[wmbondurant]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ack/100142330/

WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered a cruise missile strike against Syria early Friday local time in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people on Tuesday, according to the Pentagon.

The attack, the first conventional assault on another country ordered by Trump, comes a day after he declared that the chemical weapons assault had “crossed many, many lines,” including the deaths of 27 children.

The missiles, fired from a U.S. Navy vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, struck multiple sites, including the airfield where the Syria based the warplanes used in the chemical attack, a Defense official said.

The attack essentially follows the plan that the Pentagon had set in September 2013, according to a senior Defense official not authorized to speak publicly about the operation. That plan was devised after President Obama had set a “red line” on the use of chemical weapons. Syrian President Bashar Assad had used the weapons that killed 1,400 civilians, but Obama did not order an attack. Instead, Assad agreed to turnover his stockpiles of chemical weapons, a pledge he obviously reneged on in light of Tuesday’s use of what experts believe was sarin gas on civilians.

In 2013, military planners had planned to use land-attack cruise missiles launched from Navy destroyers cruising off shore from Syria. For weeks, the Navy had four destroyers floating off shore, waiting for the order to strike that never came.

Using ships negates the need to seek permission from countries where U.S. warplanes are based. Land-attack Tomahawk missiles can travel 1,500 miles to strike their target and carry a warhead with 1,000 pounds of conventional explosives.



'Steps are underway' to oust Syria's Assad, Tillerson says
Trump team weighs military response in Syria and ways to remove Assad
Among the options that Pentagon planners had developed for Trump: the airfield, military command-and-control centers, air defense systems and troops.

Any attack puts at risk the hundreds of U.S. special operations troops in eastern Syria who are advising local ground forces in their fight against the Islamic State, or ISIS. The concern, according to the official, is that Assad could order a counter strike, targeting the Americans. There is also the risk that the attack could kill Russian troops who have been supporting the Assad regime.

The Pentagon, which has been bombing ISIS targets in Syria since 2014, can provide extra air patrols to protect those troops. But they still would be vulnerable to attacks by surface-to-surface missiles fired by Syrian forces.

Deadly chemical attack

The strike followed an attack on a rebel-held city in northern Syria with apparent chemical weapons that killed at least 86 people, 27 of them children. Autopsies on three Syrians who died after being brought to Turkey for treatment suggest the banned nerve agent sarin was used in the attack, the Turkish Health Ministry said.

Turkey, which also is involved in the fighting, has long pushed for Assad's ouster.

Russia said the deaths were caused by a Syrian strike on a terrorist chemical lab, but the United States, other nations and human rights groups rejected that claim as baseless.

While Trump has been criticized for cozying up to Russia, officials in that country warned him against military strikes.

"We have to think about negative consequences, negative consequences, and all the responsibility if military action occurred will be on shoulders of those who initiated such doubtful and tragic enterprise," said Vladimir Safronkov, Russia's deputy envoy to the United Nations, speaking with reporters at the U.N.

Asked what those consequences might be, the Russian diplomat cited ongoing problems in Iraq and Libya.

Trump had long shared that opinion. He had previously urged the United States to support Assad against rebel groups fighting him, many of which are aligned with al-Qaeda. In 2013, he criticized Obama for contemplating strikes without getting congressional approval. But the images of the dead children spurred an about-face.


“I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity, and he’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so I guess something should happen," Trump said Thursday afternoon.

"What Assad did is terrible," Trump added. "What happened in Syria is truly one of the egregious crimes and it shouldn’t have happened. And it shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”

Now, in the early morning darkness in Syria, Trump has responded with force.


Prelude:

[mengala]

Russia fired cruise Missles at ISIS and Al Qaeda.

U.S. fired cruise Missles at the Syrian Government, which strengthens ISIS and Al Qaeda.

[wmbondurant]

Originally Posted by mengala ↗

Russia fired cruise Missles at ISIS and Al Qaeda.

U.S. fired cruise Missles at the Syrian Government, which strengthens ISIS and Al Qaeda.

I have mixed feelings for sure .

[Sibella]

What is Russia going to do? This is all about Iran!! Fucking ridiculous..

[Steve]

Has it been ascertained who actually did it yet? Or is America filling in the blanks to suit it's own narrative?

[Zambini]

The USA won't stand by watching innocent children get killed.


Other countries: Man the fuck up and do the same

[Sabconth]

Originally Posted by Zambini ↗

The USA won't stand by watching innocent children get killed.


Other countries: Man the fuck up and do the same

They've been standing by for years now, hell there have been some accidental bombings by America that have killed hundreds of civilians, I notice no one talks about those incidents though.

Getting too involved in this war is a bad idea, Trump himself urged Obama not to escalate things in 2013 after chemical weapons were used.

[Zambini]

Originally Posted by Sabconth ↗

They've been standing by for years now, hell there have been some accidental bombings by America that have killed hundreds of civilians, I notice no one talks about those incidents though.

Getting too involved in this war is a bad idea, Trump himself urged Obama not to escalate things in 2013 after chemical weapons were used.

Yeah, I know

Accidentally killings civilians is different than deliberately targeting them I guess.

It's probably really a message to North Korea

The world was waiting for trumps first test, they got their answer

[commondenom]

so trump, who acts on impulse, reacted to the fake news outlets when just a month ago he was calling those same outlets out for being fake news.... he done real fucked up good

fingers are crossed no russian citizens were in any of those bases or putin will be forced to retaliate....

[Oswald2001]

Originally Posted by Zambini ↗

It's probably really a message to North Korea

Yep.

But actually CHINA.

('north korea' is just a sock puppet of CHINA.)


This is a clear message signaled militarily for military issues, trade issues and politically issues to numerous and diverse groups both foreign and domestic.