad is a bloody bastard is only denied by morons and blinded "West haters" as usual. Again and again they come with the BS that the Russian and Iranian forces fight inside Syria due to be invited by the legal government ... but all others are out of these illegal criminals!

What a nonsense, then has Iran please to stay out of Yemen and let the fingers from the Houthi to support them at all, because the legal government they are not!

Anyway, that the country is messed up due to Western incompetence too can't be denied too, as well that some Westerners did simply support and back terrorists too, with intention or by being stupid and ignorant to see who they support in reality! In head here is still Turkey far in front of the USA, who did BS too ... but much lesser as this bastard in Ankara.
But out of this total mess, anyone here has his friends and allies in Syria and is supporting them and because everyone is nearly fighting everyone here, such things can happen!
The US train whomever there and suddenly a - fir these trained group - enemy convoy comes close to them and US bombs the *peep* out of them. **** happens and was done the same way in reverse too in the past!

But over all is one thing standing:

Who the hack is fighting ISIS = enemy for all in reality and with full will at least? Mmmmh ... hard to answer and I will say no one!

 

Oh it's all because of democrats... That's right... But who struck with Tomahawks?

 

You miss-understood him maybe .. if I understand it correctly: He blames Obama, because he didn't attack with Tomahawks & Co. much earlier the way as Trump did

 

You can and are free to view Assad however you wish and call him whatever you want. But he is the legitimate ruler of Syria and, what's more, he is the preferred choice of the majority of the Syrian people to lead their country at this time. That much became abundantly clear based on the 2014 Syrian election, where people even in rebel held territories risked bullets and reprisal to vote for Assad in elections that were monitored by several dozen states, including the two largest non-aligned democracies in the world, namely India and Brazil. What's more, that same message comes out from polls taken even by Western pollsters. Polls, incidentally, which also show that more Syrians view Iran's role in Syria in favorable terms than any other foreign power, including a substantial percentage who see Iran's role in very favorable terms.

In that context, I don't see why Iran - which is invited by the Syrian government to assist it in battling foes that are Iran's enemies as much as Syria's -- should care what people elsewhere (or a minority in Syria, no more than 35% of the population no matter how you stretch it) view Iran's involvement there. The US involvement in Syria is not just without any mandate from the Syrian government, it runs counter to the wish of the majority of the Syrian people.

As for Yemen, that is real civil war, not a foreign conspiracy to bring down its government. Its a civil war that was started between forces loyal to former president Saleh allied with the Houthis against the forces loyal to president Hadi allied to Wahhabi Arabia and Al Queda. Iran had no significant role in instigating the civil war, despite some baseless attempts to suggest otherwise, In fact, the only evidence that exists is that the Houthis did not heed Iran's advice not to take over the Yemenese capital and proceeded to do so anyway. Iran, of course, is sympathetic to the Houthis and prefers them over their enemies, but until the Saudis unleashed their brutal war on Yemen, Iran was a marginal player in that conflict. Iran might have stepped up its involvement after the Saudi invasion, but the degree of Iran's involvement and support for the Houthis is greatly exaggerated. Incidentally, whether the Hadi government or the Saleh/Houthi alliance are the legitimate government in Yemen is also a disputed issue. If you ask the Yemen parliament elected before the civil war, who last year endorsed the Saleh/Houthi led government as their legitimate government, then the ones who claim that they are illegitimate are not the people of Yemen (who are being butchered by the Saudis) but those who are aiding and abetting Wahhabi Arabia in its war against Yemen. But I recognize that due to the influence of Wahhabi Arabia and company, the UN recognizes the Hadi government as legitimate and won't claim the issue is settled either way.

 

Sorry ... Are you serious?
This election was BS only as were all election before in Syria and as they are in any dictator ruled country! This is the fact and no matter what morons from which country is telling otherwise…
To rate this BS election of 2014 as free and democratic is a farce to say it gently! Hello??? An election in a civil war country with no working free election commission and were next to the place to give the votes is rattling a machine gun and fly hand grenades is such a valid election?

Is or was in the past Hezbollah legitimate government in Lebanon? Mmmh … no! So why did Iran support them again and against the legal government of Lebanon?
Sorry ... again: This BS of legitimate government invites them is then valid for Yemen too in case of Saudi Arabia with same result for all others like Iran to stay out with all things!

Sorry, this "they are the legitimate government is irrelevant and uninteresting since ever and for all in uncountable number of cases done by all sides!

As far as we 2 agree that Saudi Arabia is doing worse … but for e same worse as the Assad scum in Syria … please don’t deny that Iran is not delivering weapons to Houthi in Yemen! To deny this is lame and there are enough evidences given that they do, even Iran denies of course…. As Saudi Arabia denies their crimes in Yemen same way!

 

He means me!

 

Not really ... there are hardcore versions of you existing here and to them it was addressed!

 

Just because you have strongly held opinions on a subject, doesn't mean it is true. The issue is not whether Syria had democratic elections living up to your view of what those would entail, but whether Assad is supported by the majority in Syria. On that issue, the election was clear and irrefutable and so are the polls that have been taken.

Hezbollah was founded as a national liberation force in the wake of Israel's invasion of that country. It has support of 90% of the Shia in Lebanon (the large sect in the country, as well as support among certain Christian groups), enjoys legal status in Lebanon and, indeed, is part of the Lebanese government.

I have addressed the issue about Yemen and don't think there is much I need to add to what I said.

While there is no doubt that there is a good deal of hypocrisy to cover up self-serving motives of various international actors, I don't agree that it is irrelevant whether a foreign power is involved in a foreign country on invitation of its government. That is certainly relevant, even if there are always other relevant issues to consider as well.

Do you really imagine that either one of us is in a position to deny or admit something that has not been backed up by any proof and we can't possibly know from any personal knowledge? To be clear: I am not saying it is out of the question that Iran may be supplying some weapons to Yemen, as that wouldn't be entirely surprising and indeed would be expected after the Saudi assault on that country. But no one has bee able to prove this allegation and I like to see the evidence before accepting something as fact merely because the allegation is repeated. Until then, I will say the allegations as it relate to Iran somehow being responsible to plunge Yemen into civil war appear entirely baseless, while the allegations about Iran providing some limited assistance (including weapons) to the Houthis are unproven but plausible.

 

We do have right to be in Syria.. there are 5 million refugees scattered in Europe, the US, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

 

Did we destroy all 27 Syrian tanks?

 

Based on US reports, the attack left 8 dead and hit some vehicles on the top of the convoy. So it is hardly likely that what you seem to be wishing for happened.

 

Too bad the strike wasn't more successful.

 

I doubt if they wouldn't press that "red button"

 

Did you just try to say Iranian Monitor is a moron because he doesn't think Assad is a bloody bastard?

BTW:

Hack = Intruding into electronic devices
Heck = What the HECK.

 

You don't have "NO" right to be in Syria. GTF O there

 

When the rest of the world has to shelter 5 million Syrian refugees, it becomes our business.