U.S., U.K. and France Launch Strikes Against Syria Trump blames ‘Russia’s failure’ for suspected Syrian chemical attack By Nancy A. Youssef and Michael C. Bender
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-u-k-launch-strikes-against-syria-1523668212?cx_testId=16&cx_testVariant=cx&cx_artPos=0&cx_tag=collabctx&cx_navSource=newsReel#cxrecs_s
U.S., U.K. and French forces launched airstrikes targeting sites associated with Syria’s chemical-weapons capabilities, a reprisal for an attack last week that killed at least 43 civilians and injured hundreds more.
The decision to strike was aimed at cutting off the production and use of chemical weapons in the country, President Donald Trump said at the White House on Friday night.
Strikes on Syria
Beginning at 9 p.m ET, U.S., British and French forces struck three targets associated with chemical weapons in Syria:
Mr. Trump blamed “Russia’s failure” for the suspected chemical attack in Syria, saying Moscow had vowed to stop the use of such weapons in the country. He said Russia needs to decide whether it will continue down a “dark path” in Syria or become a force for “stability and peace.”
“Hopefully, someday, we’ll get along with Russia, and maybe even Iran—but maybe not,” Mr. Trump said.
The strikes were a culmination of a weeklong international push to punish the regime of President Bashar al-Assad after images and videos emerged last Saturday from the Syrian city of Douma suggesting civilians—including children—had suffered in the attack.
Syria and its chief patron, Russia, have denied that chemical weapons were used in Douma.
Mr. Trump said the operation would be “sustained” until the Syrian regime stopped using chemical weapons. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, said at a Pentagon briefing it was a single wave of strikes that is complete, for now.
“This is a one-time shot,” Mr. Mattis said. “Right now, we have no additional strikes planned.”
Gen. Dunford said manned aircraft were used in the attack on targets including a Damascus scientific research center and a storage facility for chemical weapons. He said the strikes would set back Syria’s chemical-weapons program for years.
The U.S. didn’t give advance notice to Russia, which has forces in Syria, Gen. Dunford said. He said the only communication with the Russians leading up to the strike campaign was via a phone line designed for the two nations to communicate during the war against Islamic State, but those communications weren’t intended as formal notification.
U.S. and U.K. submarines armed with missiles moved within strike range of Syria. A U.S. destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, and the French frigate Aquitaine were in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, while three more American cruisers and destroyers are currently deployed in the Middle East.
The U.S. took pains to avoid civilian casualties and any targets with foreign personnel, Mr. Mattis said. He has expressed concerns that any airstrike operation not escalate the conflict in Syria with Russia or Iran.
The coalition used twice the number of weapons in the attack than were used last year in Mr. Trump’s first airstrike against a Syrian air base, Mr. Mattis said. CONTINUE AT SITE
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