Earlier today the US embassy in Damascus urged all US citizens to leave the nation of Syria immediately. The reason stated on the US embassy’s website stated, “”The number of airlines serving Syria has decreased significantly since the summer, while many of those airlines remaining have reduced their number of flights.” However according to the global intelligence firm Stratfor, the CVN 77 George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier left it’s position at a key choke point in the Strait of Hormuz and is now parked on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea which puts it well within striking distance of Syria. It is unlikely that the Assad regime will go quietly.
In April of last year Syrian president Assad stated, “If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.” Asymmetrical warfare has long been a fear of Israeli leadership. Even if Israel does not attack Syria directly, it is likely that they gave the green light to US and Nato and UN elements that would be involved in such a strike.
Bombings by Israel and the US over the last several decades have been to take out strategic weapons and infrastructure critical to Syria’s military. This time would likely be different. After achieving their objective in Libya, the US will likely use a similar strategy. First they will establish a no-fly zone over Syria, which will include taking out any Syrian aircraft or anti-aircraft weaponry that could pose a threat to a US led mission. Then the way will be cleared for troops to go in on the ground and carry out a regime change which would culminate in the killing or capture of Assad.
The US and the West have the pretext, namely the violent reaction by Assad toward the protests in his country, that has turned public opinion against the Assad government. However Assad claims that the protests are driven and manipulated by forces outside of his country and therefore he has the right to crush them.
Assad has also stated that should a US strike take place against Syria, “All these events(striking Tel Aviv, calling on Hezbollah to strike northern Israel) will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. and European interests will be targeted simultaneously.”
These moves on behalf of the US carry additional weight considering the US is heading into a holiday weekend, when the beginning of such a strike will remain under the radar until Monday morning, at which time Washington will be in full control of the news cycle and presentation of the events.
