President Trump announced Friday evening that the U.S. has launched a military strike against Syria, in response to the chemical attacks carried out against civilians in Syria last weekend.
“A short time ago, I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. A combined operation with the armed force of France and the United Kingdom is now underway,” Trump said Friday at the White House.
Trump said Assad’s use of chemical weapons are the “crimes of a monster,” and said the U.S. and its allies must ensure nations don’t return to using these weapons.
“We never want to see that ghastly specter to return,” he said.
Trump also called out Russia and Iran for supporting Assad’s regime.
“To Iran and to Russia, I ask: What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children?” Trump asked.
“In 2013, President [Vladimir] Putin and his government promised the world that they would guarantee the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons. Assad’s recent attack and today’s response are the direct result of Russia’s failure to keep that promise.”
The chemical weapons attack, which happened days ago, killed more than 40 people. It occurred a little more than a year after the U.S. fired 59 Tomahawk missiles into Syria in response to a sarin gas attack by the Assad regime last April.
Early reports suggested Friday’s military strikes targeted a broad part of Syria’s capital, including the Mezzeh military compound near Damascus, where Republican Guard troops are stationed.
Earlier Friday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders maintained that Trump believed Assad was behind the alleged chemical attack, but did not provide details on why Trump had stalled on reaching a decision on a potential airstrike after Trump announced on Monday a decision would be made “over the next 24-48 hours.”
But it seemed clear Trump was waiting for Britain to give the go-ahead for a coordinated attack with the U.S. and France. Sanders said no decision concerning an attack had been made, but said that “we are continuing to have ongoing conversations with our partners and allies.”
In a statement following the strikes, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the actions taken Friday evening were intended “to send a clear signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with impunity.”
“We would have preferred an alternative path, but on this occasion there is none,” May said.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. did not have proof of a chemical attack on Thursday. Mattis also warned the White House of possible retaliatory actions by Iran or Russia in the event Trump ordered military strikes.
Russian officials blasted the U.S. ahead of the strikes on Friday for threatening to take action without proof that chemical weapons were used by the Assad regime.
“As for the question of what will happen if there is some kind of strike… we would like to hope that all sides will avoid any steps that are not provoked by anything and could substantially destabilize the already fragile situation in the region,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
Friday’s actions by the U.S., Britain and France are reportedly part of a “multi-wave” response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons, according to multiple outlets
