First Military Information Author: Jun Jian
The confrontation between the United States and Russia in Syria has been a long time, but in recent stages, with the escalation of strategic game between the United States and Russia, the "secret struggle" between the two sides is also becoming "open confrontation". According to the Overseas Institute citing the New York Times, a U.S. official disclosed that a collision occurred in a US and Russian convoy in northeastern Syria recently. Although the two sides did not open fire directly, the collision between military vehicles caused concussions of four US soldiers.
After the Russian Satellite News Agency published a report titled "The White House accused Russian military and police vehicles of slandering American soldiers in traffic accidents in Syria", saying that US National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot accused Russia of "This dangerous and unprofessional behavior violates the conflict avoidance rules reached by the United States and Russia in December 2018. The coalition and the United States do not want the conflict to escalate with any country's military forces, but the US military forces will always retain the inalienable power to defend hostilities." Ullyot claimed that the impacted US military vehicles left the collision scene because they did not want to conflict.
Although Uliott's "verbal protest" is strong, it highlights the helpless situation of the United States in Syria. The United States is full of military force, which leads to a slight shortage of US troops in certain specific areas. Just like in Syria, Russia is still dominant at present. Although US military vehicles can also rush around in Syria, the United States is still unsure when encountering Russian convoys. Russia has a military base in Syria and has formed an alliance with the Syrian Bashar government. If it really wants to take action, the US military may not have good results.
Public information shows that Russia currently has ports in Syria where naval fleets can be stationed, as well as air bases that deploy a large number of fighter jets. Not long ago, the document information released on the official website of Russia's legal information also showed that Syria has agreed to provide Russia with temporary free use rights of a piece of land and waters in Latakia Province. This area will serve as an expanded space for Russia's Air Force Base in Khmeimim, Syria, where Russia plans to build a flight personnel rehabilitation center.
In addition to gaining a foothold in Syria, Russia has also successfully established relations with Turkey, the United States' NATO allies. At present, Russia and Turkey maintain close military cooperation in Syria, and Russian and Turkish troops conduct joint patrols in Idlib. Moreover, Russia has deepened mutual trust between the two countries by exporting the S-400 air defense missile system to Turkey. Recently, Türkiye also plans to continue to purchase the second batch of S-400 air defense missile systems from Russia. Türkiye's Erdogan government turned a deaf ear to the threat and warnings of the United States.
It can be seen that Russia has the advantage in Syria, which may be the reason why the United States had to "escape from the scene" in a mess when the military vehicle was hit. Of course, it is not the first time that the two sides have confronted each other. Russia does not accept the accusations from the United States. The Russian Ministry of Defense believes that it is the US military that undermines the existing agreement and implements an attempt to block the patrol route of Russian military vehicles. The United States does not abide by the rules, so the collision occurred.
Russia has a reason for being tough on the United States. Now the United States is posing as a victim, but is just pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. The current tension in Belarus, the continued fermentation of the Iranian nuclear issue, and the open and secret struggles in the Middle East are all affected by the manipulation of the United States. Russia not only confronts the United States in Syria, but also continues to confront the United States on other occasions such as the UN Security Council. The recent denial of the United States' approach to the Iranian nuclear issue is the latest manifestation of the fierce collision between the two sides.
It is worth noting that with the failure of the US diplomacy in the Security Council, Iran has ushered in new opportunities. At present, Iran has a tendency to move closer to Russia. In the future, Iran may also purchase Russian S-400 air defense missile systems and other weapons to deal with US air forces. The United States cannot stop Türkiye from purchasing the S-400 air defense missile system, and naturally it is difficult to stop Iran. Once Russia receives full support from Syria, Iran and Türkiye in the Middle East, the United States will inevitably fall into a disadvantage.
