U.S. LAUNCHES CRUISE MISSILES AT SYRIAN REGIME AIR BASE IN RESPONSE TO CHEMICAL ATTACK

 

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

U.S. Launches Cruise Missiles at Syrian Regime Air Base in Response to Chemical Attack

Strikes represent first time a U.S. military operation deliberately targeted the regime of President Bashar al-Assad

April 6, 2017
President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., after the U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria. PHOTO: ALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By 

GORDON LUBOLD and

 

DION NISSENBAUM

WASHINGTON—The U.S. military launched a series of strikes against a Syrian air base Friday, a response to mounting calls for a display of force in the wake of this week’s suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

The strikes represented the first time a U.S. military operation deliberately targeted the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and came a day after President Donald Trump said the chemical attack in Idlib province earlier this week, blamed on Syrian forces, had changed his thinking on Mr. Assad.

The U.S. strikes came as Mr. Trump was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at his resort in Mar-a-lago, Fla., and hours before the start of a full day of meetings on Friday focusing on economics, trade and security issues including North Korea’s nuclear program.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was in Florida with Mr. Trump.

In Washington, senior Defense Department staff and other top officers were meeting late Thursday in the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon basement regarding the military operation.

U.S. lawmakers had urged Mr. Trump to strike the Assad regime. There is a growing consensus that the regime used banned chemical weapons in the attack, which killed at least 85 people, including 27 children, and injured about 550.

“What Assad did is terrible,” Mr. Trump told reporters traveling with him Thursday to Florida on Air Force One. “What happened in Syria is truly one of the egregious crimes and it shouldn’t have happened.”

Asked if Mr. Assad should step down, Mr. Trump said, “He’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so something should happen.” He called the attack “a disgrace to humanity.”

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday evening canceled a planned vote on a resolution backed by the U.S. and European allies condemning the attack and calling for a full U.N. investigation. Diplomats were negotiating over that resolution and two competing proposals, from Russia and from 10 other council members.

Planning for a possible military strike accelerated after Mr. Trump said Wednesday the suspected Syrian regime strike went “beyond a red line” for him, Pentagon officials said.

U.S. defense officials had said that they have little doubt that the attack was carried out by Mr. Assad’s air force.

Write to Gordon Lubold at Gordon.Lubold@wsj.com and Dion Nissenbaum at dion.nissenbaum@wsj.com

 

 

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