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False-flag attack may push US, Russia to war: Analyst

Monday, 10 October 2016 8:24 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 10 October 2016 11:32 AM ]

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov look toward one another during a press conference following their meeting in Geneva where they discussed the crisis in Syria on September 9, 2016. (AFP photo)

The rhetorical war between Washington and Moscow is not going to lead the two countries into a direct conflict unless a false-flag attack pushes the two powers into a war, managing editor of Veterans Today Jim W. Dean told Press TV’s 'Top 5' program.

Dean believes that the war of words between the United States and Russia over the Syrian city of Aleppo and other issues of difference is not heading towards a confrontation “unless somebody does something really stupid.”

A direct war between the Americans and the Russians in Syria may happen if a third party tries to carry out “a false-flag terror attack,” for instance by conducting a nuclear strike on the Arab country or targeting a civilian airliner.

He went on to say that such scenarios may lead to a conflict between the two powers, but the Russian and Syrian airstrikes are “very measured” and could not trigger a broader war.

Russia has announced it would safeguard "its assets" in Syria in case the United States is planning to bombard the military airfields of the Syrian government.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said some policymakers in Washington had been heard advocating such a scenario of targeting Syrian airfields in an attempt to cripple Syrian airstrikes against the terrorists' positions.

Based on an analysis by Dean, Lavrov issued a careful statement when he stated that "Russia has got air defense systems there to protect its assets." The foreign minister, Dean noted, did not say Syrian airbases because Russian forces are generally stationed in most Syrian bases to provide support for their war on terrorists.

The minister warned that the Russian commanders would not have enough time to decide what missile was launched, and where it was heading to, Dean mentioned.

Russian warplanes have been pounding the positions of terrorists in Syria since September 30, 2015, upon a formal request from Damascus.

Moscow and Washington have a variety of disagreements over Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. After several rounds of failed talks over the crisis, the United States warned last week that it had stopped cooperating with Russia.

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