Fucking
shit. You go out for an hour or so on errands and the whole world
falls apart.
Has
Trump unleashed World War 111. He was fairly cavalier about the use
of nuclear weapons from the start.
How
will the Russians and Iranians respond to this? What ever happened to
the S-300 that the Syrians have?
---SMR
Trump
Unleashes Military Strikes: 59 Tomahawk Missiles Hit Syria - Live
Feed
7
April, 2017
As previewed
earlier tonight,
the United States fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria on
Friday morning in retaliation for this week's alleged chemical
weapons attack against civilians by the Assad regime, U.S. officials
said. It was the first direct American assault on the Syrian
government and Donald Trump's most dramatic military order since
becoming president. According to NBC, only tomahawks missiles fired,
no fixed wing aircraft involved, for now.
As
AP notes, the surprise strike marked a striking reversal for Trump,
who warned as a candidate against the U.S. getting pulled into the
Syrian civil war, now in its seventh year. But the president appeared
moved by the photos of children killed in the chemical attack,
calling it a "disgrace to humanity" that crossed "a
lot of lines."
The
president did not announce the attacks in advance, though he and
other national security officials ratcheted up their warnings to the
Syrian government throughout the day Thursday. National Security
Advisor McMaster, quoted by Reuters, said that Trump
was given 3 options for retaliating and told advisors to focus on 2;
he added that Trump made the decision on Thursday.
The
strike early Friday morning in Syria targeted hangars, planes and
fuel tanks at one Syrian military airfield, according to a U.S.
official. The U.S. attacked with about 60 Raytheon Co. Tomahawk
cruise missiles fired from two Navy destroyers.
59
U.S. Tomahawk missiles, fired from warships in the Mediterranean Sea,
targeted an air base in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack
that American officials believe Syrian government aircraft launched
with a nerve agent; hangars, planes and fuel tanks were targeted, a
U.S. official sais. Two Navy destroyers launched Raytheon missiles
against Syria two days after Bashar al-Assad’s regime used poison
gas to kill scores of civilians
MORE: Nearly 60 cruise missiles launched from ships in eastern Mediterranean aimed at locations around Syrian airfield, @CBSDavidMartin says
NBC
adds that a high ranking administration official says foreign
countries from Arab states to Canada supported tonight's strikes vs.
Syria.
The
decision to strike in Syria marks a stark reversal for President
Trump, who during his presidential campaign faulted past U.S. leaders
for getting embroiled in conflicts in the Middle East
MORE: U.S launches cruise missiles from ships in Mediterranean, targeting single airfield in Syria, @CBSDavidMartin reports.
The
attack occurred while Trump was at his Florida estate after a dinner
with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where they were to discuss what to
do about North Korea’s nuclear program and U.S.-China trade
disagreements. Traveling to Mar-a-Lago from Washington on Thursday,
Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One about Assad, saying
“what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity. And he’s
there, and I guess he’s running things. So something should
happen.”
It
was not immediately clear if Trump's action had been precleared with
Putin in advance.
According
to local reports, "32 Minutes ago about hearing Very Loud Sounds
& Sky Was Lit up from Airbase He says Now Its "QUIET""
The
market's reaction was immediate:
S&P
500 FUTURES ERASE GAINS AFTER U.S. LAUNCHES SYRIA STRIKE
TREASURY
10-YR YIELD FALLS 4BPS TO 2.31% ON US STRIKES IN SYRIA
According
to the local press pool at Mar-A-Lago, Trump is speaking to reporters
now about air strike in Syria. It can't be broadcast live because of
technical restrictions at Mar-a-Lao.
The
speech can be seen here, and here is the full transciprt:
My
fellow Americans, on Tuesday Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad launched
a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. using a
deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women
and children.
It
was a slow and brutal death for so many, even beautiful babies were
cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of God should
ever suffer such horror.
Tonight
I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from
where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national
security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the
spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.
There
can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons violated
its obligations under the chemical weapons convention and ignored the
urging of the UN Security Council.
Years
of previous attempts at changing Assad's behavior have all failed and
failed very dramatically. As a result the refugee crisis continues to
deepen and the region continues to destabilize threatening the United
States and its allies.
Tonight
I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the
slaughter and bloodshed in Syria. And also to end terrorism of all
kinds and all types.
We
ask for God's wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled
world. We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of
those who have passed and we hope that as long as american stands for
justice then peace and harmony will in the end prevail. Goodnight and
God bless America and the entire world. Thank you.
At
the same time, Syrian state TV said that "American aggression
targets Syrian military targets with a number of missiles."
Rand
Paul who has been vocally against any strikes, opined on twitter:
While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked.
Democratic
Sen. Ben Cardin said in a statement in support of the airstrike, but
he stressed that “any longer-term or larger military operation in
Syria by the Trump Administration will need to be done in
consultation with the Congress.”
CBS
further reports that two dozen members of Congress were notified by
White House and Cabinet officials of the airstrike. The White House
will be providing a list of these members shortly that includes
people on both sides of the aisle.
Meanwhile,
Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis says in briefing to reporters that
it informed Russia ahead of the missile strike. He added that
the "U.S. took great precaution to avoid Russian housing."
In
the statement, the Pentagon said a total of 59 Tomahawk Land Attack
Missiles targeted aircraft, petroleum and logistical storage,
ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems and radars. The
Pentagon stressed that “extraordinary measures” were taken to
avoid civilian causalities. The Penaton confirmed that the
strike targeted Shayrat Airfield in Homs.
On
this point, the WaPo's Josh Rogin asks, "Russians were at that
airbase but got a heads up. Still, why were they at the chemical
weapons base?" Perhaps because there were no chemical
weapons there?
.@barbarastarrcnn reports Russians were at that airbase but got a heads up. Still, why were they at the chemical weapons base?
Rex
Tillerson added, however, that the US "sought no approval
from Moscow." He added that Russia is either complicit or
“simply incompetent” for not adhering to a 2013 commitment to
secure Syria’s chemical weapons, the Associated Press reports.
House
Speaker Paul Ryan called the airstrikes “appropriate and just.”
At the end of the statement, Ryan said he looks “forward to the
administration further engaging Congress in this effort.”
According
to the press pool, Trump personally informed China's president
Xi of the Syria strike.
*
* *
While
we await Russia's reaction, earlier in the day Russia's deputy U.N.
envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, warned on Thursday of "negative
consequences" if the United States carries out military strikes
on Syria.
"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," Safronkov told reporters when asked about possible
U.S. strikes. When asked what those negative consequences could be,
he said: "Look at Iraq, look at Libya."
*
* *
For
now, the attack appears to be over with ABC quoting a U.S. official
after U.S. missiles fired at Syrian airbase who said: “We’re done
until another decision is made.
MORE: U.S. official after U.S. missiles fired at Syrian airbase: “We’re done until another decision is made.”
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