US threat to shoot down Syrian jets declaration of war: Analyst

The United States’ threat to shoot down Russian and Syrian warplanes is a declaration of war against these countries, says Scott Bennet, an American political analyst.

The Pentagon’s warning came after US fighter jets tried to engage Syrian Arab Air Force aircraft in Syria last week, but the showdown was avoided as government planes left before the Americans arrived.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis claimed on Friday the US fighters attempted to intercept the Syrian planes to protect American advisers – a term the US military often uses for its Special Operations Forces – working with Kurdish forces after the Syrian government jets bombed the area.

On Monday, another Pentagon spokesman, Peter Cook, said, "We would continue to advise the Syrian regime to steer clear of those areas."

"It's not a no-fly zone," he said, adding that “the Syrian regime would be wise to avoid areas where coalition forces have been operating."

Bennet, a former US army psychological warfare officer, told Press TV on Tuesday that it is “quite a declaration of war before a declaration of war, because essentially what the United States has said is that ‘we’re not going to the United States’ Congress about this, we’re simply going to follow military advisers in the Obama administration on this.’”

“Essentially, what that says is ‘it’s war already, and now the Syrians and the Russians have a choice. The choice is always quite simple: the Syrian government’s obligation is to protect its people, and protect its land from invaders,” he stated.

“And in this act, the United States is invading Syria. It is fostering a war; it’s paying for the mercenaries; it is using Saudi Arabian Wahhabists to invade Syria; and create chaos as well some of the Kurdish elements,” the analyst noted.

“So the response of course I think needs to be an absolute, uncompromising, unyielding stance of power and strength by the Russians, by the Syrians, by the Iranians, and by the Chinese – a concerted coalition of countries that are dedicated to peace and stability, attacking an infection of instability and chaos, which is the United States’ forces and its mercenaries that have been hell-bent on removing [Syrian President Bashar] Assad,” he observed.

Since September 2014, the US and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

In September 2015, Russia launched its own air offensive against the terrorists who were still wreaking havoc in Syria. The Russian campaign, analysts say, has broken the backbone of Daesh and other militants, and has provided the Assad government an opportunity to defeat the foreign-sponsored terrorist onslaught.

In recent months, the Syrian army, backed by the Russian air power, has been making major gains against Takfiri groups, recapturing several strategic areas from their grip.

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