Bashar al-Assad

The Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act allows State and local governments to withhold contracts from companies and individuals that participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel

While most of the Israeli missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defense, some missiles hit infrastructure near the airport. Israel claimed it was targeting Iranian forces

The confusion in the US establishment over withdrawing from Syria and the fate of the Kurds continued with president Trump, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton all making statements with differing import

Defense secretary Mattis is part of the establishment which believes in maintaining a strong US presence in Syria despite there being no legal backing for the deployment

While sections of the US establishment are calling Trump’s decision that of a maverick, it is in fact a reflection of the realities on the ground and an attempt to salvage relations with Turkey