(Washington) – The United States, France and the United Kingdom launched strikes against Syrian targets, President Donald Trump said as he addressed the nation from the White House.
Trump said Britain and France had joined the United States in the strikes to deter the production, spread and use of chemical weapons and to punish Syrian President Bashar Al Assad for a suspected chemical attack near Damascus last weekend that killed more than 40 people.
“These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on she had authorised British forces to conduct precision strikes against Syria.
“This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change,” May said. “It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties.”
May said they have sought to use every possible diplomatic channel to achieve this.
“But our efforts have been repeatedly thwarted,” May said. “Even this week the Russians vetoed a Resolution at the UN Security Council which would have established an independent investigation into the Douma attack. So there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Regime. This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change.”
US Defence Secretary James Mattis said at the Pentagon that “clearly, the Assad regime did not get the message last year.”
