© ReutersAirmen aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, which has been dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean.
"Due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria with air-to-ground and / or cruise missiles within the next 72 hours, and the possibility of intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment, due consideration needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean / Nicosia FIR area," the alert said.
The alert warns pilots to be ready for specific NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen), concerning flight risks and obstacles that may arise.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said that he was "very strongly, very seriously" considering military action against the government of Bashar Assad over the alleged chemical attack in Douma in Syria on April 7. Trump said that a "major decision" would be taken within the following 24-48 hours.
Comment: Whether this is just posturing and bluster, Trump's "decision" - if we want to call it that - appears to be part of a coordinated effort with France and the UK to bully Syria:
French President Emmanuel Macron said that a decision on whether or not to carry out military action against Syria is being discussed between Washington, London and Paris. He also assured that Syria's allies won't be targeted.
"We will continue exchanges of technical and strategic information with our partners in particular Britain and America, and in the coming days we will announce our decision," the French president said Tuesday.
According to Macron, any French attacks on Syria would not target allies of the Syrian government - in an apparent reference to Russian and Iranian forces legitimately present in the country - but would instead target chemical weapons facilities. It is not clear which facilities Macron was referring to, given that it has been confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international watchdog, that Syria has destroyed all of its chemical arms stockpile.
Macron made his statement accompanied by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was meeting with the French leader on Tuesday in Paris. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has signaled his support for potential military action, saying that those responsible for the alleged attack must be "held accountable." Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir did not say whether Saudi Arabia would join in any actual military attack or not, but told reporters "we are discussing with our allies the steps to respond."
The leaders of the US, UK and France pledged a joint response to the alleged chemical attack in the Syrian city of Douma following a series of phone conversations, but announced no specific measures.
"They agreed they would continue working closely together and with international partners to ensure that those responsible were held to account," said a statement from Downing Street, following Theresa May's conversations with Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.
[...]
The Syrian and Russian governments have dismissed the allegations and said the footage of anti-government activists was staged. US assessments have also been unable to conclusively link the alleged attack with the Syrian government or its allies.
Assad said on Tuesday that his government had invited a mission from an international chemical weapons watchdog to Douma to investigate the alleged attack. The OPCW announced later that day that it was preparing to send a team to Douma on a fact-finding mission.
An air strike was already carried out against a Syrian air base on Monday, although no state has claimed responsibility. Damascus, Moscow and Tehran say that the attack was carried out by Israel from Lebanese airspace.
Russia has warned that if any of its personnel in the country are targeted, it "will take response measures against both the rockets, and the platforms from which they're fired."
Comment: Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia pulled no punches in his scathing rebuke of this possible plan - but also implored the imperial triumvirate to come to their senses:
The US' reaction to the alleged chemical incident in the town of Douma has clearly shown it was the long-sought pretext to attack Syria, which was finally provided by the "White Helmets' provocateurs," the Russian UN envoy said.
The alleged chemical incident in Douma was only beneficial for the militants, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said, urging his Western counterparts to explain why Damascus would decide to do so. The purported attack was reported on Saturday, amid the evacuation of militants from the besieged town.
This provocation was like a breeze of the fresh air needed by militants who received such timely support from the US and other Western countries," Nebenzia said at the UNSC meeting on Tuesday. He warned the US and its allies against launching a military action in Syria, bypassing the UN.
"If you made a decision to carry out an illegal military endeavor, we hope, hope that you will come to your senses. You will be responsible for it yourselves," Nebenzia said.
The allegation of a chemical attack, pushed by the pro-militant sources, has been eagerly supported by the US and other Western countries, who squarely pinned the blame for the unverified incident on Damascus. Russian military specialists, in the meantime, visited the site of the purported incident, which was surrendered by the militants, and found no signs of a chemical attack or any victims of it.
Nebenzia has called for supporting the international chemical watchdog's investigation on the ground in Syria before jumping to any conclusions. However, he believes that those seeking to topple the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar Assad would not wait for the results of the investigation, claiming they are instead seeking to launch a strike.
"You don't want to hear that no signs of a chemical attack have been found in Douma. You've only sought a pretext and it was eagerly provided by the White Helmets' provocateurs," Nebenzia said.
Comment: Things in Syria may just about to become more horrible/interesting.