The United States, together with Britain and France, launched precision airstrikes on late Friday night against Syrian research, storage and military targets as US President Donald Trump sought to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack against the town of Douma near Damascus on April 7 that killed more than 40 people.
Although Trump characterized the coordinated operation as as the beginning of a sustained effort to force Assad to cease using banned weapons, the American president only ordered a limited, one-night operation that hit three targets.
While Trump vowed as recently as last week to pull US troops out of Syria, he said he would remain committed to the goal of preventing further chemical attacks, hinting that the scale down of American forces in the war-torn country won’t be taking place anytime soon.
It remains to be seen how far Trump will escalate matters or what Washington and its allies hope to gain in Syria. The president seems to be using the pretext of “humanitarian intervention” to intimidate his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Tensions have risen in recent days between the US and Russia over Putin’s staunch support for the Assad regime.
On Wednesday, Trump tweeted: “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”
The Russian defense ministry reported on Saturday that more than 100 missiles were fired at Syrian targets. “A considerable part” of the missiles were shot down by the Syrian air defense system, the Russian ministry added.
The Pentagon announced the following three targets had been struck: A scientific research facility in Damascus allegedly connected to the production of chemical and biological weapons, a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs and a command post storing chemical weapons equipment also near Homs.
Syrian state TV said three civilians had been injured in the attacks. A Syrian military source reported that at least six Syrian soldiers were injured.
The strikes might be an indication that Trump is eager to confront Russia and Iran, both of which have been supporting Assad with military forces in Syria’s multisided civil war. Within 90 minutes of the attack, Russia’s ambassador to the United States warned of “consequences” for the allied attacks.
President Putin said that Russia would call an emergency session of United Nations Security Council over the attack, adding that the airstrikes is an “act of aggression” against a sovereign state. After a heated two-hour debate, the Security Council rejected the Russian resolution on Saturday.
Russia, China and Bolivia voted for the resolution but eight members voted against and four abstained. Even a majority vote would have been largely symbolic, as the three Western powers that carried out the attack hold veto power and would certainly have blocked it.
But symbolic as the debate was, its ferocity underscores the bitter divisions within the Security Council over whether Syria’s government had carried out the suspected chemical attack in Douma and whether the US, Britain and France were justified in using force without a clear legal mandate.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, who had warned Friday that “the Cold War is back with a vengeance,” urged all parties on Saturday “to show restraint” and avoid the situation “spiraling out of control.”
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is said to have urged caution in White House deliberations leading up to the strike, assured reporters Friday night that there were no further attacks planned unless Assad again uses gas on the Syrian people.
“We confined it to the chemical weapons-type targets,” Mattis said. “We were not out to expand this; we were very precise and proportionate. But at the same time, it was a heavy strike.”
The attack was twice the size and hit two more targets than an assault that Trump had ordered last year against one of Assad’s military airfields.
