The Disastrous Consequences of a U.S. Military Attack on Syria

http://www.alternet.org/world/exploring-disastrous-consequences-us-military-attack-syria


The guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage sails near the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during daily flight operations off Oman on February 7, 2009, in a photo from the US Navy website.

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Possible Consequences of A U.S. Military Attack on Syria

*As U.S. warships gather off the shores of Lebanon to launch Tomahawk Cruise missiles at targets in Syria, we can make some educated guesses of what the “unintended consequences” could be:

*Syrian anti-aircraft batteries will fire their rockets at incoming U.S. missiles.

*Many Syrians on the ground will die and both the U.S. and Syrian governments will say the deaths are the fault of the other.

*The U.S. Embassy in Damascus will be attacked and burned, as may other U.S. Embassies and businesses in the Middle East.

Syria might also launch rockets toward the U.S. ally in the region—Israel.

*Israel would launch bombing missions on Syria as it has three times in the past two years and perhaps take the opportunity to launch an attack on Syria’s strongest ally in the region Iran.

*Iran, a country with a population of 80 million and has the largest military in the region untouched by war in the past 25 years, might retaliate with missiles aimed toward Israel and toward nearby U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, Turkey, Bahrain and Qatar.

*Iran could block the Straits of Hormuz and impede the transport of oil out of the Persian Gulf.

30 Years Ago, U.S. Warships Bombed Lebanon and the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut Was Blown Up in Retaliation