Russia is again
warning of a new potential chemical provocation in Syria at the end of a week
in which US National Security Advisor John Bolton threatened Damascus with a
"very strong" military response should allegations emerge amidst the
Syrian Army campaign to liberate Idlib.
The Russian Ministry
of Defense (MoD) said on Saturday per state-run TASS:
A provocation with an
alleged chemical weapons use in Syria, which terrorists are plotting
to stage with the assistance of UK special services, will serve as a pretext
for missile strikes by the West and the United States against the Arab country,
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.
According to the Russian
general, the provocation will be staged by terrorists of the Hayat Tahrir
ash-Sham terrorist organization (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra outlawed in
Russia) and for this purpose eight containers with
chlorine have been brought to the Idlib province.
The mention of UK
special forces and "eight containers" of chlorine suggest that Russia
is claiming to possess some level of specified intelligence.
The Russian MoD
spokesman added, "Therefore, the actions by Western countries contrary to
public statements are aimed at another dramatic escalation of the situation in
the Middle East and at disrupting the peace process on the territory of
Syria."
The statements were in
response to Bolton's prior press conference on Wednesday from Jerusalem,
where he was meeting with Israeli officials. "We now see plans
for the Syrian regime to resume offensive military activities in Idlib
province," Bolton said. "We are obviously
concerned about the possibility that Assad may use chemical weapons
again."
Bolton warned, "Just so there's no
confusion here, if the Syrian regime uses chemical weapons we will
respond very strongly and they really ought to think about this a long
time."
Meanwhile Bloomberg confirmed late Friday
that Bolton had personally delivered this message to his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev:
U.S. officials say they have
information Assad may be planning a chemical attack in the northwestern
province of Idlib. At a Thursday meeting in Geneva, National Security Adviser
John Bolton told his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, that America is prepared to respond with greater military force than it
has used against Assad’s regime in the past, according to the
people, who asked not to be identified because the content of talks hasn’t been
publicly disclosed.
Bolton's reported message of "greater
military force" is particularly alarming given that over the past two Aprils
the US has launched tomahawk missile and air attacks on Syrian government
locations after chemical allegations by al-Qaeda groups battling Assad. The
last involved over a hundred missiles that destroyed government locations in
and around Damascus.
Sensing that
Washington could be preparing another round of attacks, the Russian MoD pointed
out that "the
US Navy’s destroyer Sullivans with 56 cruise missiles on its board arrived in
the Persian Gulf several days ago while a B-1B strategic bomber of the US Air
Force armed with AGM-158 JASSM air-to-surface missiles was redeployed to the Al
Udeid air base in Qatar," according to TASS.
No wonder the west
continues to fund the #WhiteHelmets. They need them for the false
flag chemical attacks that they will use as a pretext to bomb #Syria.
Here's US Nat'l Security Advisor John Bolton today in Jerusalem threatening to
do just that.
This month Syrian and
Russian air attacks and shelling began targeting al-Qaeda held Idlib in
what is likely a prelude to a full-scale ground offensive.
The "rebel"
coalition in control of this major "final holdout" is but the
latest incarnation of al-Qaeda, calling itself Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and has
held the province, the capital city of which is Idlib city, since a successful
Western and Gulf ally sponsored attack on the area in 2015.
The Russian MoD
spokesman specifically identified HTS as the group planning to stage a
chemical attack to blame in on Assad's forces.
During Bolton's prior
comments before reporters in Jerusalem, he appeared to boast about prior US airstrikes
on Syrian government forces, referencing the Tomahawk missile strikes over the past two
Aprils — the first of which was in response to sarin gas
attack claims made by HTS and the White Helmets in Khan Sheikhoun, which is in
Idlib.
To this day the
international chemical investigative body and watchdog, the OPCW, has yet to visit the site due to its being
controlled by al-Qaeda
forces, citing that such an on-site investigation is too dangerous.
