US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the launch of airstrikes in Syria.
Trump’s order was in response to chemical attacks allegedly ordered by Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President, against his people.
The chemical attacks killed several persons, including children and women.
The US fired 59 Tomahawk missiles from the USS Porter and USS Ross destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean against the Shayrat air base.
According to the US, the planes that carried out the chemical attacks lifted off from the air base.
The missiles were said to have targeted aircraft and aircraft shelters, ammunition, air defense systems and radars.
“There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the U.N. Security Council,” Trump said, while speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
“As a result, the refugee crisis continues to deepen and the region continues to destabilize, threatening the United States and its allies.
“Tonight I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.
“Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”
Meanwhile, Russia, Syria’s staunch ally, says the strike violates international law
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, on Friday said the US strike constituted “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law”.
