We have read or heard reports that ISIS positions were bombed in Iraq, by Syria? I initially covered these allegations as they were breaking in this post
Unknown planes bomb ISIS position in Northern Iraq- Pentagon: Not US
US planes were identified by Iraqi television, but the Saudi Al-Arabiya network claims that the raid was carried out by Syria
BBC Arabic reported earlier on Tuesday that unmanned American aircraft had bombed the area of al-Qaim.
Right away we have conflicting narratives.CBC-
U.S. officials said Syria launched airstrikes into western Iraq on Tuesday in an attempt to slow insurgents fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.
BBC was claiming Maliki welcomed these strikes, but BBC has since retracted that claim. (Reported by the Guardian)
Maliki said both countries were threatened by Isis as the group continues to make gains in Iraq. Initial translations of his BBC interview suggested Syria had struck inside Iraq, but these were later corrected.
The claims of a Syrian airstrike most likely originated with someone affiliated with ISIS. Or western intelligence assetsFox News-
An official in Iraq’s Anbar province and Mohammed Al Qubaisi, a doctor in the area’s main hospital, told The Wall Street Journal that missiles fired from what appeared to be Syrian warplanes hit a market, a bank and a municipal building on Tuesday
We have Syria immediately and officially denying these moves
Iraq air strike claims false, says Syrian government
Syria denied Wednesday reports that its air force bombed a market place in western Iraq, killing up to 25 people.Syria's official news agency SANA quoted an Information Ministry spokesman as denying that Syrian warplanes attacked Al Qaim in the western Iraqi province of Anbar on Tuesday.“News saying that Assad forces had carried out air strikes on the Iraqi Al Qaim district are not true,” SANA quoted the ministry spokesman.
h/t kamnam-We also have Ziad at Syper telling us the airstrikes may have happened, but, Ziad is telling us this has not been verified. I have the utmost respect for Ziad. And acknowledge he has the insider perspective.
SANA and the Syrian Ministry of Information has been playing down Syria’s role in the air over Iraq because there was a belief that the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki did not want to publicize its need for assistance in the areas we just mentioned. The disavowal by the Syrian MoI and blame cast on “biased media sources” for the reports puzzled us because it seemed that supporting the Iraqi government was a badge of honor. We suspect that Minister ‘Umraan Al-Zu’bi will relent on this issue since the cat’s out of the bag. SyrPer was the first to report the air assault on Tal ‘Afar, by the way.
However, I am staying with my original assessment. For a few reasons-Syria has not gone outside of it's border, previously. To my knowledge-Syria taking this kind of action would most certainly bring much trouble from the US.-Syria has her hands full within the borders of SyriaOne last reason: Thursday, it was reported armed predator drones began to fly over Iraq
As the first armed American drones began flying over Iraq on Thursday
But the drones could have been flying on Wednesday?Updated!- Indeed Armed drones may have been flying when Wednesday's attack took placeArmed drones guard US interests in Iraq
The official said the flights started in the last 24 to 48 hours to bolster manned and unmanned reconnaissance flights the military has been sending
Back to my Wednesday post-
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby rejected on Tuesday reports that the US had carried out a drone strike targeting hardline Islamist militants on the Iraq-Syria border.
Therefore,without further verification, I have to still stay with my assessment of this not being a Syrian airstrike into Iraq. And await some substantive information. Hopefully Ziad will get some?