Experts say key facilities in Syria could be targets of US retaliation
(Baonghean.vn) - On April 9, US officials said the country is considering a multinational military response to the toxic gas attack in Syria, while experts listed several key facilities that could be viable targets.
The unnamed US officials did not disclose any plans, but acknowledged that military options were being developed. The White House, Pentagon and State Department declined to comment on specific options or whether military action might be taken.
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| US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP |
According to experts on the Syrian conflict, France, or even Britain and its Middle Eastern allies, are potential partners in any US military campaign aimed at preventing the future use of chemical weapons in the fierce war in Syria.
US intelligence officials believe a chemical attack did indeed take place, but Washington is still gathering information. President Trump said he knew who was responsible for the attack, but he did not elaborate.
Experts predict that if a retaliatory attack is carried out, it will focus on facilities linked to information about previous chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
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| Pro-Syrian government forces surround a bus carrying Jaish al-Islam fighters and their relatives. Photo: Getty |
For example, bases like Dumayr Air Base, which houses Syrian Mi-8 helicopters and has been linked to the Douma attack on social media, could be targeted at Humaymim Airfield in northwest Syria, which the White House cited in a March 4 statement as the starting point for Russian military aircraft bombing the capital Damascus and Eastern Ghouta.
“The US needs to consider how far President Assad’s response, or Russia’s and Iran’s response, could escalate to the point where US forces are deployed in Syria as a response,” said Jennifer Cafarella, an expert at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington.
According to this expert, Syria may be considering how to respond to the US airstrike on the morning of April 9, when Syrian air defense systems shot down five of eight missiles launched from fighter jets suspected to be Israeli. There is information that the airstrike was carried out by the US military, but the Pentagon denied this allegation./.
