"Warplanes and military transporters" have reportedly been moved to Britain's Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus in the latest sign of the allied forces' preparations for a military strike on Syria amid bellicose rhetoric against the Syrian government.
Two commercial pilots who regularly fly from Larnaca, Cyprus, claim to have spotted C-130 transport planes from their own aircraft and small formations of possibly European fighter jets from their radar screens, according to the
Guardian.
Akrotiri airbase is less than 100 miles from Syria, making it a likely hub for a bombing campaign. Residents near the airfield confirmed to the Guardian that
"activity there has been much higher than normal over the past 48 hours."
Meanwhile, top military officials from ten Western and Middle Eastern nations - led by US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey and his Jordanian counterpart - met in Amman, Jordan, to discuss potential military action in Syria. This follows reports that
Dempsey presented potential military options to the White House over the weekend.
On Friday, Reuters revealed the US Navy was expanding its Mediterranean presence with a fourth ship capable launching long-range, subsonic cruise missiles to reach land targets in Syria.
© AFP
The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107)
Comment: Iraq, check. But with al-Maliki's government supporting Iran and Syria, regime change has already failed, again.
Lebanon, failed, but still working on it.
Iran, failed, but still working on it.
Somalia, check.
Sudan, check.
Libya, check.
Syria, still working on it.
And then there is Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Egypt, countries that may not have been on the post-9/11 list but have been subject to heavy US and Western military intervention in the past decade.
Clark's recounting of the Pentagon's ad hoc, almost flippant, approach to targeting countries is significant because it shows that military budgets come first, then planning and justifying wars comes later.