Geb. Matts goes from "no proof" Assad used sarin gas to "I don't rule out anything right now"

Mattis Won't Rule out Starting WW3 Over Nonsense Syria 'Chemical Attack'

Mattis: "I don't rule out anything right now"

Russia Insider,

9 April, 2018

US Defense Secretary James Mattis has not ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes against Syria in response to an alleged chemical attack in the militant-held town of Douma.

Speaking with reports on Monday, Mattis said he wouldn't "rule out anything right now" after being asked if the US was mulling strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The first thing we have to look at is why chemical weapons are still being used at all. Russia was the framework guarantor of removing all the chemical weapons and so working with our allies and partners, from NATO to Qatar and elsewhere we are going to address this issue," he added.

Saturday’s alleged chemical attack in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, comes as pro-government forces conclude an operation that has liberated nearly the entire region from Islamic militants. The alleged chemical incident was reported by the White Helmets, a controversial group repeatedly accused of having ties to terrorists and it could not be confirmed by Red Crescent medics on the ground.

Following the reports, two Israeli warplanes targeted a Syrian airbase in Homs on Sunday night, according to the Russian and Lebanese militaries. The Israeli jets fired eight missiles, five of which were intercepted, the Russian military said.

The Israeli strike came just hours after US President Donald Trump warned the Syrian government that there would be consequences for the alleged attack.

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed reports that the Syrian government was responsible for the alleged incident, saying the claims were yet another example of a “continuous series of fake news about the use of chlorine and other chemical agents by the government forces.”

“The goal of this… baseless speculation is to shield the terrorists and… the radical opposition that refuse to engage in a political settlement [process], as well as to justify potential military strikes from the outside,” the ministry said in a statement.

Moscow went on to warn that any military action taken in response to the alleged attack would be “absolutely unacceptable” and could lead to “dire consequences.”

Last year, militants in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib province, made similar accusations against Damascus, blaming Assad for an alleged chemical attack that purportedly killed 80 people and injured 200. In retaliation, Trump launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military base near Homs.

Source: RT

Just as a reminder - from 2 months ago.

US finally admits: ‘NO EVIDENCE’ Assad used sarin gas

No specific supporting evidence for claims that Syrian leader Bashar Assad ordered sarin gas attacks in 2013 and 2017

the Duran,

11 February, 2018

Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated on or about February 2nd, 2018 that the United States has “no evidence” that the Syrian government used the banned nerve agent Sarin against its own people in attacks in 2013 and 2017.  The most recent one provoked a massive Tomahawk strike ordered by President Trump that was quite provocative in the eyes of the Russian Federation and of course the Syrian government.

Secretary Mattis’ assertion is in direct contradiction to the White House Memorandum which was rapidly written and declassified to justify the Americans’ strike.  However, the Secretary offered no specifics to his statement.  He did discuss the fact that there were aid groups and other people, including NGOs and other fighters operating in the area that had provided evidence and reports of what happened with the Sarin strike. Their information stopped short of naming President Assad as the culprit.

“I don’t have the evidence,” Mattis said. “What I am saying is that other groups on the ground – NGOs, fighters on the ground – have said that sarin has been used, so we are looking for evidence.”

The reporting on this is highly suspect, though.  Newsweek, Reuters and the Washington Post are three American publications that all have run pieces pointing out this contradictory matter.  At this time, FoxNews has nothing on its site about this matter, but Zero Hedge does.

Gen. Mattis, known affectionately as “Mad Dog” Mattis, is known for an uncompromising approach to dealing with America’s enemies:

Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.

He was an outspoken critic of President Obama’s Middle East policy, naming Iran as the single most serious threat to stability in the region.

By all accounts, then, the General is faithful to the idea that projecting American power abroad is a good thing.  Seen with this context, the general’s statement seems unusual, and the media outlets that have a less than favorable view of Donald Trump as the American President have been quick to jump on board the train to point out that the General disagrees with his CO, the President.

Sadly, if this issue is able to gain traction, it is only going to do so as long as it serves the media’s narrative that President Trump is crazy or stupid, and should not be trusted with the leadership of the nation.  No doubt this will be spun as 25th amendment material, since the President “could in a moment of passion, decide to nuke someone.”

It is important also to consider that the statement that Gen. Mattis gave is not that he says he disagrees with the Trump decision to launch the Tomahawk strike.  He is only saying there is no evidence in his possession that confirms the the Syrian government was behind these attacks.

Furthering this point, it is difficult at times to get hard evidence of such things in an active war zone.  Contextually, there are three possible agencies that could have done this attack: (1) the Syrian government, (2) the fighters of whichever group, like Al-Nusra or ISIS who elected to use this to frame the Syrian government, and (3) the US, in an attempt to frame the Assad regime.

The Americans were not invited to help Assad, so their presence in Syria is an inconvenient truth – Syria cannot expel them, but they were never wanted, and even by the American people, involvement in yet another Middle Eastern nation is not high on the “things I want my country to do” list for most Americans.

The loser in this situation is the United States, because of the mishandling of this conflict.  While most of the conflict and the American action in it took place during the Obama era, it is probably the case that if the USA simply gathered all its troops and equipment and retreated to Israel or the Mediterranean Sea, or just plain left, the result might be a great deal worse for the Russian and Syrian national forces already there.

The problem here is that there may well be a serious intelligence breach or failure that created or allowed the decision to launch that Tomahawk strike. Russia Today also ran the Mattis piece, because to do so suits the Russian narrative that there is no way Bashar Assad would use gas on his own people. Indeed, it does not make rational sense to a Westerner how a dictator retains power when his country is already a war zone and watched by world powers.  To do a mass killing of one’s own citizens under such a watchful eye seems a highly absurd course for any leader to take.

The further problem is the reality of conditions on the ground.  As this report points out, the Americans may be in a situation where foolish decisions by previous administrations and maybe even this one, have created a situation where they cannot leave.