© Adnan Abidi / ReutersNikki Haley
Revealing her extraordinary psychic abilities in addition to notorious diplomatic skills, the US envoy to the United Nations said that the sovereign government of Syria could "continue to go the route of taking over Syria" if it wants, but "if there are chemical weapons that are used [in Idlib], we know exactly who is going to use them."
The United States has always shown a peculiar eagerness in avenging alleged chemical attacks, but as investigative journalist Rick Sterling notes, this is perhaps the first time that a senior US diplomat has pinned the blame on Damascus before an attack has even occurred.
"In the past when an incident happened, they automatically claimed they knew who was responsible, even before there was an investigation or evidence. And now they've even gone further. So even before the incident happens, they claim to know who's responsible," Sterling told RT.
Despite breathless media reports and Donald Trump tweets accusing President Bashar Assad of senseless past and future butchery, Sterling noted that all serious investigations into chemical weapons incidents going back to 2013 ultimately "pointed the finger at the terrorists, who after all are the ones who stand to benefit."
"The Syrian government has no interest, no advantage, no motive, in a chemical weapons incident," he emphasized.
Social media users also appeared deeply skeptical of Haley's certainty about a war crime that has yet to happen. "Clairvoyant Haley just knows chemical weapons will be used in a battle that has not begun. As false flag attacks go, this one's been so clumsily telegraphed, it's laughable,"one Twitter user commented.
Washington has repeatedly broadcast that it would take decisive action if the Syrian government - which is on the verge of defeating the last Islamist militant stronghold in its country - chooses to use chemical weapons. The White House said Tuesday that it would "respond swiftly and appropriately" in case of a chemical incident in Idlib.
The United States attacked targets inside Syria on two separate occasions in "retaliation" for alleged chemical attacks in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, in April 2017, and Douma, Eastern Ghouta, a year later. In both instances, Washington launched missiles at Syrian military and research facilities before formal investigations into the incidents even started.
Preliminary results from an investigation conducted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found no traces of any nerve agent at the scene of the alleged Douma attack, contradicting theories pushed both by the US government and the media that Damascus had used military-grade chemicals against the civilian population. The international investigative body did however identify several widely available commercial chlorine compounds at the site, but none were "CWC-scheduled chemicals," meaning nothing found was banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Yet the US continues to insist that it has "zero intelligence that shows the opposition has any chemical capability" or motives to stage a false flag attack, implying that any future incident must be automatically blamed on Damascus, even though it got rid of its chemical weapons arsenals under strict international control back in 2016.
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