WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S., British and French forces hammered Syria with air strikes early Saturday Syria time in response to a poison gas attack that killed dozens of people last week, in the biggest intervention by Western powers in Syria’s civil war.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the military action from the White House late on Friday. As he spoke, explosions rocked Damascus.
Trump said he was prepared to sustain the response until the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stopped its use of chemical weapons.
The intervention was the biggest strike by Western powers against Assad in the country’s seven-year-old civil war and pitted the United States and its allies against Russia, which itself intervened in the war in 2015 to back Assad.
“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,” Trump said in a televised address from the White House.
A U.S. official told Reuters the strikes were aimed at multiple targets and involved Tomahawk cruise missiles.
At least six loud explosions were heard in Damascus in the early hours of Saturday and smoke was seen rising over the Syrian capital, a Reuters witness said. A second witness said the Barzah district of Damascus had been hit in the strikes. Barzah is the location of a major Syrian scientific research center.
Speaking of Assad and his suspected role in last week’s chemical weapons attack, Trump said, “These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead.”
“The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons,” Trump said.
The U.S. president had sharply critical words for both Russia and Iran, which have backed Assad’s government.
“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 said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she had authorized British armed forces “to conduct co-ordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capability.” She described it as a “limited and targeted strike” aimed at minimizing civilian casualties.
The military action is not about intervening in Syria’s civil war or changing its government, she said.
While ryan CUCKson may make some good points, i would like to point out that he fled to JAPAN. Any of his commentary about the former united states he should probably keep to himself, as he is no longer an American National, but a draft dodger of the militia laid out in the Bill Of Rights. I dont need a monday afternoon quarterback telling me whats up, when he is an ocean away. Same goes for alex (jew sucker) jewns, saying he wants to take his family to new zealand. I remember many years ago when he said he would never leave. because he was ‘the tip of the spear’.
so many people, so full of shit. that want a forum.
Thank god for Henry Shively!
‘Thank god for Henry Shively!’…. ditto that!!!
Agreed!
“… but a draft dodger of the militia laid out in the Bill Of Rights.”
That’s to his CREDIT then.
I’m a draft dodger. I never registered. I was Vietnam-era draftable, and I had friends killed there. I could have been one, so I have no love for the BULLSH#T ‘military service’ designed for one thing – TO KILL ‘GOY’ FOR THEIR jEW MASTERS.
Any military draft the founders had in mind was to fight our ENEMIES… not to fight FOR OUR ENEMIES.
Yep, I can’t disagree with you there, #1.
My impression of the original comment has more to do with a man, RD, leaving his country rather than defending it as one of the able body men/militia and not with dodging the standing army that is not to exist.