Attack trump: What is known about the missile attack on the United States airbase in Syria
USA for the first time since the beginning of the Syrian war, attacked the positions of government army in Syria. The Russian President called strike aggression. Trump’s decision will have serious consequences, experts warn.
10фотографий10фотографий10фотографий
Early on the morning of 7 April on the Syrian time 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired from us ships in the Mediterranean and struck the airbase of the Syrian government forces shirt in the province of HOMS. The missiles were aimed at the runway, designated aircraft Parking and refueling facilities.
Photos of Syrian Shayrat Airbase, Homs Countryside after the US Tomahawk strike this morning, some hangars, planes & the runways are still intact pic.twitter.com/43kzw927iP
— M Green (@MmaGreen) 7 APR 2017
First look at the HAS damaged by the #US Tomahawk missile strike on the Shayrat Airbase, Homs #Syria today pic.twitter.com/7CkiqWaBuL
— lafaw Kurdi (@LafawB) 7 APR 2017
On the basis, according to the Pentagon, were the Russian military.
In an official statement, the Syrian army reported six dead and many injured in the air strike. According to the Syrian monitoring center for human rights (SOHR), the death toll has risen to seven people. Among the victims, according to the organization, Colonel of the Syrian army, who commanded a brigade of air defense.
In the missile strike, the US Navy’s airfield in the settlements al-Hamrat shayrat and killed nine civilians, among them four children, and another seven people were injured, reported the correspondent of the Syrian state news Agency SANA. According to the command of the Syrian air bases, which leads the Russian defense Ministry, killed four Syrian soldiers and two more were missing.
The Decision Of Trump
A missile attack on an air base in Syria is in the vital national interests of the United States, said Donald trump in a speech to the nation after the strikes. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to trump, violated the Convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons. The Syrian government acceded to the Convention in 2013, after with the mediation of Russia and the USA, agreement was reached on the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria.
The agreement was preceded by attack of the Syrian military in the Damascus suburb of Eastern ghouta, which, according to the UN, has killed hundreds of people. The attack on Eastern ghouta nearly provoked the previous President of the USA Barack Obama for a military strike on Syria, but he declined such opportunity. In the attack, which took the military orders trump used developments, prepared in 2013, said military sources the us media.
The blow was required in order to prevent the spread of chemical weapons, the solution is in the “vital national interests” of the US, gave words of trump Reuters. “Tonight I was ordered to conduct a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria, where he carried out chemical attack,” he said in address to the nation. According to trump, “there can be no dispute that Syria has used banned chemical weapons.”
“Today I call on all civilized Nations to join us in the quest to end the bloodshed in Syria and to put an end to terrorism of all kinds and all types,” said the US President. However, he noted that “years of previous attempts to change the behavior of Assad has failed”.
The decision of the President of the United States provoked the incident in the Syrian province of Idlib, where on April 4 there was an attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun. According located in London, the Syrian monitoring centre for human rights (SOHR), Syrian government aircraft attacked the town and used at least one rocket with a chemical substance. The death toll in the incident, which the SOHR calls “the attack”, the evening of 6 April was 86 people, among them 30 children and 20 women. The TV channel Al Jazeera and the Turkish news Agency Anadolu quoted other victims — more than 100 dead and 500 wounded.
The red line trump
After it became known about the attack on Khan shaykhun, U.S. permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley at an emergency meeting of the security Council on 5 April warned that the U.S. might take unilateral action if the security Council did not give a response to “atrocities” in Syria. President trump on the same day said it will not tolerate the holding of such a “monstrous” attack on the civilian population. He stressed that the United States will strengthen its role in the protection of civilians in Syria. Previously, including during the election campaign, he said that America should avoid intervening in the Syrian conflict. 5 APR trump also stated that his attitude towards Bashar al-Assad has changed.
Trump said that what happened in Idlib “has crossed the red line” and now the resolution of the Syrian conflict will become his responsibility.
The representative of the U.S. defense Department Jeff Davis said that the United States has warned the Russian military personnel to missile attack on the airbase from government forces in Syria. On those parts of the base, where were the military of Russia, the shocks are not applied, he said. To prevent was used communication channels that were created between countries to preventing conflicts. The U.S. side warned the Russian military about his decision several times, he said.
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson also informed his French colleague Jean-Marc Ayrault about the impending attack on Syria, as reported by Ayrault. “Tonight Rex Tillerson told me (about the impending strike — approx. TASS), said Ayrault. — The future (Syria) not related to (President) Bashar al-Assad, the Americans began to clarify its position”, — quotes his words TASS with reference to Reuters.
From a military point of view the US actions can be considered to be careful: the attack was made, Russia was notified that was committed too many ceremonial steps, which shows that the US is not ready to bear the responsibility alone for the situation, says program Director of the international discussion club “Valdai” by Andrey sushentsov.
Chief editor of the magazine “Arsenal of the Fatherland”, retired Colonel Viktor murakhovski believes that Russia could not intercept American missiles “Tomahawk”, which the US hit the base Shirt.
“The ability of our anti-missile systems deployed in Hamima and in Tartus, will not allow you to intercept cruise missiles over the shayrat air base”, — he said.
The consequences of the decision
Have also in Syria, Russia and Turkey opinion on the actions of the United States disagree. Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. strikes on Syria an aggression against a sovereign state, in violation of international law under false pretenses, told RIA Novosti press-Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov. The press Secretary noted that “the Syrian army has chemical weapons stockpiles”. “The fact of the destruction of all stockpiles of chemical weapons from the Syrian armed forces were otfiksirovat and confirmed by the OPCW is a specialized unit of the UN,” he reminded.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus believes that a missile strike by the USA in Syria can have a positive impact on the peace process in this country.”I hope that the US operation will help to ensure peace. While it is clear that this operation is limited, he said in the broadcast American TV channel Fox.
Russia should “take all measures at the diplomatic level to prevent continue such actions on the part of the United States of America,” said RBC Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Alexei chepa. “We know that burned for up to 15 aircraft of the Syrian army, which naturally impact on countering terrorism,” he said. In his opinion, Moscow should continue to strive for a thorough investigation of the use of chemical weapons in Idlib. “The first thing that catches the eye, is an attempt to discredit the Syrian government of trying to divide Syria,” he added.
The risks of expanding the Syrian conflict is now much larger than in 2013, according to The Washington Post.
The main difference of the situation in 2017 from the situation in 2013 is that trump and his commanders were operating in a the presence of Russian troops on Syrian soil.
“Now everything is much more complicated. The US should ask ourselves how we are angry on this issue? We are angry enough to take actions that may lead to the death of Russians”, — said the newspaper retired General John Allen, coordinator of the U.S. campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria under Obama.
Actions trump sow the concern within the Syrian regime that the United States will be able to use his advantage, said Andrew Tabler, expert on Syria at The Washington Institute.
The air strikes of the US airfield in Syria will complicate the process of peaceful settlement in this country, will make the Syrian opposition less accommodating, said to “Interfax” the General Director of the Russian international Affairs Council (RIAC) Andrei Kortunov.
Trump went on an impulsive move, the US succumbed to the manipulation of the Syrian opposition, there is a solution and the political context — the US President has made too little in the domestic arena for the first weeks of his presidency, says the program Director of the International discussion club Valdai by Andrey sushentsov. According to experts, Assad had no reason to order the chemical attack especially after the us administration said it was willing to accept his political role in Syria. U.S. actions send a signal to allies in the region that the U.S. continues to be viable participants in a situation, first of all, this important signal of Turkey, indicates Sushentsov.