China News Service, August 26 (Reporter Meng Xiangjun) On August 23, local time, the U.S. military launched an aerial military strike on Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria, destroying nine ammunition depots that stored weapons.
Why did the US choose to attack at this time?
What message do you want to convey?
What is the United States trying to prevent, and can it be achieved?
[Fight back after being beaten, attacked again]
U.S. Central Command Lieutenant Colonel Buccino said on the 23rd that the U.S. military was instructed by Biden to launch air strikes on the military infrastructure of the "Iran-funded" armed group "Syrian Army" in the Syrian Deir ez-Zor region.
Buccino revealed that the US military monitored 13 bunkers in the same complex for more than 400 hours, eventually destroying nine of them.
The bunker is said to be used to provide logistical supplies to local armed groups and to store weapons and ammunition.
The U.S. military believes that initial assessments indicate that "no one was killed."
The incident comes a week after the U.S. missile attack on the At-Tamf military base in Syria.
Buccino pointed out that the U.S. airstrikes are aimed at "interrupting or deterring" the actions of relevant armed groups in order to protect the U.S. military and prevent the U.S. military from being attacked again.
Data map: People sort out the waste of artillery shells at a metal scrap yard in northwestern Syria's Idlib province.
However, shortly after the U.S. artillery shells fell, on the 24th, two U.S. military bases in northeastern Syria were attacked again, and three U.S. soldiers were injured.
In one of the attacks, believed to be retaliation by "Iran-backed armed groups", U.S. helicopters scrambled into the air, killing several people.
Since then, the U.S. military has also destroyed three vehicles and equipment used to launch rockets.
On the 25th, foreign media reported that the US military base near the Zur Koniko oil field in Syria was attacked by rockets again, and an explosion was heard inside the base. The casualties are currently unknown.
[It's harder than a fist, it didn't scare the opponent away]
After the US military was attacked on August 15, the Biden administration held a national security meeting in the Oval Office of the White House the next day to discuss the response to the attack.
In the following days, Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, briefed the White House on progress in developing a response to the attack.
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin, the top U.S. military general, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley were all involved.
On the 22nd, the White House was briefed on the options, after which Biden ordered the launch of "precision" air strikes on specific military targets in Syria.
Data map: On February 25, 2021 local time, the U.S. military launched an airstrike on the facilities of pro-Iran militias in Syria, killing 22 people.
The picture shows the scene after the air raid.
This is the third air strike in Syria since the Biden administration took office in 2021. The first two were also because of the attack on the US military stationed in Syria.
This time, the United States is also a well-prepared action.
As soon as the U.S. "slumps", it has to stretch its fists.
But why did the side attacking the United States not be afraid of "hard punches", but instead continued to attack US military bases, "egg hits a stone"?
[The "grain and oil thief" is ruthless and afraid]
One of the key points of this is two words - oil.
Since 2015, the United States has uninvited troops stationed in Syria in the name of counter-terrorism. Currently, there are about 900 soldiers stationed in Syria, mainly distributed between the At-Tanf military base and multiple oil fields.
Damascus has repeatedly accused the United States of illegally stationing troops and robbing resources, and has never recognized its legitimacy, but the United States does not care.
Deir Ezzor Province, Hasakah Province, Raqqa Province... Just look at the locations where the US military was stationed and attacked. These places are where large oil and gas fields in Syria are located.
It seems that US Vice President Harris is not "leakage", but the United States is fighting an "oil war".
Data map: Syrian workers build their own refineries to deal with fuel shortages.
The process of extracting fuel from waste plastic is dangerous, and operators need to be very careful.
Six months ago, the General Administration of Foreign Intelligence of the Russian Federation disclosed that the United States controlled 90% of the oil fields in Syria, and actively exploited the occupied areas in northeastern Syria.
In fact, it has not been a day or two for the United States to do this. As early as 2018, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Jaafari, reported to the Security Council, accusing the US military of stealing oil.
Since July 2022, oil theft in the United States has become more and more rampant, and dozens of tankers and trucks have been dispatched at a time to transport oil from Syria to Iraq.
The Syrian government forces had to patrol, intercept and drive away on the road.
However, the United States did not restrain itself. In the first half of August, it dispatched nearly 500 oil tankers to steal oil from Syria.
The Russian side said that about a third of the stolen oil was sold to Iraq through American intermediaries at a price of $35 to $40 a barrel.
It has been revealed that the money earned will be used to finance the purchase of weapons by the US-backed Syrian opposition to fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government forces.
Not only that, but what is even more exaggerated is that the wheat in this country has also become the target of the United States. It can use 40 trucks at a time to load them all away.
Data map: Syrians dig air-raid shelters to avoid possible air strikes.
That is to say, the "grain and oil thief" of the United States not only steals oil from Syria to sell, buys weapons to intensify the civil war in Syria, but also robs the rations of the already hungry Syrian people?
Wouldn't the United States be afraid of walking at night by doing such a cruel thing?
Of course America is afraid.
According to foreign media reports, FBI Director Wray said at a congressional hearing on August 4 that according to the assessment, the FBI is concerned about terrorist organizations such as "Islamic State" and "Al Qaeda", and intends to launch large-scale attacks on the United States. attack.
These extremist groups have lost ground in Syria and Iraq, and some affiliated groups are working to carry out attacks against the United States and its partners at home and abroad.
For example, the armed organization that came to "tough-on" this time forced the United States to launch an air strike after more than a year.
In fact, the air strike on Syria is a "trivial matter" for the United States. If the extremists get into the door of the United States and retaliate on American soil, it will be the ultimate nightmare for the FBI.
[Definitely targeting Iran, the Middle East has become a "Asura Field"]
This time, the United States has made it clear that it is targeting Iran.
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Carr said that the airstrikes in Syria sent a "clear message" to Tehran that the United States would "not hesitate" to fight back against Iran and the "Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-backed armed groups."
On the 24th, Iran's foreign ministry denied any connection between Iran and the targets of US airstrikes in Syria.
The Iranian side also strongly condemned that the US attack on Syria's "infrastructure and people" violated the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The U.S. said the strikes in Syria were a message to Iran.
Image source: Screenshot of ABC report
In fact, America's ambitions in the Middle East are still very strong.
The Washington Center for International and Strategic Studies released a 97-page report a few months ago, arguing that a sharp reduction in the U.S. military presence in the Middle East in the short term will weaken the strategy of "deterring the enemy" and benefit competitors.
This strategic report proposes three options for the United States, in addition to the first large withdrawal, the latter two both involve surveillance, deterrence of regional rivals such as Iran, Russia, and envisaged conflict with Iran in the Gulf region, and how the United States " Protect freedom of navigation and access to oil".
It is worth noting that US President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Middle East in July.
Biden's goal of forming a "Middle East version of NATO" to confront Iran has not been achieved; Putin, Iran and Turkey "hold a group", hoping to solve the Syrian issue under the framework of the Astana process, but it is also difficult to achieve.
Syria has become a "Sura field" for multi-country games, and the people who suffer the most are the people.
[People's livelihood is so difficult that the United States can't see it]
Before the chaos broke out, oil and agriculture were the two pillar industries of Syria's economy, and the oil industry brought the country $73 million a month in revenue.
Today, the total loss of the Syrian oil industry has reached at least 100.5 billion US dollars.
In the first six months of 2022, Syria's oil production is about 14.5 million barrels, but more than 80% of it has been looted by the United States and the Syrian rebels it supports.
While the U.S. military could not see the head of the oil-stealing vehicles queuing out, the Syrian people in the "oil shortage" also lined up in a long line that "couldn't see the end of the queue", waiting to refuel.
Data map: On the streets of Syria, vehicles line up for refueling.
The difficult situation of the Syrian people reminds people of the bloody consequences of the "anti-terrorism" air strikes launched by the US special forces in Syria in March 2019.
That air strike killed more than a dozen or even dozens of Syrian civilians, including women and children.
After the incident was disclosed by The New York Times, the US military conducted an investigation and concluded that the killing of civilians was an "administrative defect". There was no "violation of the laws of war" and no one would be held accountable, causing anger.
What's the point of stealing grain and oil in the United States, which doesn't even care about the lives of civilians?
(Finish)