29 Mar 2024
Sputnik - It appears that President Trump is trying to discredit Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to undermine the positions of Russia and Iran in Syria and reinforce the US-backed militants on the ground, geopolitical analyst Pierre-Emmanuel Thomann told RIA Novosti, commenting on the recent chemical weapons allegations.





US President Trump is deliberately seeking todiscredit the government ofthe Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tocounterbalance Russia and Iran inthe Middle East, Pierre-Emmanuel Thomann, Director ongeopolitical studies atthe Brussels-based European Institute ofInternational Relations (IERI), suggested inaninterviewwithRIA Novosti.
"President Donald Trump believes that the United States has lost lots ofits points inSyria, and he is seeking ways todiscredit the government ofBashar al-Assad inorder tocounterbalance the influence ofRussia and Iran [in the region]," Thomann said, commenting onthe White House's previous statement onthe alleged "preparations" fora chemical attack bythe Assad government.


"The United States has identified potential preparations foranother chemical weapons attack bythe Assad regime that would likely result inthe mass murder ofcivilians, including innocent children. The activities are similar topreparations the regime made beforeits April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said June 26 threatening that the Assad government "will pay a heavy price" if it launches the attack.


However, just a day beforethe White House's statement was issued, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh had revealed that the US military inSyria did not share the Trump administration's stance regarding the much-discussed April 4 chemical attack.

"We KNOW that there was no chemical attack. The Syrians [Syrian Arab Army Air Force] struck a weapons cache (a legitimate military target) and there was collateral damage. That's it. They did not conduct any sort ofa chemical attack," an American soldier ongroundwrotetoa security adviser onApril 6.
"Trump issued the order despitehaving been warned bythe US intelligence community that it had found no evidence that the Syrians had used a chemical weapon," HershwroteforWelt Am Sonntag newspaper onJune 25, stressing that "some American military and intelligence officials were especially distressed bythe President's determination toignore the evidence."


However, it appears that Hersh's article was completely overlooked byWashington decision-makers.

US Ambassador tothe United Nations Nikki Haley not only rushed toblame the Assad government for "further attacks" butalso accused Russia and Iran of "supporting [Assad] killing his own people."
"Any further attacks done tothe people ofSyria will be blamed onAssad, butalso onRussia & Iran who support him killing his own people," Haley tweeted.


To add more fuel tothe fire, the CNN news channel reported June 28 that the Pentagon had allegedly deployed aircraft and warships and was ready tostrike the Syrian Arab Army's (SAA) positions if ordered byTrump.
According toThomann, the White House's moves resemble nothing but "the shaping ofpublic opinion inorder tostrengthen the US position, perhaps throughmore massive air strikes" againstthe SAA.


The expert believes that "the weakening ofthe Assad government will reinforce the [Syrian] insurgent coalition supported bythe United States."


At the same time, Thomann highlighted that "up untilnow it has not yet been possible tofind outwho was behindthe [alleged] chemical attacks inSyria."

Syrian MP Ammar al-Asad, deputy head ofthe Foreign Affairs Committee ofthe Syrian parliament, echoes Thomann.

Commenting onthe recent developments,al-Asad told Sputnik Arabicthat the new wave ofclaims aboutchemical weapons inSyria is needed todistract attention fromthe "landslide victories ofthe Syrian army inthe Syrian Desert onthe border withIraq and its effective cooperation withthe Iraqi People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known asthe Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), (Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi)."

On April 4, the National Coalition forSyrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces backed bythe United States blamed the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) forthe supposed chemical attack inKhan Shaykhun inSyria's Idlib province.

Before any investigation intothe issue was conducted, Washington launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles atthe Syrian governmental military Shayrat airfield onApril 7 as "retaliation" forthe alleged chemical strike.

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