Russia says U.S. gave only a few minutes' warning before strike in Syria
MOSCOW — Russia was given about four to five minutes warning of the Biden administration’s first military action when it struck Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria early Friday, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. But he said the warning came too late to reduce the risk of a potential clash between the two country’s forces.
U.S. officials believe the attack killed a number of alleged Iranian-linked fighters, signaling the administration’s intent to use targeted military action to push back against violence tied to Tehran.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Friday that 22 Iranian-backed fighters were killed when the strike at 1 a.m. local time Friday (6 p.m. Thursday in Washington) hit three truckloads of weapons crossing a border point from Iraq to Syria. It added that the death toll could rise.
“Our military was warned four or five minutes in advance. Of course, this has no value even from the angle of deconfliction, as they say in relations between Russian and U.S. servicemen,” Lavrov told a Moscow news conference. He said the U.S. notice was given when the strike was “already being delivered.” He referred to communications between the U.S. and Russian militaries to “deconflict” Syrian airspace to avoid clashes between their aircraft.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-says-us-gave-only-a-few-minutes-warning-before-strike-in-syria/ar-BB1e2YGL?li=BBnb7Kz
= new reply since forum marked as read
