SouthFront.org & TASS – 2018-04-25 23:56:55
Trump’s “Smart” Missiles In Syria: Summing Up Evidence And Numbers Provided By Russia
Trump’s “Smart” Missiles In Syria:
Summing Up Evidence And Numbers Provided By Russia
SouthFront.org
More Evidence of Trump’s “Smart” Missiles
Were Intercepted in Skies over Syria
MOSCOW (April 25, 2018) — On April 25, the Russian Defense Ministry held a press briefing providing more details on the April 14 cruise missile strike carried out by the US, the UK and France on Syria. [See photos from press conference at this link — EAW.]
The Russian military revealed wreckage of the intercepted missiles and showed at least one unexploded Tomahawk cruise missile. It also added that two unexploded missiles (a Tomahawk and a high-accuracy air-launched missile) had been delivered to Russia from Syria.
READ: FULL TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS BRIEFING.
According to the April 25 press briefing by the Russian military:
* only 22 US, French, British missiles hit their targets;
* 46 missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems covering the capital of Syria and Duvali, Dumayr, Blai, and Mazzeh nearby airfields;
* 20 missiles were intercepted in three areas of the responsibility zone of air defense of Homs;
* a part of the missiles failed to reach their targets by different, apparently technical, reasons.
SF recalls that according to the Pentagon’s version of the events the US, the UK and France launched 105 missiles on Syria and all of them hit their targets.
Thus, if the Russian military’s statement is true, we have the following picture:
* 105 missiles launched (according to the Pentagon)
* 66 missiles intercepted (according to the Russian military)
* 22 missiles hit their targets (according to the Russian military)
* 2 unexploded missiles were delivered to moscow (according to the Russian military)
* 15 missiles did not reach their targets (according to the Russian military)
It’s important to note that according to an initial claim by the Russian military made on April 14 the Syrian Air Defense Forces had intercepted 71 missiles launched by the US-led bloc.
The April 25 briefing provided the updated numbers. The pictures below are translated slides and photos showed by the Russian military during the press briefing:
[Click on this link to see 50 images of aftermath of US airstrike on Syria, including 40 photos documenting the remains of intercepted “smart” missiles.]
In response to the Russian military’s press briefing, the Pentagon denied that any missiles involved in the April 14 strike failed or were captured in Syria. Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Business Insider “both claims are completely and totally untrue.”
CNBC provided more detailed comments from Pahon on the issue:
“This is another example of the Russian disinformation campaign to distract attention from their moral complicity to the Assad Regime’s atrocities and the civilian carnage in western Syria,” Pahon wrote in an email. “The claims . . . regarding our target selection are absurd, as is the rest of the (TASS) article.
On the Tomahawk, we have seen no proof, other than statements made to Russian state-owned media, that their claims are true. This is likely another smoke screen of propaganda to distract from the real issue at hand — the murder of innocent civilians by a murderous regime propped up by Russian backing.”
SF recalls that, according to the Pentagon, the 105 launched missiles hit the following targets:
* 76 missiles — “Barzah Research and Development Center”
* 22 missiles — “Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Storage Site”
* 7 missiles — “Him Shinshar CW Bunker”
While it’s up to the Pentagon to claim that Russia released no evidence confirming the missile interceptions, it’s interesting to note that the Pentagon has released no videos showing the moment of the missile strike on the targets in Syria. The only proof released by the US is the following satellite imagery:
Syrian Air Defenses Shot Down 46 Missiles
Fired in US-led Strike — General Staff
TASS
MOSCOW (April 25,2018) — The Syrian air defense forces shot down 46 cruise missiles fired by the United States and its allies against Damascus and its suburbs on April 14, Head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operations Department Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoi said on Wednesday.
“The reconnaissance and air defense systems’ recording data we have obtained, the work at the scene and polls of eye-witnesses show that the Pantsyr, Osa, Strela-10, Buk, Kvadrat and S-125 surface-to-air missile systems protecting the Syrian capital and the nearby Duvali, Dumayr, Bley and Mezze airfields of the Syrian Air Force destroyed 46 cruise missiles,” the general said.
Considering the missiles’ flight paths and the capabilities of the Syrian air defenses, these missiles were destroyed in five interception areas: three of them are located to the west of Damascus and the other two to the east of Syria’s capital, the Russian general said.
Missile Strike Against Syria
On April 14, the US, Great Britain and France delivered a massive missile strike against Syria without the UN Security Council’s authorization.
According to the data of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the missiles hit a research center in Damascus, the headquarters of the republican guard, an air defense base, several military aerodromes and army depots.
As Russia’s Defense Ministry reported, the attack lasted from 03:42 to 05:10 local time. The Syrian air defenses shot down 71 out of 103 fired missiles. Three civilians were hurt in the missile strikes. The missiles steered clear of Russia’s Tartus and Hmeymim military bases and no Russian air defense systems were used.
The United States, Britain and France claimed the strikes were in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria’s Douma.
On April 7, a number of NGOs, including the White Helmets, alleged that chemical weapons were used in Douma, Eastern Ghouta. According to the statement published on the organization’s website on April 8, chlorine bombs had been dropped on the city, killing dozens and poisoning many locals who had to be brought to the hospital.
The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed that report as fake news. The Defense Ministry added that the White Helmets were notorious for spreading falsehoods.
Representatives of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Sides held a probe in Douma on April 9 but found no traces of chemical weapons use.
Russian Military Shows Wreckage Of Missiles
Intercepted In Syria, Says Two
Unexploded Missiles Delivered To Moscow
Southfront.org
(April 25, 2018) — One unexploded Tomahawk cruise missile and one high accuracy air-launched missile launched by the US and its allies on Syria on April 14 have been brought to Moscow, the chief of the Russian General Staff’s main operations directorate Colonel-General Sergey Rudskoy said during a press briefing on April 25.
“Some of the missiles failed to reach the designated targets apparently due to technical failures, which created the risk of destroying civilian facilities and causing civilian casualties. Two of them, a cruise missile Tomahawk and a high-accuracy air-launched missile, have been brought to Moscow.
“You can see the Tomahawk’s warhead in this slide,” Colonel-General Rudskoy said. The colonel-general added that Russian specialists are studying them.
“The results of this work will be used to improve Russian weapon systems,” Rudskoy said. The Russian military also revealed wreckage of the intercepted missiles.
SF recalls that the Pentagon says that the US, the UK and France launched 105 missile on targets in Syria on April 14. According to the Pentagon, no missiles were intercepted and all of them hit their targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry initially said that 71 missiles had been intercepted by the Syrian Air Defense Forces.
Colonel-General Rudskoy added that according to the updated data, only 22 missile hits on targets in Syria can be confirmed. According to the updated data provided by Rudskoy:
* only 22 missiles hit targets in Syria;
* 46 missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems covering the capital of Syria and Duvali, Dumayr, Blai, and Mazzeh nearby airfields;
* 20 missiles were intercepted in three areas of the responsibility zone of air defense of Homs;
* a part of the missiles failed to reach their targets by different, apparently technical, reasons.
The Pentagon’s version of the missile attack:
* 76 missiles hit “Barzah Research and Development Center”
* 22 missiles hit “Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Storage Site”
* 7 missiles hit “Him Shinshar CW Bunker”
Colonel-General Rudskoy further added that no of the attacked objects had been used by the Assad government to develop or to store chemical weapons.
The chief of the Russian General Staff’s main operations directorate added that Russia will supply the Syrian military with more air-defense systems and will continue to train Syrian air defense troops.
“Russian specialists will continue training Syrian military personnel, and will assist in mastering new air defense systems, which will be supplied in the near future,” Rudskoy said.
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