False flag chemical attack in the foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in Syria
Russia has announced the deployment of 25 of its warships including 30 warplanes and long-range bombers, as fears the US is preparing to strike Syria.
Russian Defense Ministry (MOD) warned that the United States is planning to use a ‘false flag’ chemical attack in the foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib in order to launch strikes against Syria.
Vladimir Putin’s latest announcement comes as ten Russian warships and two submarines in arrive the region, which is currently the largest Russian deployment since the start of the Syrian Civil War.
The DailyStar reports: The ministry said the drills would involve carrying out anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and anti-mining exercises.
Assad is also reportedly planning to launch an offence against the last rebel stronghold in Syria – northern rebel-held region of Idlib.
Russia’s latest war drills will be carried out from September 1 to September 8 – with a number of US vessels also currently present in the Med.
Syria has become a major flashpoint between Russia and the West following Putin’s intervention in the civil war on the side of Assad in 2015.
It is feared the two sides could enter into a direct military confrontation if the West once against decides to strike the regime.
Britain, France and the US already launched a strike on Syria this year in direct response to accusations of a chemical attack on civilans.
Russia and Syria both deny any chemical weapons have been used by the regime against civilians, claiming they were either staged by terrorists, rebels or even the West.
The deployment comes as the Russian defense ministry claimed the US is about the launch military action in support of rebels fighting against Assad’s regime.
Military chiefs claimed the US plans to use a fake chemical attack in the province of Idlib as the pretext for attacking the Syrian regime.
Moscow warned a gas attack Jabhat An-Nusra militants, one of the biggest jihadist groups in Syria, will be blamed on Assad.
NATO officials have noted the increasing Russian naval presence in the Med over the past few days amid the rising tensions.
Oana Lungescu, NATO’s chief spokeswoman, said several of the ships have cruise missiles, but she refused to comment on the fleet’s intentions.
She said: “We will not speculate on the intention of the Russian fleet, but it is important that all actors in the region exercise restraint and refrain from worsening an already disastrous humanitarian situation in Syria.”
Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets said the US and it allies have forced Moscow to send the “powerful” fleet to the Mediterranean.
State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert called the Russian reports of US plans to exploit a chemical attack “false-flag-type reporting”.
She said: “We’ve seen that before where they try to put the blame – they try to put the onus on other groups and we don’t buy into that.”
It has been suggested Russia and Syria are making these accusations now to have deniability should the Syrian regime carry out a gas attack.
Russia’s military is on the move this week, with Putin’s defence ministry also announcing the deployment of 300,000 soldiers in the biggest war drill since the Cold War.