Over the weekend, US, UK and France fired 100 missiles at 3 Syrian sites believed to be research and storage chemical facilities. Britain contributed 4 Tornado fighter jets armed with 8 Storm Shadow cruise missiles flying out of Akrotiri Royal Air Force base on Cyprus. French flew Rafale fighter jets from bases in France and fired 9 Storm Shadow missiles. The US Air Force used two B-1B bombers out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar firing 19 air-launched JASSM cruise missiles. None of the fighter jets entered the Syrian airspace.

The US guided-missile cruisers, destroyers and submarines fired tomahawk cruise missiles from the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Northern Persian Gulf. The facilities were destroyed without any casualties. Assad’s military sites were not targeted and General Mattis stated that the Russian or Iranian sites were not targeted either and the Russian ships left Tartus naval facility in advance of the attacks. The Russian air defense system was turned on and tracked the missiles but never engaged them. It’s been reported that Bolton and Haley advocated a more robust attack but General “Mad Dog” Mattis wanted a “show strike” and he prevailed.

In short, just like last year, Assad used chemical weapons on innocent people and got away with it. He still has the know-how and the tools to make chemical weapons and Putin is not stopping him, and the US and the west are contempt with the “show strikes.”

But let’s look at the situation on the ground in Syria. The Russians have an airbase and a naval base in Syria on the Mediterranean Sea with a long term lease. They control the skies over Syria and the Israelis have to consult with the Russians to use a narrow corridor over Syria. Recently and for the first time an Israeli F-16 was shot down after leaving the Syrian air space and the recent Israeli air attacks happened from Lebanese air space.

The Iranian forces are on the ground in Syria and establishing bases and missile depots with the ultimate objective of creating a secure highway from Baghdad to Damascus and on to Beirut, and a presence on the Mediterranean Sea. The Turks have established their foothold in Northern Syria to suppress the Kurds.

Not a pretty scene!

Back in May 2003, just a few weeks after the Iraqi invasion had started, George W. Bush stood on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and declared “Mission Accomplished.” And as we know now, that’s when the real mess in Iraq started.

On Saturday, Trump got on the airwaves and declared “Mission Accomplished.” I am not sure what mission has been accomplished but based on the realities on the ground, the only mission that is being accomplished is that Israel has now two new neighbors on its borders, Russia and the Islamic Republic!