To Jim Jatras, a former US foreign service officer, “preventing a real investigation in Douma was one of the reasons for [the strike].”

“So, the big hurry here is, in my opinion, is that you’ve got [OPCW] inspectors on the ground in Damascus now, ready to go now and confirm… there wasn’t any attack.”

He called the alleged chemical incident in Douma “a false flag” operation, saying he expected US President Donald Trump to respond almost immediately in the way he acted last year after the alleged gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun. He said that “if you’re Al-Qaeda or its offshoot [in Syria], you’re going to be very happy tonight.” The problem with false flag operations “is that they work, especially when you have compliant media,” he stated.

“I don’t think that Syria has chemical weapons. I think that the Russian effort to get them out of there after what happened in Ghouta in 2013 was genuine and was certified as genuine by the OPCW.” Commenting on the justification for the strikes, he said “it’s a conscious transparent lie.”

The US is “acting as air force of all these jihadist terrorist [groups] – Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, and it’s really morally reprehensible,” Jatras said.

Alas, Meet the New Boss; Same as the Old Boss