Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have begun operations in Idlib providence. About 3 million people there, many displaced from other parts of Syria by the war. Weirdly, this isn't a surprise. They basically announced it, on Twitter and elsewhere. But in an odd way. 1/x
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Nicholas Grossman Retweeted Nicholas Grossman
A week ago, I noticed an odd tweet from Russian embassy's official account. Semed like a prebuttal for an upcoming chemical attack--preemptively lying and blaming rebels, much as these pro-Assad propaganda networks did after previous chemical attacks. 2/xhttps://twitter.com/NGrossman81/status/1034409860627091457 …
Nicholas Grossman added,
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This wasn't some Russian trolls--who typically fan out to support Assad--but Sputnik, a Kremlin propaganda outlet, disseminated by official Russian gov accounts. Based on that, it looked like they were planning to kill a lot of people, and trying to get ahead of the story. 3/x
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Nicholas Grossman Retweeted Donald J. Trump
Yesterday, into that info environment flooded with Syrian/Russian propaganda, dropped this: It's specific, anticipating an attack in Idlib, and written in a voice that does not sound like the president himself. I wasn't sure what to make of it. 4/xhttps://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1036740691211284480 …
Nicholas Grossman added,
Donald J. TrumpVerified account @realDonaldTrumpPresident Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!1 reply 2 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
Trump preemptively criticizes attack on Idlib--though this probably came from the Pentagon more than POTUS--and blames both Russia and Iran. After last chem attack, Trump ordered airstrikes against Syria. It was a pinprick. At best sent a message (that's now being ignored). 5/x
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Assad/Russia/Iran claim they're fighting al Qaeda (al Nusra, HTS) in Idlib, but no independent analysts believe them. Assad's plan since the beginning has been to attack non-jihadist rebels, trying to force the world into "me or the terrorists." It's mostly worked. 6/x
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Idlib is last main non-jihadist rebel stronghold. Expect a massacre, possibly including chemical weapons, as the regime seeks to break the rebels' will. US might respond with airstrikes, but they will surely be limited. And the info war element will keep playing out online. (END)
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Replying to @NGrossman81
non-jihadist ???? serious ? even the US admits is a AQ stronghold http://theduran.com/whoops-us-anti-isis-envoy-reveals-truth-about-idlib-video/ … the one and only reason idlibdawn is a gohttps://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/153260/Turkey-designates-%E2%80%9CHTS%E2%80%9D-as-terrorist-group …
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