Naval Buildup Off The Coast Of Syria Is Raising Questions

The USS Stennis, at left, and the HMS Illustrious, at right, together in the Persian Gulf in April 1998. The two ships may be sailing together again sooner than expected. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Western Fleets May Head To Syria To Evacuate Civilians - Or For Something Else? -- International Business Times

The U.S., France and the United Kingdom look set to increase their naval presence in the Middle East as the chaos in Syria continues.

Late last week, Britain's Telegraph reported that the country's Ministry of Defence was in the process of preparing contingency plans for evacuating British nationals from the Middle East, should the ongoing conflict in Syria further spill across borders into neighboring Lebanon and Jordan.

The British would likely send the HMS Illustrious, a helicopter carrier, along with the HMS Bulwark, an amphibious ship, as well as an advanced destroyer to provide defenses for the task force. On board will be several hundred Royal Marine commandos, as well as a complement of AH-64 attack helicopters (the same ones used in Libya last year).

Read more ....

My Comment: I doubt that the foreign naval forces in the region .... U.K., French, American, Russian, etc. .... are going to get involved in Syria's sectarian civil war. They are there to protect their citizens if the crisis gets out of hand, and if the refugee crisis starts to involve their nationals. My prediction .... if Assad regime starts to disintegrate, these foreign forces (specifically the Russians) will become involved in protecting their citizens while escorting them out of the conflict zone.