HOW WILL RUSSIA RESPOND TO WESTERN STRIKES AGAINST SYRIA?
US president thanks allies for help in missile strike against Syrian targets
PRESIDENT Donald Trump yesterday hailed a United States-led missile assault on Syria's regime as “perfectly executed”, despite the limited nature of the strikes and Russia’s condemnation, which heightened tensions between the Cold War foes.
The United Nations Security Council was set to meet at Moscow’s request over the operation, which was unleashed by the US, Britain and France in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Douma.
The strikes were targeted to inflict maximum damage on sites linked to chemical weapons development. A top Pentagon official, Lieutenant-General Kenneth McKenzie, said the action would set back Syria’s chemical weapons programme “for years”.
The sounds of massive explosions rang out across Damascus just before dawn yesterday, ushering in 45 minutes of explosions and the roar of warplanes.
Flashes flared in the distance and by daybreak, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the city's north and east.
“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the UK for their wisdom and the power of their fine military,” Trump tweeted yesterday.
“Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!” Pentagon spokesman Dana White later told reporters: “We successfully hit every target.”
The regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and its ally, Russia, have denied responsibility for the deadly Douma attack, and Moscow slammed the “aggressive actions” of the Western coalition. Trump said the strikes were a response to the April 7 attack on Douma, outside Damascus, that rescuers and monitors say killed more than 40 people.
“The evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead.”
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis called the strikes a “one-time shot” with no additional military action planned for now.
The targets included a research facility near Damascus, a chemical weapons storage facility west of the city of Homs, and a third location near Homs that contained both a command post and a chemical weapons equipment storage facility. The facilities hit had, however, reportedly been evacuated in recent days.
Syrian state media reported only three people injured, while Russia’s Defence Ministry said there were “no victims” among Syrian civilians and military personnel.
Assad, who has denied ever using chemical weapons against his opponents, responded to the strikes with a defiant vow.
“This aggression will only make Syria and its people more determined to keep fighting and crushing terrorism in every inch of the country,” he said.
His key ally Iran also slammed the attack, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei describing Western leaders as “criminals”.
The targets appeared to steer well clear of any Russian personnel or equipment in Syria.
The Russian military said the allies had fired 103 cruise missiles but Syrian air defence managed to intercept 71 of them, though the Pentagon disputed that.
Despite the strikes, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it was planning on carrying out its investigation into the Douma attack.
Jaish al-Islam, the group that held Douma, said it only abandoned the town because of the chemical attack. Leading member Mohammad Alloush said yesterday the Western strikes had not gone far enough.
“Punishing the instrument of the crime while keeping the criminal — a farce,” Alloush tweeted.
And Ahmad, a 25-year-old mechanic who had been displaced from Douma, said the Western strikes were too little, too late.
“Assad won’t collapse. They’ll bomb for a day or two, and then, the regime will take it out on us.”
France said it fired cruise missiles from frigates in the Mediterranean and deployed jet-fighters from home bases. Britain’s Defence Ministry said four British Tornado jets had fired Storm Shadow missiles at a base 25km west of Homs.