Mission Accomplished! A proud and convincing U.S. President Donald Trump was misleading the American People again on Friday.
Israeli media is reporting that Friday night’s joint US-UK-France bombing of Syrian chemical weapons facilities came up short of the mission’s goals.
Yediot Aharonot’s Ronen Bergman, one of Israel’s most authoritative defense writers and military analysts, quoted senior intelligence officials who asserted that the mission was a success only if the purpose of the operation was to “show that the US responded to [Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s] use of chemical weapons.”
The intel source concluded that if there was any other objective, including deterring Assad from doing it again, “it’s doubtful any of these objectives have been met.”
Another source was quoted dismissing President Trump’s boast of “mission accomplished” as being without basis. Bergman pointed out that not only did Assad fail to turn over all of his stockpile of chemical weapons when he supposedly disarmed from them in 2013, but his troops have frequently used chlorine gas which was omitted from the banned chemicals when the agreement was negotiated. More ominously, the most powerful agent, VX, is apparently being held in reserve for potential use as a “doomsday weapon,” according to the report.
The belief that between the time President Trump first threatened retaliation and the actual mission the Syrians successfully moved anything of value to safety appears to be accurate, and the narrow focus on select targets left the Syrian air force virtually unscathed and ready to again drop chemical weapons when ordered to do so. The report also suggested that the president’s announcement that he wants American troops out of Syria quickly also undermines any deterrent effect on the Syrians.
SORS: Il-Medialine
