"The presence of US military in eastern Syria, acts as a standing pretext for a wider US war in Syria. Had US personnel been killed yesterday, you can only imagine how Trump would react." "There is a misperception that the de-escalation areas have resulted in peace and stability. If anything, these have been serious escalation areas," said Moumtzis. "We feel really outraged. Dramatic developments have been building up and it has reached a point where we can no longer stay silent. These are multiple fires we have to respond to, with a dramatic deterioration in many places."