US launches missiles against Syrian government targets
April 07, 2017 07:18
Soon after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington was "considering an appropriate response" to the chemical attack in Syria, while calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, the United States launched a missile strike against government targets in Syria.
Two US warships fired at least 50 cruise missiles at the Ash Shai'rat airfield in Homs province in western Syria, from where the US administration believes Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad fired the chemical weapons against his own people, media reports said.
Earlier, Tillerson said, "We are considering an appropriate response for this chemical weapons attack which violates all previous UN resolutions, violates international norms and long-held agreements between parties, including the Syrian regime, the Russian government, and all other members of the UN Security Council."
"It's a serious matter; it requires a serious response," he told reporters at the West Palm Beach airport in Florida on his way to Mar A-Lago to attend the US-China Summit meeting.
Russia, who has stood by Bashar, has warned of "negative consequences' if the US took military action against Syria.
"All responsibility if military action occurs will be on the shoulders of those who initiated such a doubtful tragic enterprise," Russian Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told reporters after a closed-door Security Council meeting on Syria.
The strikes ordered by US President Donald Trump are the first military action by America against Bashar, reports CNN. In 2014 President Barack Obama ordered strikes against Syria as part of its coalition campaign against ISIS but that only targeted the terrorist group and not government forces, it said.
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances