Fire reflection
Results of a rocket attack on Syria was satisfied all parties to the conflict.
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After Saturday’s air strike, US, UK and France on Syria all parties involved in the conflict, declared his victory and issued a diametrically opposed information about the incident. Data allies is completely at odds with reports from Damascus, as well as from the defense Ministry. They differ in that, how many rockets were shot down by Syrian air defense, who, how and what forces carried out the attack and that was her goal.
The triumph of Russian arms
According to the Russian version, most Western missiles were shot down, strikes mostly in abandoned buildings, and the Russian air-defense bases Hamim and Tartus reliably controlled the situation.
According to “Kommersant”, the Russian military was preparing for rocket attacks on Syria by the USA and its allies throughout the week: part of this time was spent in closed-door talks on the objectives for which the coalition was going to strike, and the coordination with the Syrian army, which had these attacks reflect. Russian air defense system could be activated only in case of threat of life of the Russian military, says the source “b” in bodies of military management: launches of missiles detected and controlled, but the firing was carried out at a considerable distance, so no one rocket from the complex of s-400 to intercept has not been sent. Russian fighters were on duty in the air normally.
According to the means of objective control, the shelling started at night on Saturday and lasted from 3:42 to 5:10 Moscow time. According to the chief of the main operations Directorate (SEI) of the General staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation Sergey Rudskoy, the operation involved the aircraft the United States air force V-1B, F-15 and F-16 aircraft and RAF Tornado over the Mediterranean sea, ships of the American naval forces USS Laboon and USS Montrey — from the waters of the red sea. He stressed that the participation of the French side has not been fixed, despite the fact that it was announced.
In total, according to Moscow’s information, the Western coalition has been applied 103 cruise missiles (including Tomahawk sea-launched) missiles, guided bombs GBU-38, as well as missiles “air-land” (such as the SCALP EG). Major strikes on airfields of Duval, Doumeira, Blei, Shirt, Mezze and HOMS (all the missiles, but two spacecraft ever to visit Mezze, and the three spacecraft ever to visit HOMS, was shot down). Seriously damaged, according to the Russian military, was the only building in the suburbs of Damascus and Jaramana Barzov, which have not been used.
However, the General staff of the armed forces say that Syrian air defenses, which are based on the Soviet s-125, s-200, Buk, “Square” and “Wasp”, with his challenge, catching 71 cruise missile.
According to the Russian military-diplomatic source “b”, while evidence for immediate readiness of the United States and its allies to strike a second blow: French and British aircraft returned to their places of permanent deployment, and the destroyers of the USA, to shoot its stock of cruise missiles, most likely, will go to the point of Rota (Spain).
In Damascus as saying the respondents “Kommersant”, the Syrians, and it was a holiday. Many have called Saturday’s event “a victory of the Syrian army”. On rallies in her honor, held in different parts of the country, says the state news Agency SANA. The Syrian political scientist Bassam Raja in conversation with “Kommersant” called the incident “a victory in the absence of the invaders.” “Aggression was very limited, many in Damascus woke up this morning, not even knowing that there was an attack on Syria. Our defense was able to knock down most of the rockets that attacked a military target”, — told “Kommersant” Professor of international relations of Damascus University Dr. Bassam Abu Abdullah.
The American victory coalition
The Western version of events more fully outlined the press Secretary of the Pentagon Dana white and the head of strategic planning and policy joint chiefs of staff Lieutenant-General Kenneth Mackenzie. According to their information, rockets were fired into two more than in the Russian version, namely 105, and they all hit the target. Syrian air defenses, the General said, fired 40 missiles, but none of them hit the target. “Most of these launches have happened after our strike was completed, — said Mr. Mackenzie.— It seems that the regime has launched many of these missiles on a ballistic trajectory, that is, without targeting. Syria’s efforts on defense was mostly ineffective and obviously represented a risk to its own population because of this selective response. If you run iron in the air without targeting, it has to fall somewhere”.
According to the American version, the operation involved a few more ships than under the Russian.
In the attack, according to representatives of Washington, in addition to the already mentioned USS Laboon (7 rockets) and USS Montrey (30 missiles) stationed in the Red sea, was also attended by the destroyer USS Higgins (released 23 missiles from the Persian Gulf) and the submarine USS John Warner, located in the Eastern Mediterranean (6 missiles).
General Mackenzie also added that of the Mediterranean sea firing missiles SCALP led a French ship Languedoc. A statement of the Russian General staff that France’s participation in the attack did not take, he agreed. According to him, the fighters of the French air force Mirage 2000 performed a cover of the aircraft airborne early warning and control and air tankers, the U.S. air force, and Rafale fighters released on objects Syrian infrastructure nine of the missiles. In addition, eight missiles fired by British Tornado and Typhoon aircraft, 19 missiles — the aircraft B-1B.
Different and the stated purpose of the attack. So, according to the Pentagon, the strike targeted three sites: the research center North of Damascus, in barzakh (76 missiles) and two parts of the complex for the development of chemical weapons in the area of Chem-Chinchar (near the city of HOMS).
According to Bi-bi-si, derived from sources in the intelligence Agency of the United States, a plant in Barzov has specialized in the installation of the warheads with chemical weapons on missiles and artillery shells. With Chem-Siharam harder: there supposedly was located warehouses with chemical weapons (on the satellite map they are before the impact looked like two small tin shed with no noticeable protection) and underground bunker also supposedly somehow associated with toxic substances.
Regardless of which of the two versions better reflects the reality, there is little doubt that the attack of the Western coalition had a very limited military value, namely, in particular, to test the combat readiness of the Syrian air defense. However, due to this missile attack the world community got an encouraging signal that while Washington and Moscow, despite the growing degree of opposition, all the forces trying to avoid a direct military confrontation.
Michael Korotkov, Ivan Safronov, Marianna Belenkaya