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The Syrian government called the bombing of a military bus that killed 14 in the heart of Damascus a “terrorist bombing,” but no organization claimed responsibility for the attack.
The New York Times reported that the bus bombing—inside the capital—could be a clear sign to President Bashar al-Assad that he is not insulated from these kinds of attacks.
The military bus was carrying soldiers on a main thoroughfare in the city. The Times, citing SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported that three explosives were placed on the underside of the bus and two detonated.
Damascus seemed to respond to the attack on Wednesday by shelling parts of Idlib, which is the last major region of the country still held by rebels. The area is believed to be home to the jihadists, who with the support of President Barack Obama and U.S. troops, attempted to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
“Today’s violence is yet another reminder that the war in Syria has not come to an end,” UNICEF said in a statement. “Civilians, among them many children, keep bearing the brunt of a brutal decade-long conflict.”
TRENDPOST: The Trends Journal has reported on the civil war in Syria and the roles outside countries have played in contributing to the unrest. (See “ISRAEL CONDUCTS SERIES OF DEADLY AIRSTRIKES IN SYRIA,” and “ISRAEL VS. SYRIA: IT’S GETTING HOTTER.”)
And as we have reported, the United States gives Israel $3.5 billion of American taxpayer money each year to support Israel’s military. And as al Jazeera reported yesterday, Washington is blaming Iran for launching a drone strike in retaliation for an Israeli strike days earlier near the ancient historic Syrian town of Palmyra.
While the Iran attack hit a military outpost at al-Tanf in southern Syria where American troops are based, there were no casualties.
According to the Associated Press, Washington believes that while Iran provided missiles and encouraged the attack, the drones were not launched from Iran.
But in all the media coverage, there is not a word about the U.S. illegally occupying and fighting in a foreign nation that has posed no threat to America.
Failed Coup, Costly War
Al-Assad has managed to maintain power despite a 10-year civil war in the country. The BBC reported earlier this year that about 380,000 people died in the conflict. About 116,000 deaths were civilians. The death toll did not include the 205,000 missing and presumed dead. About 88,000 civilians have died of torture in government-operated prisons, the report said, citing a U.K. monitoring group.
Russia and Iran have both condemned the bus bombing, which Iranian state TV called the deadliest in the capital since an ISIS bombing in March 2017 killed about 30.
Al-Assad’s government says Israel and Tel Aviv’s Western allies have been aiding the Takfiri terrorist groups.
Hezbollah denounced the blast and blamed the attack on “terrorists and their regional and international” supporters.
Al-Assad’s government says Israel and Tel Aviv’s Western allies have been aiding the Takfiri terrorist groups, which have been orchestrating the unrest in the country.
TREND FORECAST: As Gerald Celente notes, “When all else fails, they take you to war.” We forecast that besides Israel continuing to ramp up war with Syria, the current threat will be Turkey which is illegally occupying parts of Syria.
As we noted in “Turkey: No Political Opposition Permitted” (23 Mar 2021), the country’s crashing currency and soaring inflation are adding fuel to an increasingly chaotic and unstable Turkish socioeconomic and geopolitical environment.
As the global economic recovery decelerates—and as inflation keeps rising across the globe—the lira and Turkey’s economy will continue to decline.
Ongoing fears of the Delta virus will worsen Turkey’s plight; nearly 13 percent of its GDP rests on travel and tourism. President Recep Erdogan’s domestic popularity recently fell to a two-year low and will continue to sink with citizens’ economic prospects.
And last week, Turkey lowered interest rates despite its official inflation rate being 19.5 percent in September… although independent calculations placed it closer to 40 percent, as we reported in “Turkey: A Crime to Tell the Economic Truth?” (5 Oct 2021).
In response, Turkish lira has now crashed to new lows. Thus, the deeper the lira falls the more it will cost consumers to live. With his popularity plunging and economic conditions deteriorating, look for President Erdogan to become more belligerent in his comments and actions directed at foreign “enemies” such as Syria.