China reminds everyone how the current affair ‘is reminiscent of the lead-up to the Iraqi War,’ which was also based on allegations that proved false.
As Moscow sends emergency supplies to Damascus the Russian deputy premier criticizes the looming Western attack on Syria.
Russian officials on Tuesday unleashed scathing criticism of the looming U.S.-led strike on Syria.
Critical of the West: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin – Photo: Reuters
“The West behaves towards the Islamic world like a monkey with a grenade,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin posted on his Twitter account. Russian news agency Interfax quoted a Russian official warning that a strike on Syria would “not lead to an easy victory,” alluding to Syria’s advanced aerial defense systems.
Russia has also taken cautionary steps. An airplane from the Russian Emergency Situation Ministry landed in Latakia, Syria, on Tuesday, bringing food and medical supplies. The ministry said the airplane would evacuate 180 Russian expatriates who had expressed their desire to leave Syria in light of recent developments.
The U.S. State Department canceled scheduled talks between American and Russian diplomats on Tuesday, a sign of the increasing tensions between the two nations over Syria. The talks were meant to lay the foundation for the second round of Geneva talks, which have the stated goal of ending the civil war raging through Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Russia “regretted the cancellation of the meeting.”
China has become increasingly vocal about its opposition to a Western coalition attack on Syria as well. A Western-led attack on Syria “would be irresponsible and dangerous. For starters, the current scenario is reminiscent of the lead-up to the Iraq War, which the United States staged with allegations about weapons of mass destruction that later turned out to be false,” official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
In what could be seen as a threaten of reprisals against Israel, Iran warned of “dangerous consequences for the region, whose complications and fallout will not remain in Syria’s borders alone. They would suck the whole region in.” Tehran is a staunch ally of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Meanwhile, Japanese news outlets reported that North Korea had attempted to ship gas masks, weapons and ammunition to Syria by sea, but that the ship carrying the cargo was stopped in Turkey.
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=11633
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