On Friday, April 13, the United States, along with Britain and France bombed Syria via air strikes. This decision came shortly after Syrian President Bashar Al Assad reportedly used chemical warfare on his own citizens outside Damascus. This action killed at least 42 adults and children. After this attack took place, Donald Trump vowed that this would cost a ‘big price’ to Al Assad.
The US and its allies planned a response to the chemical warfare over the following week. On the Friday night, the countries hit all three targets. One of the targets was just outside of Damascus. All of the targets, however, were related to Syria’s chemical weapons programs. These locations included a research center, a storage facility, and command post.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Gen. Kenneth Mckenzie, the attacks hit at the “very heart” of Syria’s chemical weapon production and program. However, McKenzie also noted Syria could reconstitute its program and the strikes did not wipe out all of Syria’s chemical weapons facilities.
Donald Trump, soon after the attack said he is “prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.”
Russia has warned that there may be consequences after the attacks, that could negatively impact international relations. Vladimir Putin has labeled the attacks as an “act of aggression.” Russia and Syria both claim that a large majority of the missiles that were fired were shot down, however, the Pentagon denies that claim.
Despite these recent events, there are still concerns. The US strikes may not stop Assad from using chemical weapons, or influence the on-going civil war. Also, it is very possible Assad’s allies, Russia and Iran, may retaliate against the 2,000 US troops in Syria. It is also unclear whether or not the U.S. will bomb Syria again if they resort to chemical warfare once again.
Source: VOX