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NEW DELHI: The situation in West Asia seems to be in the hands of the devil with again an escalation of hostiles between different players with conflicting interests.
The recent retaliatory aggression by the United States in0 shooting a Syria Air Force fighter jet, is a clear sign of frustration because of the success of the Syrian army in cleansing terrorist positions and liberating the largest gas field from Daesh (Islamic State) in Homs province. Never in history, has a country--- like the US today---sought to establish military bases illegally in a sovereign nation. And this by attackng the legitimate forces of that nation under the pretext of fighting terrorism. That in actual reality is being supported by the US and its supporting countries.
The Syrian jet was shot down by the US and its allies, 15 minutes after it took off for a regular mission to target ISIS terrorists. This is an act of aggression, meant to provoke Russia as well. Moscow has lost patience with the US for repeatedly breaking mutual agreements to maintain peace insofar as Syria is concerned.
The Pentagon objective is to prevent any geopolitical links and strategic depth between Syria, Iraq and Iran. The US intention is to isolate Iran and Lebanon from any Iranian logistic support which ultimately serves Israel’s ambition and dominance. US forces have been repeatedly attacking Syrian positions intentionally, helping Jihadist terrorist organizations to occupy positions previously held by the Syrian Army.
A case in point are the strategic hills in Dier Elzour northern eastern part of Syria when the US “mistakenly” attacked the Syrian army and killed 86 soldiers, and immediately Daesh attacked and occupied those strategic hills overlooking the besieged city.
The US also attacked Syrian troops as they were advancing toward a checkpoint at the border between Syria and Iraq. It was a clear warning by the US not to allow any connection between the armies of the two countries forces fighting Daesh at the triangle between Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Moscow, accused Washington of shifting its long range rocket launchers from Jordan to its illegal base in Al Tanf area in Syria, with its defence ministry stating that these will be used against Syrian forces fighting ISIS .
The situation in southern province Daraa, bordering Jordan, is no less volatile with the US and its allies trying to push forward militia-- trained in Jordan--into the province to prevent the Syrian army from re claiming it from militant groups.
On Tuesday June 21, the US claimed to have shot an Iranian made drone over Daraa for threatening its allies!
All these hostile acts by US occur even as it is increasing its military presence in the region. There are reports of expanding military bases in many parts of Syria in attempt to shift its military base in Incirlik in Turkey to base inside Syria. This will help the US achieve its objective of disintegrating Syria and also supports Syrian Kurd’s ambition of slicing the country for autonomy even as eyewitnesses report the efforts by Kurd forces to prevent the residents from returning to their homes.
In a recent interview to Saudi newspaper Al Sharq Al-Awsat former US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford , said that the US game plan in Syria has ended. He confessed he American administration has given Syrian protesters “false hope”. It is worth mentioning here that Ambassador Ford (2011-2013 US Ambassador to Syria) broke all diplomatic protocols along with his French counterpart by touring the affected areas and inciting the people against the Syrian government. Ambassador Ford has now warned the Kurds not to trust the US, and that they will only be used by Washington for its own ends.
Wall Street Journal interviewed militants in Qunaitara province bordering Syrian Golan under Israel occupation, who spoke of their support for Israel and Saudi Arabia. The covert operationto create a buffer zone rich in oil is now out in the open. It had started with the occupation of the Syrian Golan where oil was discovered by an American company in 2009.
The uneasiness between the US and NATO allies is getting clearer by the day with President Donald Trump raising apprehension about a possible shift in established policy. Australia has suspended its military operations in Syria after the US shot down the Syrian fighter jet. France and Britain are expected to take a leading role in the region, independent of the US.
The disastrous situation in the Arab world is worsening with rising sands in the Persian Gulf after the Saudi led campaign against Qatar. The internal rift and fighting for the helm of power in the Saudi Kingdom is becoming wider,after the crown prince Mohammed Bin Nayef was ousted, and the son of King Salman was named as the successor. He is the pioneer of the war on Yemen and is leading the anti Iran front with US blessings of course (remember the Billions of dollars he promised Trump to invest in the US infrastructure projects).
By keeping the onslaught on Yemen for the third consecutive year, Al Saud, are buying time to not be the next target of yjr US and the West after Qatar. The list of the terror support all over the globe by Saudi is long and one Washington will open at some point.
Tel Aviv is taking full advantage of the situation by its hold on the Palestinian occupied territories and is building more settlements and forcing the Palestinian Authority to recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
The Iranian firing of medium range missiles into Syria and attacking Daesh targets in retaliation to the terror attack in Tehran, sent many messages across the region .Tel Aviv understood that any misadventure in Iran will be deadly and costly, and even if the US plans an attack, all its military installations in the region will be within the Iranian Ballistic missile range as well.
The US knows that Trojan horse Daesh is heading for defeat by the end of this current year while Al Qaeda terrorist organizations are on the rise and will appear in new territories. .
Provoking Russia in Syria may not lead to a war between US and Russia but it can lead to a new level of tension .It is also causing apprehension in Europe. President Trump is risking the life of American soldiers present illegally in Syria.
The quicker a political solution without disintegrating Syria, the better it will for the region andthe US defense as well. Washington will have to find common ground to end the bloodshed. There will be a retaliation against US forces in a bitter lesson to warmongers who are trying to open a new frontier with Syria .This will lead to widening of the conflict and more death and destruction. I am sure the American people are fed up with the Deep State projects in different parts of the globe.
(Dr Waeil Awwad is a senior journalist from Syria)
