Russia: US forces and allies can increase missile strike capabilities in a day to strike Syria
The US Armed Forces and allies can build up missile capability to strike Syria in a day,stated the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova during a briefing.
According to her, currently, the strike capabilities of the armed forces of the United States, Great Britain, and France consists of strategic and tactical aircraft, which are deployed on bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Crete. According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the fleet consists of about 70 carriers, 380 cruise missiles, as well as two American destroyers Carney and Ross, each of which is equipped with 28 Tomahawks.
Zakharova added that within a day the fleet of missile carriers in the Mediterranean Sea could be reinforced with two more US Navy destroyers- USS Donald Cook and USS Porter, which are located at a base in the Spanish city of Rota, as well as submarines. Zakharova noted that in the same time-frame the destroyer USS Jason Dunham can enter the Red Sea, and USS The Sullivans can enter the Persian Gulf and be ready to strike.
According to the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, this means that in a short time-span in “aggression against Syria” at least four more sea-based missile carriers can join with the combined strike power of more than 112 Tomahawks.
On August 27th, the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, stated that the United States is increasing the number of cruise missiles in the Middle East region for new strikes on Syria. Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov during a meeting with representatives from the US State Department warned the US side against “more baseless and illegal aggression against Syria.”
Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon labeled the statement by the Russian Defense Ministry regarding building up a military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as “nothing more than propaganda.” He also added that this does not mean that the US “is not ready to fulfill the president’s order to act.”