Air raid on Damascus and Homs

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
US Department of Defense map of targets of attack

In the air strike on Damascus and Homs on April 14, 2018, United States , France and United Kingdom forces bombed Syrian facilities near Damascus and Homs in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime on a target in Duma .

prehistory

Ghouta 2013

During the Syrian Civil War , the Syrian armed forces under the command of President Bashar al-Assad were repeatedly suspected of using poison gas as a weapon. After the poison gas attacks in Ghouta in August 2013, Russia's military operations against the Syrian government were prevented because President al-Assad had promised to end the chemical weapons program. 1300 tons of chemical weapons were subsequently handed over and destroyed under the supervision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Syria was allowed to produce chlorine gas , which is required for the manufacture of plastics, but is also suitable as a weapon in high concentrations, subject to restrictions .

Response to suspected poison gas attack in April 2017

After the poison gas attack by Khan Shaykhun in April 2017, a joint solution in the United Nations Security Council failed due to the Russian veto. Russia said there was "no need for investigation". US President Trump ordered a retaliatory strike against the Syrian military airfield, from which the attackers apparently took off. During the air raid on the asch-Schaʿirat military airfield on April 7, 2017, 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched by US warships in the Mediterranean Sea .

The Syrian Air Force used the airfield again soon after the US attack.

Alleged poison gas attack in April 2018

Syrian troops began the year 2017/18, which for years included jihadists - enclave of East ghouta with artillery and air attacks with Russian support ripe for attack to shoot. The mass of Islamist fighters gave up in March 2018 and, after reaching an agreement with the Syrian government, let themselves and their families be transported to Idlib . Only a few fighters of the Jaish al-Islam refused and curled up in the Duma district .

In the ensuing air strikes on April 7, 2018, according to the United Kingdom-based organization Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets), a Syrian Air Force attack helicopter dropped a container with chemicals over the site. According to her, there were at least 150 dead and over 1,000 injured. The Union des organizations de secours et soins médicaux (UOSSM) reported 25 deaths and more than 500 injuries. Symptoms have been described in two places; once at 4 p.m., with signs of chlorine gas and symptoms a few hundred meters away that would be more appropriate for sarin at 7:30 p.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry officially accused the UK Armed Forces of orchestrating a poison gas attack. According to the Russians, the members of the White Helmets had put the pictures of the poison gas attack under pressure from the British government. The Russian side did not provide any evidence. Chemical weapons experts thought an illustrated Russian report was "implausible". The NZZ pointed out that in the case of Chan Shaichun in 2017 , where according to the UN report, sarin had actually been used, Russia would have reacted similarly. On another occasion, the NZZ also commented on the inconsistency of the Russian statements, according to which Russian units also wanted to have found German barrels with chlorine gas and containers with toxic substances from England, but on the other hand no one should have been harmed.

Following the announcement of a military response by US President Trump, an attack on the Syrian military airfield T4 on April 9, which was apparently carried out by Israeli fighter jets, was erroneously attributed to the US by the Syrian state media.

As early as April 14, chemical weapons experts from the OPCW in Syria were ready to investigate the alleged crime scene, but were prevented from doing so; On April 16, 2018, according to the OPCW, Syrian and Russian officials delayed the inspection, citing "unresolved security issues". According to the NZZ, an organized journalists' tour by the Syrian government was noticeably possible "without security concerns", and other journalists also pointed out this inconsistency. After the tour, Pearson Sharp reported on US cable broadcaster One America News Network (OAN) that he had spoken to local residents and that no one on-site had heard of the incident. The British journalist Robert Fisk made a similar statement, but was accused in 2016 of spreading Syrian and Russian propaganda. An AP journalist spoke with two eyewitnesses who reported victims in the family and a total of 47 people who had died, while a Swedish journalist was shown a cellar in which a family had died.

On April 20, the OPCW was granted access to one of the two locations, although it was not clear which one it was. After the government controlled the area, it was feared that the interviews with survivors involved in the investigation would not be able to speak openly.

On May 4th, the OPCW stopped collecting samples. At most, corpses would be exhumed and examined for further investigation.

An OPCW interim report was published on July 6, 2018; no period was disclosed for the final report. Nerve gas could not be detected, but chlorine residues, which suggested the use of chlorine gas for the Spiegel ("apparently chlorine gas was used"), while the BBC pointed out that the experts were still examining the significance of these residues, as were the containers. However, the BBC also noted that in other cases with the same residue in Saraqib and Ltamenah , the OPCW had concluded that chlorine gas was used as a weapon.

Diplomatic clashes between the USA and Russia

After the attack, there were again clashes between the UN veto power Russia and the veto powers USA and Great Britain in the Security Council. The US proposed a UN resolution for an independent on-the-spot investigation, which should ultimately produce a report identifying a culprit. The Russian Federation vetoed it. Ambassador Wassili Nebensja accused the USA of only trying to justify a military strike with its draft resolution. According to US Ambassador Nikki Haley, Russia proposed an investigation with personnel to be appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres , but required that the results be presented to Russia for review and approval prior to possible publication, and no culprit should be named allowed to. The Russian proposal had too few supporters to even be allowed to vote in the Council.

The American president announced another military strike against Syria because of the suspected poison gas attack. While White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that “all options were on the table,” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that the missiles were “coming” and that Russia “should get ready”. The Russian ambassador to Lebanon had previously publicly stated that all US missiles that attack Russian forces in Syria would be intercepted and the missile launchers would be attacked.

On April 10, 2018, the aviation authority Eurocontrol issued a warning from EASA for the Eastern Mediterranean, which warned of temporary disruptions to radio navigation systems in the region in connection with anticipated attacks.

Attack on April 14, 2018

Trump’s address at 9:00 p.m. EDST
Explosions in northwest Damascus in the Dummar municipality

On the night of April 13-14, US, French and British forces attacked targets in Syria at 4 a.m. local time. The joint military operation was carried out using ship- and submarine-based as well as airborne cruise missiles.

aims

The targets of the attack included a research and development center in Barseh around 15 kilometers north of the capital Damascus and two plants west of Homs near Him Shinshar. According to Syrian sources, the branch of the Syrian Scientific and Research Center (SSRC) in Barseh served the development and production of antidotes against scorpion and snake venom as well as the control of food, medicine and toys for chemical components. During a tour of the site organized by Assad authorities, reporters were also presented with an employee.

The OPCW examined the two-story building for chemical warfare agents in 2016 and 2017 and found no violations. In its 2016 report, the OPCW stated why the SSRC is under observation.

US participation

The US forces deployed two long-range B-1B bombers of the 34th Bomb Squadron, which fired 19 AGM-158A JASSM cruise missiles , supported by a KC-135 tanker . The US cruiser Monterey fires 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Red Sea , the destroyer Higgens 23 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Persian Gulf and the destroyer Laboon seven Tomahawk cruise missiles. Six tomahawks took off from the fighter submarine USS John Warner (SSN-785) in the eastern Mediterranean.

French participation

The French frigate Languedoc (D653) fired three cruise missiles of the Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) type from the Mediterranean Sea , and the French air force deployed five Rafale fighter planes , each with two SCALP EG cruise missiles , five Mirage 2000-5F fighter planes , two AWACS - air reconnaissance of type e-3F Sentry and six tanker aircraft type C-135FR one.

British participation

Four British Tornado GR.4 fighter planes from Akrotiri Air Force Base on Cyprus, supported by four Eurofighter Typhoon , fired a total of eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

Syrian defense

Syrian agencies announced the launch of 13 missiles approaching Damascus in al-Kiswa. According to the Russian General Staff, 71 of 103 cruise missiles were intercepted by the Syrian air defense.

The Syrian state news agency SANA as well as the Russian Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi and the commander of the Russian armed forces in Syria stated that the Syrian air defense systems from Russian production of the type 96K6 Panzir ( NATO code name : SA-22), 9K37 Buk (SA-11), 2K12 "Kwadrat" (SA-6), S-200 (SA-5) and S-125 Neva (SA-3) intercepted and destroyed several cruise missiles. The US Department of Defense denied allegations of killings by Syrian air defenses.

Reactions

Syria

In an initial reaction, Syria denounced the military strike as “barbaric and brutal aggression”. The Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a source at the Foreign Ministry in Damascus who accused the West of using the attacks to prevent the chemical weapons ban investigation mission planned for Saturday. In this way, the West wants to cover up "its lies" about an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Duma.

Russia

President Vladimir Putin called for a special session of the Security Council. The air strike is an act of aggression that will worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in the country, Putin said. Anatoly Antonov , the Russian ambassador to Washington, threatened consequences, according to the Russian news agency TASS . What this might look like was initially unclear. In any case, it is "unacceptable and inadmissible" to insult Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Antonov.

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Theresa May stated on the morning of the attack that it was not about meddling in the civil war itself and that no attempt had been made to bring about regime change. The aim of the action is to stop the behavior of the Syrian government. Not only must innocent people in Syria be saved from a cruel death, but international standards prohibiting the use of chemical weapons must also be upheld.

China

The People's Republic of China has criticized the western air strikes in Syria as a violation of international law. "We always reject the use of violence in international relations and are committed to respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries," said Foreign Office spokeswoman Hua Chunying. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spoke out “in principle against the use of force for international conflict settlement” and called for a “comprehensive, fair and factual investigation” into the possible use of chemical weapons.

Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel ( CDU ) endorsed the military strike against Syria: “The military intervention was necessary and appropriate to maintain the effectiveness of the international ban on the use of chemical weapons and to warn the Syrian regime of further violations. [..] We support the fact that our American, British and French allies, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, have assumed responsibility in this way. "Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ( SPD ) called the military strike a" limited attack "and" an appropriate and necessary signal ”. Maas explained: "The political process needs a new impetus and the will of all those involved to come to solutions now". Only this could pave the way for the people in the civil war country to find a new future in security and without war.

In a report by the German Bundestag's scientific service commissioned by the left-wing parliamentary group, these air strikes in Syria were classified as violating international law.

Austria

Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ( ÖVP ) expressed "understanding for this limited military action with the aim of preventing further war crimes with chemical weapons in Syria".

Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl , in coordination with the Federal President, Federal Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, expressed the “grave concern of Austria” about the developments in Syria. “We are deeply concerned about current developments in Syria. The responsibility lies with those who - once again - have used chemical weapons against the civilian population of Syria. Austria condemns this criminal approach in the strongest possible terms. "

Switzerland

Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis ( FDP ), head of the Department of Foreign Affairs , called on all parties involved to de-escalate. You have to be careful "in this regard: Wars have already started due to incorrect information. Think of the suspected nuclear weapons in Iraq that never existed . Our attitude is characterized by a serious, correct approach. Of course, Switzerland also condemns any use of chemical warfare agents. But we don't just sing along in the choir of the indignant. "

Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin ( SVP ), the head of the Defense Department , demanded that all sides comply with their obligations under international law. The results of the investigation by the expert mission in Syria "could have been waited for."

Web links

Commons : 2018 bombing of Damascus and Homs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ West carries out military strikes on Syria. Bote der Urschweiz, April 14, 2018.
  2. ↑ Andreas Zumach: Three incidents could be resolved. taz, April 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b c d Expert team in Duma is prevented from working , NZZ, April 19, 2018
  4. ↑ Alleged poison gas attack: Syria resolution fails in the UN Security Council , Spiegel Online , April 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Peter Baker, Helene Cooper and Thomas Gibbons-Neff: Trump Weighs More Robust Military Strike Against Syria. The New York Times , April 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ At least 48 dead in air strikes in Eastern Ghouta - poison gas attack suspected. Der Spiegel, April 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ a b c d Poison gas or not? The inspectors can only work to a limited extent in the Duma , NZZ, April 22, 2018
  8. ↑ Russia accuses the British of orchestrating a poison gas attack. Die Zeit, April 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ Moscow spreads wild theories. NZZ, April 20, 2018, p. 3.
  10. ^ Judah Ari Gross: Russia, Syria blame Israel for deadly strike on Syrian air base. Times of Israel, April 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Syria conflict: Strikes hit Syrian airfield, state media report. BBC , April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ Russia Sows Doubts Over Chemical Attack in Syria, Aided by Pro-Trump Cable Channel , The Intercept , April 20, 2018; "Russia has chalked the delay up to security concerns in Douma, which seems odd, given that foreign journalists were taken on a government-run tour of the town on Monday, when they were able to wander freely along streets close to the site of the reported attack. "
  13. ^ OAN Investigation Finds No Evidence of Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria
  14. ^ The search for truth in the rubble of Douma - and one doctor's doubts over the chemical attack. In: independent.co.uk. April 16, 2018, accessed April 17, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Fisk will not tell the truth on Syria because, like Assad, he fears it , International Business Times, August 11, 2016
  16. ↑ OPCW completes inspections in Duma , Die Zeit, May 4, 2018
  17. ↑ OPCW Issues Fact-Finding Mission Reports on Chemical Weapons Use Allegations in Douma, Syria in 2018 and in Al-Hamadaniya and Karm Al-Tarrab in 2016. OPCW, July 6, 2018, accessed on July 13, 2018 .
  18. ↑ OPCW detects traces of chlorine gas in Duma , SPON, July 6, 2018
  19. ↑ REPORT OF THE OPCW FACT-FINDING MISSION IN SYRIA REGARDING TO ALLEGED INCIDENT IN SARAQIB, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC ON 4 FEBRUARY 2018 , OPCW, May 15, 2018
  20. ↑ OPCW Confirms Use of Sarin and Chlorine in Ltamenah, Syria, on 24 and 25 March 2017
  21. ↑ Syria was: What we know about Douma 'chemical attack' , BBC, July 10, 2018
  22. ↑ UN in deadlock after US and Russia vote against each other to investigate Syria chemical weapons attack. The Independent , April 10, 2018.
  23. ↑ Trump announces rocket attack on Syria. Die Welt , April 11, 2018.
  24. ↑ Holiday flights to Cyprus facing disruption if Syria military action given go ahead. The Independent, April 11, 2018.
  25. ^ NR Jenzen-Jones: Summary of weapons used in recent strikes against CW targets in Syria. Armament Research Services, April 14, 2018, accessed April 15, 2018 .
  26. ^ A b c U.S., Britain and France Strike Syria Over Suspected Chemical Weapons Attack. The New York Times, April 13, 2018.
  27. ↑ cf. on the other hand BBC (2017): "The intelligence document obtained by the BBC says Syria's chemical weapons are manufactured at three sites"
  28. ^ At destroyed Syria lab, workers deny producing toxic weapons. www.afp.com, April 14, 2018, accessed on April 16, 2018 (English): "during a government-sponsored tour on Saturday"
  29. ↑ CBS News' Seth Doane, the only American network correspondent inside Syria: "It's a big institution, but Sayed said it isn't possible that things were going on that he didn't know about."
  30. ^ OPCW Executive Council (ed.): Progress in the elimination of thr Syrian chemical weapons program . Eighty-Eighth Session EC-88 / DG.1. March 23, 2018, p. 3 ( opcw.org [PDF; 38 kB ; accessed on April 16, 2018]).
  31. ↑ EC-82 / DG.18
  32. ^ Syria Strike Story Shifting; AFCENT Says F-22s Flew Strike Cap, Basic JASSMs Used. Air Force Magazine, April 20, 2018, accessed April 21, 2018 .
  33. ↑ US, UK and France launch Syria strikes targeting Assad's chemical weapons. CNN, April 14, 2018.
  34. ↑ Here Are All The Details The Pentagon Just Released Regarding Its Missile Attack On Syria. thedrive.com, April 14, 2018.
  35. ^ Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White and Joint Staff Director Lt. Gene. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. in the Pentagon Briefing Room. defense.gov, April 14, 2018.
  36. ^ US, UK and France Launch Strikes Against Syria. The Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2018.
  37. ↑ La France a tiré douze missiles de croisière contre la Syrie. Lopinion.fr, April 14, 2018.
  38. ^ 'No alternative': Theresa May sends British jets to join airstrikes on Syria. The Guardian, April 14, 2018.
  39. ↑ Western attack on Syria: 71 cruise missiles intercepted by Syrian defenses. de.sputniknews.com, April 14, 2018.
  40. ↑ a b c Reactions to US military strike: Putin calls for UN Security Council meeting. In: Spiegel Online . April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018 .
  41. ↑ China: China criticizes Western air strikes in Syria. In: zeit.de . April 14, 2018, archived from the original on April 15, 2018 ; accessed on April 14, 2018 .
  42. ↑ China's position in the Syrian conflict. In: dw.com. April 13, 2018, accessed April 14, 2018 .
  43. ↑ US attack: Merkel supports military strike against Syria. In: Spiegel Online . April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018 .
  44. ↑ Melanie Reinsch: After the military strike in Syria: Angela Merkel wants to push for a diplomatic solution. Berliner Zeitung, April 15, 2018.
  45. ↑ Implications under international law of the American-British-French military strike of April 14, 2018 against chemical weapons facilities in Syria. (PDF) German Bundestag, April 18, 2018, accessed on April 23, 2018 .
  46. ↑ According to the Bundestag report, the air strike was contrary to international law
  47. ↑ C-weapons arsenal "largely" destroyed: air raids during the night. orf.at, February 14, 2018, accessed April 15, 2018.
  48. ↑ Ignazio Cassis: “We don't just sing along in the choir of the indignant” NZZ on Sunday, April 14, 2018.
  49. ↑ Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin on the attack on Syria: "One could have waited for an investigation" . Blick , April 14, 2018.