What do we know about the strikes themselves?
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A research fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies said he thought US President Donald Trump was right to retaliate against the Assad regime’s suspected use of chemical weapons, but he said it’s not likely to be enough to deter Assad, and his Russian and Iranian backers.
– A barrel bomb was used to deliver the chemicals, a weapon that the rebels do not use.
“This is not about intervening in a civil war”, British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
But President Trump remains ambivalent about crafting a foreign policy that would prevent those three nations from continuing their slaughter.
“We’re still assessing, but as the Secretary [of Defense Jim Mattis] said last night, he’s confident of the evidence that we already had and which is why he recommended the strikes last night”. Damascus state TV was claiming the regime had intercepted some Tomahawk missiles, Fox News reported, although the claim was unverified.
A total of 103 cruise and air-to-surface missiles were launched at targets in Syria by U.S. warships deployed in the Red Sea, tactical planes over the Mediterranean Sea and B-1B bombers from the al-Tanf area, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The three allies have not given up on a political solution to the Syrian conflict. “They are unique threat, a type of weapon so evil that the worldwide community agreed they must be banned”. Barzah is the location of a major Syrian scientific research center.
· The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was scheduled to begin a fact-finding mission to investigate the claims of gas attacks on civilians in Douma.
Mattis described them as a “one-time shot” to send a strong message to Assad not to use chemical weapons again.
They said U.S. military ships, bombers and electronic warfare aircraft deployed in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean took part in the operation, as well as French and British military vessels and fighters.
Syria and its ally Russian Federation deny any such attack, calling it “fabricated”.
“A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway”, Trump said. The Pentagon clarified on Saturday that this year’s strikes involved 105 missiles – compared to 59 last year.
He added: ‘Could not have had a better result. Besides that being an unfortunate echo of former President George W. Bush’s premature victory declaration during the Iraq war, it’s unclear how much the US has accomplished.
Russian Federation circulated a draft resolution calling for condemnation of the military action, but Britain’s ambassador said the strikes were “both right and legal” to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Syria.
Whose has supported the strikes?
Senior officials from the Pentagon also said that “this wave of airstrikes is over”, but maintained that the American military was prepared for prolonged involvement in the region.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation said all 29 of its members in the alliance backed the airstrikes.
Syria strikes – How world reacted?
But with Saturday’s attacks, Trump has abruptly deepened United States involvement in Syria.
Britain’s ambassador said she would “take no lessons” in worldwide law from Russian Federation. In a separate White House address, he said: “Today, the nations of Britain, France, and the United States of America have marshaled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality”.
Heras explained that their usefulness for Damascus was dwarfed by that of Russia’s aerial might, the manpower offered by Iran-backed militias or ruthless siege tactics.
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McKenzie was asked if a missile attack on a chemical facility posed a risk of dispersing a chemical agent cloud, which could have threatened numerous civilians.
