Aren't the S400s deployed in Latakia? In which case the TLAMs may have been below the radar horizon while en route to al-Shayrat. Unless the Ruskies had SAM batteries much closer to the airfield than that it would seem pretty straightforward to fly the TLAMs through and/or under gaps in Russian (fire control) radar coverage.
I don't think Assad directly ordered the use of Sarin gas.Not that it matters, it was forces that are supposed to be under Assads control.
We tend to look at it through western eyes used to democracy, its inherent freedoms, culture and logic that goes with that. Assad is not western, he is Syrian Arab, a dictator raised by his father who was the previous dictator. He was not the heir apparent until his older brother was killed. He has ultimate power in Syria and as far as he is concerned his word is law. This attack was not about military logic or gain. It was about the terrorising and subjugation of his population. He was sending a message: "Betray me - you die." He doesn't care about international law or politics; he sees that as beneath him in the scheme of things.
Well it doesn't say anywhere that the world has to make sense or that the people in charge are rational and magnanimous.
Yup. I just wonder what the actual effective coverage of their IADS is in that theatre against TLAMs flying nap of the earth. In the absence of a NIFC-CA type ability with an airborne asset plugging the ISR gaps at low altitude, it wouldn't surprise me if the TLAMs simply flew in unmolested by staying far enough to the south of Latakia.The Tomahawks were fired from ships in the Med, off Cyprus... They had to fly a LONG way over the ocean before they even got to Syria...
Russia is now claiming they jammed 'most' of the missiles...
Open source satellite BDA shows otherwise... I honestly don't get Russia sometimes. They act as if no-one else in the world has a clue and will honestly believe their rubbish.
Assad had no reason to hold back. Everything Trump had said prior to, during and after the campaign did nothing to indicate he would have reacted the way he did.
I have no idea who was really responsible for the attack but I do know that ''solid classified intel'' can in the long run sometimes turn out to be not as ''solid'' as previously believed.
For me; the questions that should be asked is who benefits if Assad is hit as a result of the U.S. being convinced that he ordered the chemical attack and why would Assad use chemicals in the first place knowing that there would be strong backlash?
By this airstrike Trump killed two birds with one stone. First of all he embarrassed Russia and now Moscow has to do someting to get away from this sutuation. Secondly Trump responded to the internal criticism over his 'pro-Russian' stance.
The initial hope was that the ''moderates'' [many of whom weren't as ''moderate'' as portrayed] would eventually defeat both Assad and the non moderates groups. The victorious ''moderates'' [being selfless and reasonable democrats] would then put whatever differences they had aside in the interests of the Syrian people and Syria would become a democratic state which would be Western and Israel friendly [the only problem here is that Syria's new democratic rulers will demand the return of the Golan]. Iran and Hezbollah become isolated; Saudi and its Gulf allies score a major victory in the Sunni/Shia Cold War, Russia has less influence in a region already dominated by the West and everyone is happy - all's well that ends well.
Very slim chance of Iraq allying or aligning itself with Saudi as Iraq is led by a Shia dominated government [courtesy of Bush's invasion] and Saudi has done next to nothing to assist Iraq in defeating IS.
Interestingly 60 tomahawks were released and only 1 malfunction, not a shabby outcome
Not to get too off topic but mention of a Tomahawk malfunctioning reminded me of something. I've just read ''Armed Action'' [James Newton]. The author was a Lynx pilot and according to him TOWs malfunctioning were not a rare occurrence; both during training and in Iraq. The reasons behind the malfunctioning or misfires was not explained. There was also one incident when a TOW misfired and a Lynx flew at low level for some distance without realising that the missile was still attached to the helicopter via its wire.
