US missile attacks ‘American aggression’: Syrian state TV

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile Friday, April 7, 2017, from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for this week’s gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price/U.S. Navy via AP)

After US launched a barrage of missile strikes at Syrian airbase, Syrian state TV described the attack as an act of “American aggression”. The Syrian State TV said that the missile attack conducted by United States hit a number of military targets inside the country. An unnamed military official speaking on Syrian State TV said that an air base in Central Syria was hit early Friday, which has caused material damage.

According to reports, the targeted airbase is located in Homs province. Speaking to State TV, the governor of Homs, Talal Barazi said that strikes are meant to “support the terrorists on the ground” and appear to target the province in central Syria. In an telephonic interview, Barazi said the Syrian leadership and policy will not change after the attack. He also said that he expects more such attacks in the future. “This targeting was not the first and I don’t believe it will be the last,” he added.

US President Donald Trump said the cruise missile strike was in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical attack on civilians. It was in retaliation to that attack. Trump said that it is in US national security interest to prevent the spread and use of chemical weapons. “I call on all civilized nations in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria,” Trump added.

As per Pentagon, the strike hit the government-controlled Shayrat air base in Central Syria, where US officials say the Syrian military planes dropped the chemical bombs from. The Pentagon also said that the attack is a statement from US that chemical weapons attack will not be tolerated at any cost. The attack marks a stark shift from Trump’s poll stance where he said that intervention in Syrian civil war is not in the best interest of US.