US pushes for Plan B in Syria
Facing the collapse of a US-backed de-escalation zone in Syria’s southwest, the Donald Trump administration is split on plans to counter thousands of Iranian troops in the war-torn country.
As US President Donald Trump finalizes plans to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin next month, the administration remains split on how to salvage a multilateral cease-fire deal in Syria amid a major offensive threatening US allies.
The US side is divided on its strategy to eject Iran’s proxies from Syria and away from the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Jordan, America’s primary remaining objective in the war-torn country.
US officials say Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s current thrust into the area, driven by barrel bombs, artillery and airstrikes, violates a year-old cease-fire deal inked between the United States, Russia and Jordan to cease the bloodshed in July 2017.
“This is once again an example of Russia violating arrangements it has entered into with no regard for civilian lives,” a State Department official told Al-Monitor, adding that the United States had “communicated our protests to parties on the ground, including the Russians.”
