Russ-Iran: US crossed ‘red lines’
Russian and Iranian officials on Sunday rallied around Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, declaring the US strike against one of his military airfields “crossed red lines” and violated the “sovereignty of an independent country.”
“What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines,” read a brief from an alliance of pro-Assad militias from Russia and Iran. “From now on, we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.”
The statement, released by the media outlet Ilam al Harbi (War Media), appeared to mock former President Barack Obama’s 2012 warning to Assad not to cross a “red line” with the use of chemical weapons or face a military response. Obama never carried out the threat.
The Kremlin on Sunday said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone and agreed to condemn the predawn cruise-missile strike Friday on the Shayrat airfield and urge the United Nations Security Council to take action against the US for launching an attack that violated “the sovereignty of an independent country.”
Meanwhile, President Trump won praise from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also pledged cooperation against the mounting threats by North Korea.
“The leaders agreed that Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians, including women and children, was abhorrent and warranted a strong response from the international community,” the White House said.
As Kim Jong-un’s rogue regime continues to testfire rockets over the Sea of Japan, the Navy has moved the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the region.
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster told Fox News Sunday the “prudent” gesture is a counter to a “pattern of provocative behavior” by North Korea.