The United States and European allies launched strikes on Friday against Syrian research, storage and military targets as President Trump sought to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack near Damascus last weekend that killed more than 40 people.
The United States has launched air strikes alongside UK and French forces aimed at the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons facilities.
Moments after the president’s address finished, reports emerged of explosions in Damascus. A Pentagon briefing later confirmed three sites were hit in Damascus and Homs. Syrian air defences responded but the US said it has suffered no losses in the initial air strikes.
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said “such actions will not be left without consequences” and said Moscow was being threatened. “Insulting the president of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible,” he added.
The Syrian Observatory said the Syrian Army’s 4th Division and Republican Guard was among the targets. (Image: NYTimes)
Trump’s decision stands to further complicate Syria’s already complex civil war. The Americans, Russians, Iranians, Turks, Israelis and more have all been involved in Syria’s bloodshed to varying degrees, turning it into a proxy battleground for various global interests.
TYT Newsroom with information from NYTimes, The Guardian, USA Today