Like him or not, US President Donald Trump is a man of action. In less than 100 days in office, he has distinguished himself from all presidents of the past. The United States under President Trump last night turned the screwed on the Syrian war as it’s missiles strike government-controlled air base where U.S. officials say the Syrian military launched a deadly chemical attack earlier this week.
The Obama administration did nothing when the Syrian government attacked its citizen with chemical weapon few years ago. Perhaps, President Bashar Assad of Syria is still under the illusion that the US under Trump will be all talk and no action as it was under Obama.
The act is bound to be a game changer in the 6-year Syrian war just as that of Russia’s support for Assad. A Syrian opposition group, the Syrian Coalition, welcomed the U.S. attack, saying it puts an end to an age of “impunity” and should be just the beginning.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel’s prime minister said that “In both word and action” Trump “sent a strong and clear message” that “the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.”
Saudi Arabia, which supports the Syrian opposition, welcomed the missile strike, calling it a “courageous decision” by Trump. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said he hoped Trump would take military action, adding that Ankara would be prepared to do “whatever falls on us” to support possible military action.
The chemical weapons attack happened in Syria’s Idlib province, which straddles the Turkish border. The Turkish government — a close ally of Syria’s rebels — set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in Hatay province, where the victims were treated initially.
Turkish officials said nearly 60 victims of the attack were brought to Turkey for treatment and three of them died. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said autopsies determined that a chemical weapon was used.
The Turkish Health Ministry said later that “according to the results of the first analysis, there were findings suggesting that the patients were exposed to chemical substance (sarin).”
Meanwhile, Russia has expressed opposition against the strike. President Vladimir Putin believes the U.S. strike is an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law.” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Friday’s statement carried by Russian news agencies that Putin believes the U.S. dealt the strikes under “far-fetched pretext.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi warned the strikes would “strengthen terrorists,” further complicating the situation in Syria.
Syria called the operation “an aggression” that killed at least six people. Rebels welcomed the U.S. attack.
Trump had said the attack crossed “many, many lines,” and put the blame squarely on Assad’s forces. Speaking Thursday on Air Force One, Trump said the attack “shouldn’t have happened, and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs, a small installation with two runways, where aircraft often take off to bomb targets in northern and central Syria. The U.S. missiles hit at 3:45 a.m. Friday morning and targeted the base’s airstrips, hangars, control tower and ammunition areas, U.S. officials said.
They were fired from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, in retaliation for Tuesday’s deadly chemical attack that officials said used chlorine mixed with a nerve agent, possibly sarin.
