Yahoo News – by Julie PaceThe United States would retaliate against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air defenses if he were to go after American planes launching airstrikes in his country, senior Obama administration officials said Monday.
Officials said the U.S. has a good sense of where the Syrian air defenses, along with their command and control centers, are located. If Assad were to use those capabilities to threaten U.S. forces, it would put his air defenses at risk, according to the officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the administration’s thinking on the matter.
President Barack Obama has authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria as part of a broad campaign to root out the Islamic State militant group, though no strikes have yet been launched in the country.
Asked Monday about the prospect of striking Assad’s regime if his forces were to target Americans, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there will be “rules of engagement that are related to any military orders the president directs.”
“It won’t surprise you to know that there are contingencies related to self-defense when it comes to these sorts of rules of engagement,” he said.
The mere discussion of launching strikes in Syria has highlighted the complexity of taking U.S. military action inside a country locked in an intractable civil war. The conflict has created odd alliances, with both the U.S. and the Assad regime now fighting the Islamic State militant group.
However, U.S. officials have ruled out direct coordination with Assad and insist that a campaign against the Islamic State will not strengthen the Syrian dictator’s hold on power. Obama is seeking congressional authorization to train and arm Western-backed rebels in the country in hopes they can both fight the Islamic State and eventually the Assad regime.
Officials said Obama has been making phone calls in recent days to lawmakers in both parties pressing for them to authorize the train-and-equip mission before lawmakers leave town Friday for an almost-two-month recess in preparation for November’s midterm elections.
The rise of the Islamic State group has put Obama on the brink of being drawn into a Syrian conflict he has long sought to avoid. Administration officials have long insisted that one of their concerns with making airstrikes against the Assad regime is the government’s formidable air defenses, which could put American forces at risk.
Those air defense capabilities are less prominent in the more desolate stretches of eastern Syria where U.S. warplanes are likely to fly in order to launch airstrikes. However, officials have said air defense systems can be moved and thus must be monitored as the U.S. mission ramps up.
_
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-us-retaliate-against-assad-071743595–politics.html
The CIA and the Mossad will gladly shoot down a couple of drones, then say American pilots were killed, which would ensure war with Syria, kicking off World War 3. Thing is, Obummer obviously doesn’t understand that sending US fighters into Syrian airspace without their permission is a violation. How would Americans feel if Syria sent war planes to bomb gangs in Los Angeles or other parts of the country? The plans of the elite are crystal clear.
Long sought to avoid? Give me a fkn break. This exactly what they want. False flag a US plane and pow! You have your Syrian invasion. Hope all the idiots are ready to fight another war for isreal. As always. Send your sons off to war to die for a fake ass country that despises us. Its coming folks.
O’bama long sort to avoid with Syria? Are you kidding me? How easy we forget. Just a year ago with the backing of the US…Saudi Arabia (or Turkey) dropped poison chemicals on innocent woman and children in Syria then blamed Assad. O’bama was an eager beaver to invade Syria then only to be foiled by that excellent chess player Mr. Putin who told Assad to get rid of his chemical weapons and have inspections….which he agreed to.
You mean Assad will be Gaddafied? Oh no!!! Are we surprised?
. . .