Military Escalation in the Middle East: “France Strikes Back” against the Islamic State, Bombs Syria in Retribution for Paris Terrorist Attacks, Deploys Naval Power
Are the Paris terrorist attacks being used as a pretext and justification by France to intervene militarily in Syria in violation of international law.
According to French President François Hollande, the Paris terrorist attack was “prepared, organized and planned from outside the country by the Islamic State”, which has it’s command centres in Syria and Iraq.
On Sunday, twelve French warplanes were dispatched on orders of President Hollande. Their target was Al-Raqqa, the so-called de facto capital of the Islamic State inside Northern Syria.
France is acting allegedly in “self defense”.
In liaison with the US -which has provided France with intelligence regarding ISIS targets– the French Air Force has initiated a series of bombing raids against ISIS terrorist positions in retribution for the alleged role of the Islamic State in the Paris terror attacks.
President Hollande is “Beating the Drums of War”. There is no evidence that the Paris terror attacks were coordinated out of Syria. Nor is there evidence that the Paris terrorist attacks constitute an “act of war” directed from abroad against France.
The airstrikes were carried out on Sunday, two days after the Paris attacks, some 20 bombs were reported to have been dropped on alleged terrorist positions.
Obama’s air campaign against ISIS is fake. This is not a war against the Islamic State, it is a war against Syria. The “war on terrorism” is a smokescreen.
According to the Independent (November 15): “Sunday’s bombing was the biggest French air raid that has taken place in Syria so far.” According to the French defence ministry, “the first target that the planes destroyed was a command post, which housed a recruitment centre and arms and munitions depot.”
What the reports fail to mention is that from the outset of Obama’s bombing campaign in August-September 2014, the US led coalition has not bombed ISIS rebel positions.
Quite the opposite, the ISIS has been protected by the Western Military alliance. The US led air raids have been used to channel weapons and ammunition to the terrorists.
Most of the press reports are based on information emanating from France’s Ministry of Defense. At the time of writing there is no firm independent confirmation that the French Air Force operating in liaison with the US has a meaningful way bombed ISIS positions in Raqqa.
The bombings are also for “domestic consumption”. They are used to harness social support for the State of Emergency, not to mention the suspension of civil liberties in the Paris metropolitan area.
Military Escalation in the Middle East
It is worth noting that this scenario of military escalation directed against Syria in which France is actively participating was planned before the November 13 terrorist attacks. Announced on November 5 one week before the Paris attacks, the Council of Ministers confirmed that France had decided to dispatch the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group to the Middle East to “Fight the Islamic State”.
France’s Charles de Gaulle only aircraft carrier is slated to leave for the Mediterranean “to join the fight against the Islamic State in the region” on November 18.
“The deployment of the battle group alongside the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been undertaken in order to participate in operations against Daesch [ISIS] and its affiliate groups” the French president’s office said in an issued statement. (quoted by RT, November 5, 2015)“The aircraft carrier will enable us to be more efficient in coordination with our allies” President Francois Hollande said, adding that it will “bolster Paris’ firepower in the region amid international efforts to launch Syrian peace talks.” (Ibid)
