UPDATE 1545 GMT: Gareth Browne of The National reports, from “security sources”, that Israel notified Russia in advance of its strikes, ensuring that Russian personnel could leave the T-4 airbase before the missiles arrived.
US officials said they were also informed before the strikes.
A correspondent for Iran’s Fars site, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, said four Iranian personnel were killed. The article was later deleted.
Iranian media reporting 4 dead in Israeli strike on T-4, before deleting the article altogether. Here is screenshot: pic.twitter.com/WxkCNnGwo4
— Henry Rome (@hrome2) April 9, 2018
Israel has again struck an Assad regime airbase, used by Iranian personnel, in central Syria.
Israeli missiles were fired on the T-4 (Tiyas) base, near the ancient city of Palymyra, early Monday. Unconfirmed claims said 14 personnel, including Iranians, were killed.
Syrian State news agency SANA confirmed the strike, but said only of casualties, “There are martyrs and wounded.”
Reports indicated that the missiles were fired from Israeli jets over Lebanon’s Beqa’a Valley.
The Israeli military does not comment on its operations.
Both the US and France, which have threatened action over the Assad regime’s chemical attacks, denied involvement. SANA initially pointed to “an American aggression”, but shifted to blame of Israel after Washington’s denial.
It is not clear if Israel consulted Washington and Paris over the strike, which came just over 24 hours after the Assad regime’s warplanes carried out two chemical assaults on the besieged opposition enclave of Douma near Damascus.
See Syria Daily, April 9: 85+ Killed in Regime Chemical Attacks on Douma
As usual, Syrian State media and pro-Assad outlet claimed that air defenses intercepted a number of the incoming missiles.
Israel conducted an airstrike against the Tiyas base on February 10, after an Iranian operator working out of it flew an Iranian-made drone into Israeli territory, according to the army.
1st Israeli Strike in 2 Months
The Israeli air force has regularly struck targets inside Syria during the seven-year conflict, in particular to halt supplies of missiles and weaponry to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of the Assad regime.
The attacks have been expanded as a warning to both Hezbollah and Iran not to establish positions near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights or to threaten an attack on Israeli forces. On February 10, Israel hit the T-4 base among other Assad regime targets, claiming that Iranian controllers at the base oversaw the flight of an Iranian drone into Israeli airspace.
A Syrian anti-aircraft missile downed an Israeli jet, the first time that the Assad regime had struck a warplane. Pro-Assad outlets have claimed since February that the downing had been a deterrent to further Israeli operations.
Construction Minister Yoav Galant, a member of Israel’s Security Cabinet, would not comment directly on the attack but reiterated:
In Syria many forces, from various bodies and coalitions, are operating. Each one says what it says and denies what it denies.
We have clear interests in Syria and we set red lines. We will not allow weapons to pass from Syria to Lebanon, and we will not allow the establishment of an Iranian base.
Is there anything to read into the fact that the Russians were informed, and they let the Iranians get whacked?
No more than the fact that 5 of the 8 rockets were shot out of the sky and the rest did little to no damage
Ah well, we might as well bomb Assad to our delight then … the consequences are apparently pretty low.
Indeed. It’s not like you were ever serious about going after ISIS
Impossible for the Russians to shoot rockets out of the sky.
Impossible for the Russians to shoot rockets out of the sky.
Then why does the US continue to fund Iron Dome?
Those are ICBMs. I am talking about tiny missiles shot from a fighter jet. There is a big difference in payload, maneuverability, trajectory, reaction time, etc.
And the US/Israel can develop the technology to shoot smaller rockets. But not Mexico (oops, I meant Russia).
And the US/Israel can develop the technology to shoot smaller rockets.
Not really.
Patriot missiles are a total lemon.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/04/patriot-defense-system-likely-failed-in-saudi-ballistic-missile-attack.html
Iron Dome has worked partially against Gaza rockets, but largely failed.
https://thebulletin.org/evidence-shows-iron-dome-not-working7318
Maybe the US and Israel should ask Mexico for help?
Must be nice living in a dreamworld where you just make shit up to support your subservient pro-Russian stances.
Kevin, he is Russian.
Not even his dogs take him seriously. Still lives in the 50s. Pretty sad piece of work.
Still lives in the 50s.
While you sill live in the days of the Cold War
Must be nice living in a dreamworld where you just make shit up to support your subservient pro-Russian stances
Probably the no different that living in a dreamworld where you just make shit up to support your subservient pro-US stances
The patented “I know you are, but what am I” comeback. I would expect nothing less.
no damage?? lol the iranians seem not to think it that way since they lost at least 7 IRGC and hardware. Guess those S400 are made of cardboard
Iran only lost 2 IRGC. What hardware did they lose? 5 of the 8 missiles were shot out fo the sky.
Iran lost at least four personnel in the attack. Some claims put the toll higher.
Yes agree Scott. Iran now say they lost 7.
No evidence for this. What is your email address so we can go offline?
Thanks for the bs of the day !! Keep it up !
The only thing we know for sure that the S400 has shot down is a passenger airliner. What a scam!
The only thing we know for sure that the S400 has shot down is a passenger airliner. What a scam!
What are you smoking Kazemi? There are no S400s in Ukraine or Dombass. Do you not know the difference between an S400 and BUK?
So will the mighty mullahs or Hezball retaliate against Isreal even if it leads to certain martyrdom?
Oh Hades no cause they are only able to win fights when their mates are holding their opponents hands behind their back!
So will the mighty mullahs or Hezball retaliate against Isreal even if it leads to certain martyrdom?
Maybe, but they’ll do it in their own time and on their own terms. As for hiding, it was the Israelis who did the hiding by firing these missiles from Lebanese air space. Just like their gutless breather ever who smiles at Gazan demonstrators from behind the mounds of dirt on the other side of the border.
“Maybe, but they’ll do it in their own time and on their own terms.”
LOL, now Andre is repeating regime lines verbatim. I fear we may all be dead of old age waiting for such a response. LMAO.
I fear we may all be dead of old age waiting for such a response. LMAO.
It’s only been 2 years since the last response.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/world/middleeast/hezbollah-attacks-israeli-military-vehicles.html
And only been 12 since Hezbollah kicked Israel’s ass. 🙂
Why repeat Arab bluster? This is proper for their culture of bluster and save face, but no tyours. Please do not appropriate the culture of other identities …
This was just an appetizer of what is to really come….there is speculation that the israeli’s hit in order to prevent syrian hardware/personell movement before the real smacking takes place by the US. Look out for a tandem operation between US/Israel in the very next future.
Real smacking? Why didn’t the US do it themselves rather than hide behind the Israelis and feign ignorance over the attack? Granted it ‘s hard to know what the US is going to do given that Trump doesn’t even know what he’s going to do from one hour to the next.
If there is a US attack, it will likely be be another impotent effort like the one a year ago where they give the Russians (and therefore the Syrians) plenty of warning so that they can all move anything of value out of harms way while allowing most of the few Tomohawks that even reach their targets to be shot out of the sky or hit some abandoned hangars.
The Arturo’s talking heads in the US will then prattle on with their jingoistic BS about being guided by the beauty of their weapons and how Trump once again because the US president.
Didn’t seem too impotent when they smoked about 200 Russian mercs. I recall Russia and their stooges crying and whining about that attack for weeks. Talk about impotent. Russia was too scared to even acknowledge their losses for a month. lol
“jingoistic” — This is not the language of a 25 y.o. Australian. This is the language of a professional cold-war warrior.
Andre – socialism is finished, kaput, and done in. Give up on your dreams for socialism and smell the coffee. Like Barbar, you oldtimers seem not to understand that “scientific socialism” is finished, and replaced by postmodernism. You need to learn the new lingo. “jingoistic” – Lol. If you want to get a raise, you need to learn and use the proper language of today, not the 60s and 70s.
Socialism is alive and well for the very wealthy. That is why Amazon and Wall Mart can pay such miserable wages to their employees and avoid taxes while governments provide them massive tax breaks, subsidies and support their employees through food stamps.
87% of taxes are paid by the top 20% of society. 12% by the 2nd quintile. The bottom 20% of society pays no taxes, in fact receives huge benefits from the government. So where is the tax break? Maybe the people who receive food stamps should sharpen their skills so they can get a higher paying job, instead of watching TV when not on the job?
Let’s take this discussion offline. What is your email address?
87% of taxes are paid by the top 20% of society.
So what? They are the only ones making any money. Almost 50% of America live below the poverty line. So the bottom 20% are below the poverty line.
12% by the 2nd quintile. The bottom 20% of society pays no taxes, in fact receives huge benefits from the government. So where is the tax break?
By the fact that their employees are not paid a living wage and therefore rely on food stamps to survive.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/25/10-percent-of-amazons-ohio-employees-are-on-food-stamps-liberal-think-tank-says.html
http://www.newsweek.com/jeff-bezos-amazon-employees-food-stamps-782714
Walmart Wages Are the Main Reason People Depend on Food Stamps
https://www.thenation.com/article/walmart-wages-are-the-main-reason-people-depend-on-food-stamps/
Amazon pays ZERO in taxes and in fact, received hundreds of millions in subsidies.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/amazon-earned-5-6b-in-2017-but-paid-no-federal-taxes
Hope that helps
“wall” mart, huh. Didn’t really believe you were Russian, but it’s starting to make sense. It’s walmart. I would think most people really living in the west would actually know that.
Are you really going to make a case based on a typo?
Why dident the US do it by themselves? lol give it time. Prepare an umbrella cuz it gonna rain cruise missiles soon.
As I suspected, Trump has announced that he will consider his response over the next 24-48 hours. That’s ample time for the Syrians and Iranians to move anything of value of harms way, most likely under the protection of the Russians who the US dare not lay a finger on.
The US just smoked 200 russian mercs and you still go on with the russian super power bullshit….you are as funny as a clown in a circus. As usuall. Keep dreaming !
The Russian bots who dominate the media comment boards are so nationalistic and so full of vainglory that they can’t believe or understand that Russia is not a superpower, but rather one Mafia nation blackmailing the rest of the world with its ICBMs. The statistics show that Russia’s economy is the same as Mexico, and if it were not for oil and gas, their economy would be that of Cuba. They wallow in their postcolonial dogma claiming that the west is prosperous is because it simply has stolen all the oil and raw materials, but has contributed nothing.
The US just smoked 200 russian mercs and you still go on with the russian super power bullshit….
ROFLA. 2 Lebanese suicide bombers smoked 241 US troops in Lebanon and the US pulled out. I guess that means the US is no super power right? 🙂