Air strikes launched in Syria in response to suspected chemical weapons attack
- by Muriel Colon
- in Global Media
- — Апр 14, 2018
Trump announced Friday night that the three allies had launched military strikes to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad for the alleged chemical weapons use and to prevent him from doing it again.
The strikes were launched at 9 p.m. ET, as most of Europe and the Middle East was shrouded in darkness.
Explosions lit up the skies with anti-aircraft fire, over Damascus, the Syrian capital, as the USA launches an attack on Syria targeting different parts of the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, early Saturday, April 14, 2018.
The Syrian Armed Forces said in a statement that 110 missiles were fired on Syrian targets and that the country's defense systems "intercepted most of the missiles, but some hit targets including the Research Center in Barzeh".
Mr Trump said he was prepared to "sustain" the assault against Syria.
"Clearly the Assad regime did not get the message past year", Defense Secretary James Mattis said in a briefing at the Pentagon.
"This time, our allies and we have struck harder", he said.
Russian Federation has warned the West against attacking Assad, who is also supported by Iran, and says there is no evidence of a chemical attack in Douma, a town near Damascus which had been held by rebels until this month.
Other strikes targeted an army depot near Homs.
"If it is finished, and there is no second round, it will be considered limited", the official told Reuters.
He added: "Important infrastructure was destroyed which will result in a setback for the Syrian regime. They will lose years of research and development, storage and equipment", Dunford said.
The coalition attack was created to "destroy the regime's research, development and production capability, " of chemical weapons, Mattis said, calling it "decisive action to strike chemical weapons infrastructure". He said the United States' response would integrate "all instruments of our power", including diplomatic and economic avenues.
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"A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now under way", he continued. Approximately double the number of weapons were used in the latest strike, Mattis said.
But as the conflict got more complex - Russian Federation launched its air campaign in Syria in September 2015 and Turkey a few days before - the US found itself increasingly caught up in frictions with other regional players, and at times acted against threats or the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Mattis said the targets selected by U.S., British and French officials were meant to minimize civilian casualties.
The fighters from the Jaish al-Islam group left overnight with thousands of civilians on board 85 buses that took them to areas of northern Syria still held by rebels.
"America does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria under no circumstances", he said.
On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401 which called for a month-long cease-fire in Syria, especially in Eastern Ghouta to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday claimed the attack was fake and accused Britain of staging it. Britain called that charge "a blatant lie".
The Russian ambassador said his country is being "threatened" and warned that "such actions will not be left without consequences".
"A pre-designed scenario is being implemented. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris", Antonov said.
Trump chastised Syria's two main allies, Russia and Iran, for their roles in supporting "murderous dictators", and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had guaranteed a 2013 global agreement for Assad to get rid of all of his chemical weapons.
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