Strike with cruise missiles struck the United States on the basis of Syrian government forces. The message this is reported by NBC News, citing a source. Soon the Pentagon has officially confirmed the strike, stressing that the strike was a unilateral action of the United States.
With American ships in the Mediterranean sea, according to the channel, were fired more than 50 missiles “Tomahawk”. According to the USA, it was from this airfield took off Syrian aircraft striking strikes on Idlib. About said Advisor to the U.S. President for national security Herbert McMaster.
The US President Donald trump said that no doubt the use by the Syrian authorities banned chemical weapons in violation of UN resolutions.
As stated in the statement released Thursday by the legal counsel of the White house, the US President did not need congressional authorization for a missile strike on the Syrian air base. However, as AFP reports, the views of the Congress about the decision by Mr. trump divided.
According to CNN, the attack was carried out between 20 and 21 hours for Eastern standard time, which corresponds to 3-4 o’clock in the morning Moscow time.
Syrian state television called the missile strike, the armed forces of the United States government the basis of an act of aggression, reports Reuters. The provincial Governor of HOMS Talal Barazi said that the missile attack on the United States serves the purposes of “armed terrorist gangs” and “Islamic state” (IG; banned in Russia).
Fire fighting and rescue operations are continuing on the basis of already more than two hours. Information about victims did not arrive yet. The airbase, which the United States launched a missile attack, was used by the Syrian army to fight ISIS. According to Reuters, according to the Governor, at the airbase there are no “significant casualties” as “material damage”.
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson said that contacts with the Russian leadership before the strike on the Syrian airfield was not. “Contacts with Moscow, with Vladimir Putin was not” – said Mr. Tillerson, noting that they comply with the agreement between the U.S. military and the Russian Federation on the prevention of conflicts.
At the same time, the American military had previously reported that he contacted the Russian army at the established lines of communication to inform about the impact of, and Advisor to Donald trump on national security Herbert McMaster clarified that the US tried to minimize the risks for them.
The foreign Ministry intends shortly to make a statement in connection with the incident.
Russia will demand an urgent convocation of the UN security Council, missile U.S. attack on Syria is an act of aggression against a UN member, said the head of the Federation Council Committee on defense Viktor Ozerov. “Russia, above all, requires the urgent convocation of the UN security Council. This can be seen as an act of US aggression against the state of the UN,” he said.
He also said that this strike could undermine efforts to combat terrorism in Syria. “I do not exclude that it will be a very bad example for the armed opposition in Syria, this may call into question the agreements reached with the opposition, including in Geneva,” — said Ozerov.
According to the Chairman of the Federation Council international Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, the impact of American cruise missiles at Syrian airbase tonight, “is actually, in addition to claimed “to punish the crime,” only one purpose — powder “stamp” previously issued a verdict on Assad’s responsibility for chemical attack in Idlib”…
As reported by “Pravda.Ru”, yesterday, the US President admitted that Washington can use military force in response to the recent chemical attack in Syria, which the White house blames the government of Bashar al-Assad. Furthermore, it is alleged that the Pentagon has the capacity to strike at the alleged existing Syrian Arsenal of chemical weapons.
Recall, April 4, the national coalition opposition and revolutionary forces of Syria, said about 80 victims of the attacks using chemical weapons in Khan Sheyhun Idlib and 200 wounded. The blame for the attack, the opposition has placed on Syrian government forces.
For its part, the defense Ministry announced that the Syrian air force struck near the outskirts of the village of Khan shaykhun in Idlib province in the warehouse of ammunition of terrorists, where were the arsenals of chemical weapons, which were delivered to Iraq.
Note that the Western countries have accused the Syrian government troops to use chemical weapons without conducting any investigation and even threatened, if necessary, to act in circumvention of the security Council. In January 2016, the OPCW confirmed the total elimination of chimurenga Syria.