Amid speculations of a Washington-led military
invasion:
US deploys aircraft carrier off Syria
SYRIA: The US has deployed its newest aircraft carrier off the Syrian
coast amid mounting speculations of a Washington-led military invasion
against the Arab nation.
A US naval task force, led by the USS George H.W. Bush, parked off
just outside Syria’s territorial waters, just after the US embassy in
Damascus urged Americans to “immediately” leave the country, the Daily
Caller news website reported on Wednesday.
Media reports also indicated that US ambassador to Damascus Robert
Ford, recalled from Syria in October due the mounting anti-US sentiment
in the country, will not return later this month as planned.
The developments come amid Western attempts, spearheaded by the
United States, to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step
down.
The CVN 77, better known as the George H.W. Bush, is capable of
carrying up to 70 aircraft, including 48 fighter jets.
Washington has not explained the purpose of the carrier’s deployment
to the Syrian coast.
Meanwhile, NATO-ally Turkey is seen as likely to launch a military
action against Syria.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has already suggested that Ankara
might invade the country under the pretext of weeding out Kurdistan
Workers’ Party terrorists operating inside Syria.
Arab media have also spoken of an impending no-fly zone over Syria,
similar to the one imposed over Libya before NATO launched massive
missile strikes and aerial bombardments of the oil-rich country earlier
in the year.
Press TV
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