Israel Threatens Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Will the lying ever stop?
Self-defense is inviolable. It’s a fundamental right. International law affirms it. On May 29, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Israeli-style defense is offense. It hasn’t been attacked in 40 years. It faces no regional threats now except ones it invents. It prioritizes violence, conflict and instability.
Syria is Washington’s war. Israel’s very much involved. It’s arming US-enlisted death squads. It bombed Syrian targets. It did so lawlessly. It initiated other provocations. It threatens more attacks now.
Russia’s supplying Syria with sophisticated S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. They have every right to do so. They’re for defense, not offense. Washington wants Syria defenseless. It maliciously calls self-defense belligerent and provocative. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell “condemn(ed) the continued supply of Russian weapons to the (Syrian) regime.” He responded to Moscow affirming its S-300 missile sale.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said doing so “does not bring us closer to the political transition that Syria deserves.”
International law is unequivocal. Sovereign rights are inviolable. No nation or combination thereof may interfere in the internal affairs of others. Syrians alone may choose who leads them.
Washington feels otherwise. War was planned years ago. Foreign terrorists were recruited. Syria was invaded. There’s nothing “civil” about ongoing conflict. Naked aggression defines it. Washington, key NATO partners, Israel, and rogue Arab states are arming, funding, training and directing anti-Syrian death squads. They’ve been doing so since conflict began.
Lifting the so-called EU arms embargo is subterfuge. EU nations agreed to what never existed. Arms flowed freely from the beginning. Recruited assassins get them. Syria’s been lawlessly invaded. It’s under attack. Assad’s vilified for self-defense. So is Russia for aiding its right to do so.
Hezbollah fighters are involved. They support Syrian sovereignty. They have every right to do so. State Department spokeswoman Psaki responded, saying:
“This is an unacceptable and extremely dangerous escalation. We demand that Hezbollah withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately.”
In other words, do what we say, not what we do. It bears repeating. Washington wants Syria defenseless. It wants Assad ousted. It wants a pro-Western puppet replacing him. It’s longstanding US policy.
It’s waging lawless aggression to do so. It’s using proxy foot soldiers. They’re assassins. They’re death squads. They’re murdering noncombatant men, women, children, the elderly and infirm. They’re committing gruesome atrocities. Clear evidence proves it.
Washington calls doing so humanitarian intervention. Mass slaughter and destruction define US-style liberation. Syria’s being systematically ravaged and destroyed. Imperial priorities matter most.
Rogue states operate that way. America’s by far the worst. Waging war on humanity is policy. Syria’s in the eye of the storm. Conflict rages with no end. Full-scale US-led NATO intervention could happen any time. Events head steadily toward it. Obama deplores peace. He’s waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He’s got other nations in mind to attack. Wars without end continue.
Lebanon’s Al-Manar television interviewed Assad. He affirmed receiving anti-aircraft S-300 missiles. The first shipment arrived. More will “arrive soon,” he said. Syria’s battling “one hundred thousand” foreign invaders, he added. Washington, Turkey, other NATO countries, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are directly involved.
Syrian forces achieved decisive victories. Battles continue against terrorists. Syria will attend Geneva II, he said. Its military will respond immediately to further Israeli aggression. Appearing on Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said:
“Syria will not let any Israeli aggression go unanswered without retaliation. The retaliation will be the same size as the aggression, and the same type of weapons will be used.”
He added that any agreement Geneva II reaches will be put to a national referendum. “If it wins support of the Syrian people, we will go ahead with it,” he added. They alone have sole right to decide internal Syrian affairs. Outside interference has no legitimacy. It’s lawless and unacceptable. On May 29, Syria’s real friends met in Tehran. Over 40 countries attended. So did regional and international organization representatives. They did so to support “Political Solution, Regional Stability.”
A final statement rejected anti-Syrian aggression. It stressed comprehensive national dialogue. It’s the only acceptable conflict resolution solution. It supported Geneva II peace discussions. It stressed the necessity of restoring and preserving regional stability. Respect Syrian sovereignty. Obey international law. Stop the bloodshed.
End foreign interference. Restore peace. Do so by diplomatic dialogue. These and other lawful steps were highlighted.
Washington, key NATO partners, rogue Arab states and Israel have other ideas in mind. On May 29, Haaretz headlined “Israel says will act to prevent S-300 missile systems from becoming operational.”
Netanyahu lied. He told EU foreign ministers that Syrian S-300s make Israel’s “entire air space (a) no-fly zone.” Israel “cannot stand idly by” and permit it, he said. Israeli National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidor said Israel will act “to prevent the S-300 missiles from becoming operational.” A day earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon affirmed it. “Israel will know what to do,” he stressed.
On May 29, London’s Guardian headlined “Israel in Moscow talks to halt supply of missiles to Syrian regime.” Senior Israeli intelligence officials made a last ditch attempt to do so. Their arguments don’t wash. They’re convoluted. They mask Israel’s belligerent intentions. Defensive anti-aircraft missiles are solely for that purpose. Syria has no intention to attack Israel or any other regional state. Nor do Iran or Hezbollah. Doing so would be suicidal. Assad has no death wish. Nor do Iranian or Hezbollah officials. They prioritize peace. They deplore war.
Israel’s entire history is blood-drenched. So is America’s. Therein lies the problem. Both countries partner in aggressive wars. They claim doing so supports liberating struggles. Israel calls naked aggression self-defense. Justifiable defensive responses are called terrorism. America acts the same way.
Rogue states write their own rules. They spurn rule of law principles. Imperial priorities override them. They matter most.
Syria’s under attack. Events head dangerously close to full-scale US-led NATO intervention. It bears repeating. Libya 2.0 looms. It could erupt any time. It could embroil the entire region. Preventing it matters most.
A Final Comment
A Western-backed Syrian National Coalition statement said:
“The Syrian Coalition welcomes the international efforts to find a political solution to what Syria has been suffering for two years while being committed to the principles of the revolution.”
No “revolution” exists. It reiterated its precondition. Assad must go. So must all Syrian special services heads and high-ranking military officials.
In other words, it demands Syria unconditionally surrender. Otherwise it won’t attend. Geneva II has no chance to succeed either way. Previous peace initiatives failed. They were dead on arrival. Washington deplores them. Its conflict resolution strategy is aggressive war. Expect nothing different this time.
Separately, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a US/Qatar-backed resolution. It was maliciously one-way. It “condemned the widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities and the Government-affiliated militias, including against the people of Al Qusayr.”
The resolution passed 36 in favor, one against, and eight abstentions. The usual suspects voted yes. US pressure assured it. Venezuela was the sole nation against.
Russia denounced the resolution. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called it “unilateral and odious.”
It runs counter to planned peace efforts. He referred to Geneva II. Secretary of State John Kerry supports it. He does so disingenuously. At the same time, he’s “taking steps that in essence aimed at undermining” it, said Lavrov.
Washington, France, Britain and Israel want Iran excluded. Russia insists it be included. Lavrov said supplying anti-Syrian forces more weapons undermines peace.
S-300s are for defense, not offense. Installing them perhaps will help restore it. Peace initiatives so far reflect more hope than reality. Nothing ahead looks encouraging. Hopefully that dynamic will change.
Note: On May 30, Voice of Russia headlined “Turkey arrests extremists with sarin gas for Syria – media.” Russia Today and Interfax were cited. Turkish “special anti-terror forces” apprehended 12 people suspected of having Al Nusra links. They were seized in southern Turkey.
Reports said they had a two gm cylinder with sarin nerve gas. Turkish authorities haven’t officially confirmed it.
On May 5, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) said testimonial evidence indicates “rebel forces” used sarin. A day later, COI suggested “no conclusive findings.”
Other reports confirmed anti-Assad elements using chemical weapons. The latest one adds more proof.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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