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Bergengruen, V. (2018, April 13). The US and Allies Have Launched Military Strikes On Syria After A Chemical Weapons Attack. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/verabergengruen/Syria-airstrikes-trump-chemical-weapons?utm_term=.wirJvV86r#.gylPVJXL4

Griffiths, J. Smith-Spark, L. (2018, April 14). What we know about the Syria strikes. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/14/middleeast/syria-strikes-what-we-know-intl/index.html

Quackenbush, C. (2018, April 16). Satellite Images Show a Research Center in Syria Before and After Airstrikes. Retrieved from http://time.com/5241113/syria-bombing-before-after-photos/

Cooper, H. Gibbons-Neff, T. Hubbard, B. (2018, April 13) U.S., Britan and France Strike Syria Over Suspected Chemical Weapons Attack. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/world/middleeast/trump-strikes-syria-attack.html

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This article, courtesy of The New York Times, depicts a positive view on the Syria airstrike.

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WASHINGTON - The United States and European allies launched airstrikes on Friday night 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.

Britain and France joined the United States in the strikes in a coordinated operation that was intended to show Western resolve in the face of what the leaders of the three nations called persistent violations of international law. Mr. Trump characterized it as the beginning of a sustained effort to force Mr. Assad to stop using banned weapons, but only ordered a limited, one-night operation that hit three targets.

"These are not the actions of a man," Mr. Trump said of last weekend's suspected chemical attack in a televised address from the White House Diplomatic Room. "They are crimes of a monster instead."

Shortly after the attack, the Syrian presidency posted on Twitter, "Honorable souls cannot be humiliated."

The strikes risked pulling the United States deeper into the complex, multisided war in Syria and raised the possibility of confrontation with Russia and Iran, both of which were supporting Mr. Assad with military forces. Within 90 minutes, the Russian ambassador to the United States warned of "consequences" for the allied attacks.

While Mr. Trump vowed as recently as last week to pull American troops out of Syria, he said he would remain committed to the goal of preventing further chemical attacks.

"We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents," he said.
[Read the full text of President Trump's address "]
But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had urged caution in White House deliberations leading up to the strike, told reporters on Friday night that there were no more attacks planned unless Mr. Assad again uses gas on his own people.

In choosing to strike, it appeared that Mr. Trump's desire to punish Mr. Assad for what he called a "barbaric act" - and to make good on his tweets promising action this week - outweighed his desire to limit the American military involvement in the conflict, at least in the short term.

The strikes marked the second time that Mr. Trump has attacked Syria to punish the government after it was accused of using chemical weapons. The White House had sought to create a response that would be more robust than the attack in April 2017, when the United States fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base that was back in use a day later.

Unlike last year, France and Britain joined the United States in retaliating for the suspected chemical attack last Saturday in the town of Douma, outside Damascus, but Germany refused to take part, even though Chancellor Angela Merkel called the use of chemical weapons "unacceptable."

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Victims of a suspected chemical attack in Douma, Syria, on Sunday. Residents said they heard objects falling from the sky, followed by a strange smell that witnesses said resembled chlorine. Credit Emad Aldin/EPA, via Shutterstock

[Read statements by France and Britain, and a declassified French document on the airstrikes."]
Defense officials said that Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from at least three American warships, while B-1 bombers dropped long-range missiles on targets. French and British warplanes also fired long-range missiles, while a British submarine launched cruise missiles.

Early reaction to the strikes from Capitol Hill appeared to break down along party lines, with Republicans expressing support for the president and Democrats questioning whether Mr. Trump has a well-thought-out strategy for what happens after the military action is over.

"President Trump's decision to launch airstrikes against the Syrian government without Congress's approval is illegal and - absent a broader strategy - it's reckless," said Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, who has long argued that presidents should request permission from Congress before taking military action.

Medical and rescue groups have reported that the Syrian military dropped bombs that released chemical substances during an offensive to take the town. A New York Times review of videos of the attack's aftermath, and interviews with residents and medical workers, suggested that Syrian government helicopters dropped canisters giving off some sort of chemical compound that suffocated at least 43 people.

At the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, the American ambassador to the world body, accused the Syrian government of using banned chemical arms at least 50 times since the country's civil war began in 2011. State Department officials said the United States was still trying to identify the chemical used on April 7.

Leaders in Syria, Iran and Russia denied that government forces had used chemical weapons, and accused rescue workers and the rebels who had controlled Douma of fabricating the videos to win international sympathy.

Protesters in Damascus denounced the airstrikes on Saturday. The Syrian presidency said on Twitter, "Honorable souls cannot be humiliated." Credit Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Last year's American attack on Syria came after a chemical attack on the village of Khan Sheikhoun killed scores of people. Mr. Trump ordered a cruise missile strike against the Al Shayrat airfield in central Syria, where the attack had originated. The base was damaged, but Syrian warplanes were again taking off from there a day later.

Still, the response set Mr. Trump apart from President Barack Obama, who declined to respond with military force after a chemical weapons attack in August 2013 killed hundreds of people near Damascus, even though Mr. Obama had earlier declared the use of such weapons a "red line."

Mr. Obama ultimately backed off a military strike and reached an agreement with Russia to remove Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. That agreement was said to have been carried out, although a series of reported chemical attacks since have raised doubts about its effectiveness.

Helene Cooper and Thomas Gibbons-Neff reported from Washington, and Ben Hubbard from Beirut, Lebanon. Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York, and Michael D. Shear from Washington.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Launches Strikes on Syrian Targets. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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U.S., Britain and France Strike Syria Over Suspected Chemical Weapons Attack

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WASHINGTON - The United States and European allies launched airstrikes on Friday night 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.

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This article, courtesy of Buzzfeed, depicts a negative view on the Syria airstrike.

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The US and two European allies launched airstrikes against Syria overnight Friday in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb that killed dozens of civilians.

Announcing the strike from the White House, President Donald Trump said the US was prepared to sustain its response, which was carried out in conjunction with the UK and France, "until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents."

Trump singled out Russia and Iran as "most responsible for supporting, equipping, and financing the criminal Assad regime."

"Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilized nations as a force for stability and peace," Trump continued. "Hopefully, someday, we'll get along with Russia and maybe even Iran, but maybe not."

One hour later, Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon that the military coalition had targeted three chemical weapons facilities operated by the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army, however, claimed to BuzzFeed News that the number of sites that were struck was higher.

Mattis said that there were no immediate plans for additional strikes, but warned that it depended on Syria's response.

"Right now, this is a one-time shot," he said.

In this hand-out photo, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) fires a Tomahawk land attack on Friday.

Just minutes after Trump's address, witnesses reported hearing large explosions in Damascus and in the countryside of Homs.

The strikes targeted the Barzah Research and Development Center, near Damascus; the Him Shinsar chemical weapons storage facility; and the Him Shinsar chemical weapons bunker, west of Homs, the Pentagon said on Saturday.

The Russian Embassy responded to the strikes in a statement, saying their "worst apprehensions have come true. Our warnings have been left unheard."

"A pre-designed scenario is being implemented," the embassy added. "Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences."

The Russians did not elaborate on what those consequences might be. US military officials told reporters they could not say if they expected retaliation, but "we're ready for it."

Mattis said there were no US losses in Friday's strikes, and as of Saturday morning US officials said they were not aware of any civilian casualties. Unlike last year, the attack involved manned aircraft, which meant US and partners' pilots were at risk of encountering Syrian air defenses, which have been bolstered by Russia. In recent months, Russia has reportedly increased the number of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in western Syria.

Alexander Zasypkin, the Russian ambassador to Lebanon, on Wednesday also warned that Russia would shoot down any missiles targeting Syria, "and even the sources from which the missiles were fired."

The US notified Russia that its aircraft were in Syrian airspace prior to the attack, using their usual military-to-military deconfliction line, Gen. Joe Dunford, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. But that's where the warnings ended, with US officials saying they gave no advanced notice of possible targets.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement that she had authorized military strikes after the Assad regime demonstrated a "pattern" of using chemical weapons on civilians. The UK, May said, had "sought every possible diplomatic channel" to resolve the crisis.

"So there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Regime," she said.

May added that the strikes were "not about intervening in a civil war," but rather about sending "a clear signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with impunity."

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that his country's "red line" had been crossed by the April 7 attack, and as a result, his country joined in the strikes.

News of the strikes came at the end of a day in which legal developments involving the US special counsel investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election dominated the news.

Trump pardoned former Bush administration aide Scooter Libby in what many saw as a possible effort to signal to potential witnesses that they don't have to fear a perjury charge. News then broke that the president's lawyer, Michael Cohen, was the subject of a criminal investigation, and, subsequently, had been the go-between in a $1.6 million payoff by a Republican fundraiser to his mistress.

The strikes also came during a week that saw the FBI raid of Trump's personal lawyer's office and the release of excerpts from former FBI director James Comey's book, both reportedly enraging the president.

Vice President Mike Pence left an event in Peru early so he could give advance notice of the strikes to congressional leaders, according to the White House press pool. Shortly before Trump's announcement, Pence made calls to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Trump's decision to launch the strikes followed days of deliberations with his military leaders and national security advisers that pitted the Pentagon's concerns about an escalating conflict and Trump and his new national security adviser John Bolton's desire for a broader, more muscular response. Mattis even signaled what he was advising the president while testifying on Capitol Hill on Thursday, telling lawmakers his biggest concern was "how do we keep this from escalating out of control, if you get my drift on that."

Democrats in Congress were quick to rebuke Trump's action, arguing that while the suspected chemical weapons attack was horrific, the president lacked the authority to unilaterally order the airstrikes and threatened to draw the US deeper into the Syrian conflict.

"One night of airstrikes is not a substitute for a clear, comprehensive Syria strategy," Pelosi said in a statement.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, also said Trump's decision to launch airstrikes without Congressional approval "is illegal and - absent a broader strategy - it's reckless."

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also expressed opposition to the move, saying on Twitter, "I haven't read France's or Britain's 'Constitution,' but I've read ours and no where in it is Presidential authority to strike Syria."

Hassan Ammar / AP

Skies light up with surface-to-air missile fire early Saturday in Damascus, Syria.

The decision to take military action in Syria followed conflicting statements from the president, who on Sunday vowed a "big price to pay" for the attack. After declaring Monday that "major decisions" would be made in the next 24 to 48 hours, he then expanded his threats to the backers of the Assad regime, directly warning Russia to "get ready" because missiles "will be coming." By Thursday, Trump was saying a strike "could be very soon or not so soon at all," and "we'll see what happens."

On Monday, the USS Donald Cook left port in Cyprus, moving within striking distance of Syria in the eastern Mediterranean.

The suspected chemical attack on the besieged town of Douma over the weekend killed at least 42 people and injured more than 500, according to local rescue workers. Many of them died while sheltering underground in basements to escape shelling. The White Helmets, a Syrian civil defense organization, published graphic images showing the bodies of entire families who were killed in their basements, and warned that the death count was likely to rise.

It is the worst such attack since Assad's forces dropped sarin and other chemicals in the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun a year ago, killing more than 80 people on April 4, 2017. The US retaliated three days later by launching 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase allegedly used to carry out the attack.

US, British, and French officials denounced the Douma attack, and Trump spoke with Macron and May several times, who according to the White House agreed to "coordinate a strong, joint response."

Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were due to start their work in Douma on Saturday, outside the capital of Damascus. They intended to collect samples and look for other indications to determine whether banned chemicals were used in the April 7 attack.

Both the Syrian and Russian governments denied any involvement in the suspected chemical attack, which came after a weeks-long campaign by Syrian government forces to oust rebels from their last major stronghold near Damascus.

It was the second military strike on Syrian government facilities within a week. Early Monday, missiles struck a military air base in Homs in central Syria. Although Syrian state media initially called it "an American aggression," the Pentagon denied that the US was conducting air strikes "at this time." Syria and Russia later then accused Israel of being behind the attack on the T4 military airport in Homs.

Fourteen people died in that attack, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring organization. The group reported that among the dead were Iranian or Iran-backed fighters.

Last year's US strike was launched from the USS Ross and USS Porter, two US Navy guided-missile destroyers, in the eastern Mediterranean. Mattis claimed that the US had taken out 20% of Syria's operational aircraft, as well as hangars and fuel storage.

"The Syrian government would be ill-advised ever again to use chemical weapons," Mattis said.

But the strikes had little impact. A day later, planes were reportedly taking off from the targeted airbase again. Before Saturday's Douma attack, there were at least five other chemical attacks since last April's US strike, according to a report from the advocacy group Human Rights Watch.
BuzzFeed News reporter Jim Dalrymple contributed additional reporting to this story.
Vera Bergengruen is a Pentagon reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.

Contact Vera Bergengruen at vera.bergengruen@buzzfeed.com.

Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.

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The US And Allies Have Launched Military Strikes On Syria After A Chemical Weapons Attack

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The US and two European allies launched airstrikes against Syria overnight Friday in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb that killed dozens of civilians. Announcing the strike from the White House, President Donald Trump said the US was prepared to sustain its response, which was carried out in conjunction with the UK and France, "until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents."

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This article, courtesy of CNN, depicts a neutral view on the Syria airstrike.

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Who was involved?

"Today, the nations of Britain, France, and the United States of America have marshaled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality," US President Donald Trump said during a separate announcement from the White House.

Shortly after Trump's statement, UK Prime Minister Theresa May released a statement saying she had "authorized British armed forces to conduct coordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian Regime's chemical weapons capability and deter their use."

A statement released Friday by French President Emmanuel Macron said a "red line set by France in May 2017 has been crossed. So, I ordered the French armed forces to intervene tonight, as part of an international operation in coalition with the United States of America and the United Kingdom and directed against the clandestine chemical arsenal of the Syrian regime."

What was hit?

Three sites were targeted, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters:

A scientific research center in Damascus;

A chemical weapons storage facility, located west of Homs;

And a chemical weapons equipment storage facility and command post near Homs.

In an update Saturday, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the strikes "successfully hit every target" and that the allies "took every measure and caution" to hit only the intended targets.

"We met our objectives. We hit the sites, the heart of the chemical weapons program. So, it was mission accomplished," she said.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, said that none of the aircraft or missiles involved in this operation were successfully engaged by Syrian air defenses. There was no indication that Russian air defenses were deployed, he added.

Syria and its military backer, Russia, gave a different assessment.

Russian Army Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy told reporters that Syria's air defense systems intercepted 71 out of 103 cruise missiles Russia believes were fired by the Western allies.

According to preliminary reports, there were no civilian casualties or losses from the Syrian army, Rudskoy said. A number of Syrian military airfields, industrial sites and research facilities suffered in the strikes, he added.

Syrian state TV said missiles targeting Homs were intercepted and did not cause damage.

Were there casualties?

Syrian state TV also reported that three civilians were wounded in Homs after "several" missiles were intercepted by Syria air defense systems.

The Pentagon said it was not aware of any civilian casualties as of Saturday morning US time.

Are the strikes over?

Trump said the US was "prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents." However, he maintained that "America does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria."

At a Pentagon briefing, Dunford said "this wave of airstrikes is over," but defense officials added they are prepared for a sustained campaign until the Syrian regime ceases its alleged use of chemical weapons.

What weapons were involved?

The Pentagon said 105 missiles were launched in the strikes against Syria. They included 30 Tomahawk missiles fired from the USS Monterey and seven from the USS Laboon in the Red Sea. Another 23 Tomahawk missiles were launched from the USS Higgins in the North Arabian Gulf, it said.

A submarine, USS John Warner, fired six Tomahawk missiles from the eastern Mediterranean and a French frigate in the same area fired another three missiles, the Pentagon said.

The air assault involved two US B-1 Lancer bombers, which fired 19 joint air to surface standoff missiles. The British flew a combination of Tornado and Typhoon jets, firing eight Storm Shadow missiles, while French Rafale and Mirage fighter jets launched nine SCALP missiles, the Pentagon said.

Four Royal Air Force Tornado GR4's were used in the strikes, launching Storm Shadow missiles at a "former missile base -- some 15 miles west of Homs," according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

Was Russia warned?

Dunford said the US "specifically identified" targets to "mitigate the risk of Russian forces being involved."

He said normal communication lines were used in the run-up to the strike to ensure clearance of airspace, but targets were not coordinated with the Russians.

Paris and its allies warned Russia beforehand because they wanted to avoid any escalation of the Syrian conflict, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said.

Have Syria and Russia responded?

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that the Kremlin "seriously condemns" the attack on Syria, which he called an "act of aggression against a sovereign state ... at the forefront of the fight against terrorism."

He said the strike had been carried out "without the sanction of the United Nations Security Council, in violation of the UN Charter, norms and principles of international law."

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council called by Russia on Saturday, Putin's government failed to garner the necessary votes for a resolution condemning "the aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic by the US and its allies in violation of international law and the UN Charter."

After the session, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the day's developments "a blow to a political settlement" in the Syria crisis.

"I hope that hot heads will cool down and we can rebuild what has been destroyed," he told reporters, adding that the United States, France and the United Kingdom had engaged in "diplomacy of mythmaking, hypocrisy and falsehoods."

Bashar Jaafari, Syria's ambassador to United Nations, accused the three Western allies of undermining international peace and security and asked that copies of the UN Charter be distributed to their representatives so they can "enlighten themselves and awaken themselves from their ignorance and tyranny."

At the meeting, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, accused Russia of covering up for the Syrian government and said Washington remains "locked and loaded" to strike again in response to new chemical attacks.

Syria's President said the airstrikes would not stop him from "fighting terrorism" across the country, according to Syrian state TV.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the joint US, UK and French airstrikes were a "flagrant violation of international law and the principals of UN charter," according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.

Earlier, the office of the Syrian Presidency tweeted a video of Assad going to work Saturday, with the caption "a morning of steadfastness."

An official with the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria said pro-regime and Russian forces in Syria were showing no signs of retaliation against US and coalition troops in the country.

McKenzie, the Joint Staff director, said the Pentagon was not aware of any military response from within Syria but the US remained ready to respond to any potential threat to allied forces.

White, the Pentagon spokeswoman, meanwhile, warned that Russia was spreading misinformation.

"The Russian disinformation campaign has already begun. There has been a 2,000% increase in Russian trolls in the last 24 hours, therefore we will keep you all abreast of the facts moving forward," she said Saturday morning.

What have we learned about the Douma attack?

More than 70 people in Syria's rebel-held town of Douma reportedly died while sheltering in basements. Of those, 43 showed symptoms consistent with exposure to "highly toxic chemicals," according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO, citing reports from health partners on the ground, also said about 500 people went to the hospital showing signs of exposure to "toxic chemicals" in Douma.

The Syrian government and Russia, its key ally, have vehemently denied involvement and accused rebels in Douma of fabricating the chemical attack claims.

A team of inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived Saturday in Damascus en route to the site of the alleged attacks.

The French Foreign Ministry on Saturday released a report into the suspected chemical attack in Douma which stated that France assessed "with a high degree of confidence" that it was carried out by the Syrian regime.

French experts analyzed testimonies and symptoms identifiable in images and videos taken in Douma, the Foreign Ministry said, but did not have access to samples from the ground.

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what we know about the syria strikes - cnn

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James Griffiths and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

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Who was involved? "Today, the nations of Britain, France, and the United States of America have marshaled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality," US President Donald Trump said during a separate announcement from the White House.

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This short article, courtesy of Time, shows images of one location impacted by airstrikes in Syria.

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Satellite Images Show Syria Site Before and After Airstrike

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Satellite images show the destruction caused by coalition airstrikes on a chemical facility in Syria