The coalition strike on Syrian chemical weapons facilities was successful, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Saturday morning, saying all the missiles hit their targets.
“I can assure you we took every measure and precaution to strike only what we targeted … and we successfully hit every target,” chief spokesperson Dana White told reporters. “We do not seek conflict in Syria, but we cannot allow such grievous violations of international law.”
Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, said the strike on Syria involved British, French, and U.S. air and naval platforms in the Mediterranean and Red seas, and the North Arabian Gulf.
U.S. strikes came from Air Force B1-B bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from the cruiser USS Monterey, destroyers USS Laboon and USS Higgins, and the attack submarine USS John Warner, McKenzie said.
In addition, the Pentagon said Syria’s efforts to shoot down allied planes and missiles were totally ineffective.
“We assess over 40 surface-to-air missiles were deployed by the Syrian regime,” McKenzie said. “Most occurred after the last impact of our strike was over.”
“Initial indications are we accomplished military objectives without interference from Syria,” he said. “I’d use three words to describe this operation, precise, overwhelming and effective.”
The attacks took place at 9 p.m. Friday night Washington time, 4 a.m. in Syria, by U.S., British, and French ships and planes, which fired a total of 105 missiles at three separate targets.
The heaviest strike was against the Barzah Research and Development facility in the Damascus area, which was hit by 57 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea and 19 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles launched from American B-1 heavy bombers.
“We destroyed three buildings in Damascus, one of the most heavily defended air spaces in the world,” McKenzie said. “This is going to set the Syrian chemical warfare program back for years.”
Two other facilities near Homs including a command and control bunker were with by British and French missiles.
“The strikes went to the very heart of the enterprise, to the research to development, to storage,” White said. “We are very confident that we have significantly crippled Assad’s ability to produce these weapons.”
The Pentagon said it had no reports of civilian casualties and suggested that by indiscriminately firing unguided missiles into the air in a futile effort shoot down allied planes, Syria risked killing some of its own people.
“When you shoot iron into the air without guidance, it will come down somewhere,” McKenzie said. “By contrast, the precise nature of our strike reduced the risk of collateral damage to civilians.”
