Early Friday morning, US President Donald Trump ordered a hit on the al-Sharyat military base in Syria in the advent of a state meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Speaking in a televised pre-recorded film, President Trump acknowledged that he had orchestrated the hit following the ‘horrific chemical attack’ in Syria on Tuesday.
The attack marks the first time the Unites States has participated in the civil war that has torn through Syria since 2011. Many parties were taken off guard despite subtle warnings by the current US administration that ‘something would be done’ about Syria.
How did we get here?
On Tuesday reports of a chemical attack in the Sheikhoun region of Northern Syria made global headlines. The attack, which left eighty-six people dead, was allegedly perpetrated by the current Syrian regime led by al-Assad.
Videos of the occurrence hit mainstream media and elicited public outrage. Mr. Trump called the incident an ‘affront to humanity’ that ‘deserved action.’ He stated that he could not abide with all those ‘beautiful innocent babies’ being murdered in the attack. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley reiterated the notion in a UN Security Council emergency session held on Wednesday.
President Trump made good on his promise for action on Friday when fifty-nine Tomahawk Land Attack missiles were fired from two American destroyers into the Sharyat airbase. The two warships, USS Porter and USS Ross, were situated in the eastern section of the Mediterranean at the time.
Where do we go from here?
The US military action on the Syrian airbase has drawn varied reactions from around the globe, starting with the US Congress.
US Senator John McCain who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee applauded Mr. Trump for this latest action. “The former administration did not do anything about Syria, but the move President Trump made is a good one,” stated McCain on social media. The Israeli Prime Minister also endorsed the unilateral action.
Other parties were not so forgiving.
Hilary Leverett, the CEO of Stratega, told Al Jazeera that the US attack on Syria only made matters worse. “Now we are left to question what the response from Assad’s allies like Iran and Russia will be,” Leverett stated.
While US Secretary of State termed the missile attack ‘proportionate action’ in response to Tuesday’s chemical incident, the Syrian authorities are calling it ‘unwarranted American aggression.’ Reports from the local police are in fact claiming that the attack resulted in six casualties, counteracting earlier reports of no deaths.
The attack on Syria has also prompted a report from Russian authorities who say that they had not been informed of an impending attack. The Pentagon released a statement in response to this accusation saying that the Russian troops on the airbase had been warned to prevent fatalities.
With opinions varying as to the propriety of President Trump’s order on the airbase’s destruction, experts ponder on the effects of the strike. US-Russia relationships will be strained after this. It is not clear what will become of Assad’s government. Geneva peace talks will be impacted, and the UN Security Council will make its rulings.
Things are not all that bad though. After all, oil stocks just went up 2 percent.
