Syria false flag could have triggered WWIII: Analyst

The United States was close to initiating World War III last year following a “false-flag” provocation over a deadly chemical attack in Syria, an analyst writes in a column for the Press TV website.

Kevin Barrett’s analysis comes against the backdrop of revelations that last August’s al-Ghouta chemical weapons attack in Syria was a false flag provocation.

“The false flag operation at al-Ghouta failed…We avoided the wider Mideast war, and possible World War III that might have resulted had the al-Ghouta deception succeeded,” he wrote.

“In reality, the attack was conducted by the enemies of the Syrian government. It was designed to deceive the world into bombing Syria. And it almost worked,” the analyst said.

Barrett said a US-led invasion of Syria last year “could have killed millions” of people.

He described “false-flag plots” as “crimes against humanity”, saying impunity for the perpetrators of the al-Ghouta chemical attack is “a mockery of international law.”

“The culprits of al-Ghouta… must be prosecuted and punished, in order to put the fear of God into those who would consider perpetrating such deceptions in the future,” he wrote.

By the time of the attack, the US and some of its allies blamed Damascus for the chemical attack on Ghouta. However, the Syrian government strongly denied the accusation, saying the attack was carried out by the militants operating inside the country to draw in foreign intervention.

“Exposing false flag operations to the fullest possible extent could be the salvation of humanity; while failing to do so could sound the death knell of our species,” Barrett wrote.

Over 130,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants in Syria.