Russia 'DELIBERATELY bombed secret military base in Syria used by elite American and British forces

Hours after the attack, the Daily Beast says that the US Central Command - which overseas American combat in the Middle East - spoke directly to the pilots.

Officials from Washington and Moscow also spoke over a hotline set up to avoid similar confrontations, reports suggest. 

There was also a similar attack on a CIA-linked site on July 12 that was previously unreported.

But the attack pushed both the US and UK into a compromise with Russia.

The U.S. and Russia agreed to a pact last week to target airstrikes against the Al Qaeda affiliate in the region – Nusra Front.

They reportedly went ahead with the plan despite objections from the Pentagon and CIA.

Daily Mail Online has contacted both the State Department and Ministry of Defence for comment.

US officials and rebel commanders told the Journal that the outpost was hit with cluster munitions.

US attempts to wave off the Russians failed to prevent a second air strike on the base, the report said.

About three weeks later, on July 12, Russian warplanes hit a rebel camp used by family members of CIA-backed fighters about 50 miles west of At-Tanf, the report said.


But the White House and the State Department, seeking to avoid a military escalation, decided to pursue a compromise, it said.

Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry reached a provisional agreement with the Russians to join forces in strikes on Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

Under the agreement, the Russians would halt air strikes against US-backed rebels and restrain the Syrian air force in return for Washington easing Moscow's international isolation, the Journal said.

There are still disputes over the areas Russia can strike without approval from the US.

Because of skepticism in the Pentagon, there are reports of a clause in the Russia-US deal that means Kerry can stop cooperating if Putin bombs American allies.

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Ashton Carter: U.S. to Begin 'Direct Action on the Ground' in Iraq, Syria

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday that the U.S. will begin "direct action on the ground" against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.

"We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," Carter said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee, using an alternative name for the militant group.

Carter pointed to last week's rescue operation with Kurdish forces in northern Iraq to free hostages held by ISIS.

Carter and Pentagon officials initially refused to characterize the rescue operation as U.S. boots on the ground. However, Carter said last week that the military expects "more raids of this kind" and that the rescue mission "represents a continuation of our advise and assist mission."

This may mean some American soldiers "will be in harm's way, no question about it," Carter said last week.

After months of denying that U.S. troops would be in any combat role in Iraq, Carter late last week in a response to a question posed by NBC News, also acknowledged that the situation U.S. soldiers found themselves in during the raid in Hawija was combat.

"This is combat and things are complicated," Carter said.

During Tuesday's Senate hearing, Carter said Wheeler "was killed in combat."

A feisty Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said on Tuesday that the U.S. effort in Syria is a "half-assed strategy at best," and said that the U.S. is not doing a "damn thing" to bring down Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Carter on Tuesday pushed back against that notion.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that the "balance of forces" has tilted in Assad's favor.
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US Defense Official: Russia Launchs Airstrikes in Syria

A U.S. defense official tells The Associated Press that Russia has launched airstrikes in Syria.
The move follows a unanimous vote by Russian lawmakers to allow President Vladimir Putin to order airstrikes in Syria, where Russia has deployed fighter jets and other weapons in recent weeks. The Kremlin sought to play down the decision, saying it will only use its air force in the Mideast country, not ground troops.

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The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the airstrikes publicly, said they were launched Wednesday near Homs.
In a statement Wednesday, the office of Syrian President Bashar Assad said Russia's decision to send troops to Syria came at the request of Damascus.

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Putin Rules Out Russian Troops Fighting in Syria After Meeting With Obama

Hours after President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged barbs during the UN General Assembly on Monday, the two leaders met for 90 minutes inside the UN Security Council.

The bilateral meeting, held in the company of ministers and advisers, including Secretary of State John Kerry, was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated conclave during this year's General Debate, which began earlier in the day. The topic of discussion was largely expected to be Syria's civil war, where Russia has recently increased its military presence, sending personnel, planes, and vehicles.

Related: Why the Hell Did Russia Intervene in Syria?

The Obama administration has insisted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must not remain part of any political transition, while Putin says Assad should be offered support as part of efforts to dismantle the so-called Islamic State (IS). That discrepancy was on full display during the speeches the two leaders delivered earlier in the day.

After leaving the Council chambers, Putin bypassed an expectant group of international reporters and gave a press conference exclusively for Russian media, which was broadcast and translated live by RT, the Kremlin's English language media outlet.

According to the translation, Putin called the meeting "very constructive, practical and surprisingly frank."

"We've found a lot of common ground, but there are differences as well," he said.

Putin did not rule out the use of warplanes in Syria, but he did say, however, that Russian troops would not be deployed in fighting, saying "ground operations, involving Russian units, Russian troops — this is out of the question."

Another expected topic of discussion, which American officials insisted earlier in the week would be raised, is the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow annexed the country's Crimea region last year, and Russian soldiers have been documented inside separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin has insisted that its forces are not in the country.

There was no immediate word from American officials on the content of the discussion on Monday night.

Related: Obama and Putin Talk Trash and Clink Glasses at UN Ahead of Private Meeting

The hour and a half encounter was the second of the day for Obama and Putin. Earlier, the two men sat at the same table during a luncheon hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The two men clinked glasses during a toast but did not appear to speak to each other.

Asked about the incident, Putin said "this was just a protocol event nothing more."

"You journalists, you really surprise… you are very interesting people," he added.

Follow Samuel Oakford on Twitter: @samueloakford

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Israel adds voice to concerns over Russia's role in Syria

Israel has joined a growing chorus of concern over a reported Russian military buildup in Syria in support of the beleaguered regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking to reporters, Moshe Ya’alon, the Israeli defence minister, echoed claims by western sources that Moscow has in recent days dispatched military advisers and equipment with the main goal of setting up an airbase in the Syrian government-controlled area around Latakia.

“As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Ya’alon said in a briefing on Thursday.

Ya’alon’s comments follow statements of concern on Wednesday from the secretary general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, and the US secretary of state, John Kerry, who phoned his counterpart in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, to reiterate his concerns over recent Russian activity.

The information divulged in Ya’alon’s briefing closely resembles comments by US defence officials this week who said the US had seen a variety of Russian military assets flown into the airfield south of Latakia, including troops capable of protecting Russian forces there and modular housing units capable of accommodating up to 1,000 troops.

One US official said the movements indicated that the Russians were preparing for some sort of air operations.

Responding on Thursday, Lavrov defended Russian military assistance to Syria, saying Moscow wanted to avoid a repeat of the “Libyan scenario” in Syria and would therefore provide greater military assistance to the Syrian president if requested.

“We helped, are continuing to help and will help the Syrian government when it comes to supplying the Syrian army with everything it needs,” he said.

Lavrov has said that Russian aircraft flying into Syria have been delivering military supplies and humanitarian aid.

“The planes the Russian Federation is sending to Syria are carrying military items, in accordance with the contracts we have, and humanitarian aid,” he said. “Depending on what cargo the plane is carrying, we request the proper clearance, in full accordance with international law.”

Russia has also reportedly been seeking permissions to use military airspace through Iran. Bulgaria refused permission for its airspace to be used for Russian military traffic seeking to fly to Syria.

Kerry told Lavrov on Wednesday that if the reports were found to be true “it could lead to greater violence” – a message reinforced by the foreign ministries of Germany and France.


Russia complains of 'strange hysteria' over its presence in Syria
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The claims of an expanding role for Russia in Syria have come as Assad’s forces suffered a series of setbacks, including the loss of a key airfield.

Moscow has backed Assad throughout the nation’s civil war, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 250,000 people. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has sought to cast arms supplies to Assad’s government as part of international efforts to combat Islamic State (Isis) and other militant organisations in Syria.

On Wednesday, three unnamed Lebanese officials told Reuters that a small number of Russian advisers were already participating in military operations in Syria in support of regime forces.

Ya’alon described the Russian move as significant and said if the Russians planned on carrying out airstrikes against Isis militants, they would have to coordinate it with a US-led campaign.

The Israeli minister added that Russia’s first goal was likely to protect its interests in Syria, namely the navy base of Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea. Ya’alon did not elaborate on how Israel knew of the Russian deployment in Syria.

In Moscow, Putin recently hinted that Russia might be planning to expand its assistance to Assad. Asked if Russia could deploy its troops to Syria to help fight Isis, Putin said last week that Russia was “looking at various options” but it was too early to talk about it. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said on Thursday that nothing had changed and Putin’s comments still stood.

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Russian fighter jets enter Syria with transponders off

Washington (CNN)A U.S. official told CNN Thursday that Russian fighter jets turned off their transponders as they flew into Syria in an apparent attempt to avoid detection. The official said the fighters flew very close to a transport plane that had its transponder on and functioning.

U.S. satellites rapidly saw that the aircraft were there, according to the official.

The assessment over the weekend was that the fighter jets were on their way. The same official said the Russians have begun flying drones around the coastal city of Latakia.

Russia launches drones in Syria

With no ISIS fighters in the area, the move raises serious questions about the Russians' intentions with their military buildup, which the U.S. has questioned the purpose of and watched with wariness. The action points to a higher likelihood that the Russian plan is to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rather than fight the terror group.

Is Russia preparing to move troops to 2 new Syria bases?

The U.S. has its own effort underway to defeat ISIS but has also said that Assad must go.

Asked about what the U.S. can do about the situation, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told CNN at a press conference Thursday that "it's a matter of seeing what the Russians do."


Carter said he hopes the Russians will fight ISIS, "but if it's a matter of pouring gasoline on the civil war in Syria, that is certainly not productive from our point of view."

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