Here is a safe assumption to make: If you're to be gas-bombing civilians you won't be telling your information war foes where and when it is going to happen.
However, that is precisely what the US alleges Russia and Syria did.
US officially denies it, but American sources in the know confirm it. Russians had told the Pentagon that a Syrian bombing run against a Khan Sheikhoun warehouse was in the works 24 hours before it happened.
Why in the world would they do that if they were planning to sneak in a chemical weapons attack?
The great Gareth Porter (read his superb book on the manufactured Iran crisis) reports for Truthout:
The US military allegedly knew in advance that the strike was coming: Russian military officers informed their American counterparts of the Syrian military's plan to strike the warehouse in Khan Sheikhoun city 24 hours before the planned airstrike, according to the former US official who spoke with Truthout. The official is in direct contact with a US military intelligence officer with access to information about the US-Russian communications.What's more:
The military intelligence officer reported to his associate that the Russians provided the information about the strike to the Americans through the normal US-Russian Syria deconfliction telephone line, which was established after the Russian intervention in 2015 to prevent any accidental clash between the two powers. The officer said that Russia communicated to the US the fact that the Syrians believed that the warehouse held toxic chemicals.It's from an anonymous source but if Porter is vouching for him it's solid.
That information was considered so politically sensitive that after its initial dissemination, it was available only to a few officials, the US military intelligence officer told his associate.
So not only did Americans conclude the civilian massacre at Khan Sheikhoun was the result of an unlikely aerial chemical weapons bombing announced a full day in advance — they did so even though they had reason to suspect the target site held toxic chemical agents.
Well why the heck not. If you're going to be a weapons supplier for the Syrian al-Qaeda, why not be their willing dupe as well.
For the record: The MIT professor Theodore Postol shows the US/Qaeda claim that poison gas at Khan Sheikhoun was delivered via aeroplane is just about impossible.
"The officer said that Russia communicated to the US the fact that the Syrians believed that the warehouse held toxic chemicals".
When the U.S. intelligence community/government gained this information, plans began in order to use this forthcoming incident and to shape the parameters of the incident so that the U.S. could viably (not legally) bomb an installation in Syria (btw, thereby, setting a precedent by cloaking such illegality in a "noble, humanitarian" cover which may provide the basis for further incursions into Syria ). Everything was orchestrated, which is why the U.S. immediately, without hesitation or investigation, began screaming about sarin gas and showing footage on TV of poor people "obviously" gassed and struggling for life!!
I would offer the rather obvious conclusion that the deconfliction line will not be re-established, or if they do re-establish the line, Russia will have altered the ability of information flow to the U.S. and will likely attempt to use the line to gather intelligence.
The other aspect of this situation, which is amusing, is how well the U.S. government uses Hollywood production values to sell their position. They showed the huge and mighty roar of the missiles as they left the destroyers. So everyone could sit in awe of such humanitarianism!!! Compassion and concern backed by the U.S. military!!! Is the U.S. just one big, gigantic Hollywood production? [Then, just outside the filming area, current defensive technology, employing Margravs, shoots down a multitude of missiles as they leave the decks of the destroyers!! Veterans Today reported thusly.]