by debkaFile
To make sure the message was understood, a timely reminder of a past incident, which ended badly for the Russian-led Syrian-Hizballah force last February, was dropped onto the pages of the New York Times on Friday.
The Trump administration delivered an unmistakable
military warning to Moscow and the Assad regime on Saturday, May 26, to
hold off from their big offensive to capture the southeastern Daraa
region. The US would respond to such “ceasefire violations” with “firm
and appropriate measures,” the State Department said, after Assad
government leaflets were dropped on Daraa urging US- and
Jordanian-trained and armed rebel fighters to disarm. Washington saw the
leaflets to mean that Assad and Hizballah forces were ready to launch
their offensive, after gaining a promise of Russian air and other
support. US intelligence informants had also reported the arrival of
Russian officers and mercenaries to take the lead of the
Syrian-Hizballah operation.
Last Tuesday, May 22, DEBKAfile was first to report Syrian and Hizballah forces massing for the Daraa offensive
at the southern town of Izra, where also the Iranian command cener for
eastern Syria is located. Its objective is to cut south through to the
Syrian-Jordanian crossing of Nasib, and so posing an immediate threat to
Jordan and reach a jumping-off point for its next operation against
Quneitra opposite Israel’s Golan border. Amman and Jerusalem notified
Washington that unless this offensive was prevented, both armies would
have to intervene.
Citing concern about an impending operation inside a “US-enforced de-escalation zone,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called on Russia to “exercise its diplomatic and military advantage over the Assad regime to stop attacks and compel the Assad regime to cease further military offensives” for “broadening the conflict.” Otherwise, the US would respond with “firm and appropriate measures.”
To make sure the message was understood, a timely
reminder of a past incident, which ended badly for the Russian-led
Syrian-Hizballah force last February, was dropped onto the pages of the
New York Times on Friday. It described the four-hour battle between
“Russian mercenaries and US commandos” in the eastern Syria province of
Deir ez-Zour. When a Russian-led Syrian government-Hizballah force tried
to cross over to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River and overrun
the US outpost there, it was thrown back by US marines under heavy air
cover and forced to retreat after losing an estimated 200 to 300 dead.
Source: https://www.debka.com/us-threatens-firm-action-for-a-russian-led-assad-hizballah-offensive-against-daraa/
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