DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus US Launches Airstikes Against Syria

Trump orders airstrikes against Syria in response to chemicial weapons attacks against civilians.

http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/04/06/us...chemical-attack

I give Trump credit for stepping up and taking action.
Obama was too much of a pansy to get it done in Syria.

And for the tinfoil hat people who are into Russian conspiracy theories.....oh I guess Putin wont be too pleased with this. Trump: Ah Well.

They did say on CBS that we would be avoiding any areas where the Russians were.

Next question: Where does it go from here?

And when does it end?

Syria crossed the red line, decided to be dumb and we acted, I for one like it.Taking out the air fields where the chemical weapons were launched from seems like a good step and calculated. Syria brought this upon itself because it violated signed policies.

Where it goes next is up to Russ .... errr ... i mean Assad ...

If (t)he(y) doesn't slaughter his people anymore then for now it's over .. if they do it again ... i would expect the other 5 air bases to be shut down .... balls in their court ...

They wanted to know if Trump kept his balls in his uterus like oBUMa did ... they found out Trump don't draw meaningless lines in the sand but is a man that believes actions have consequences ...

DONALD TRUMP

18 Times Donald Trump Said the U.S. Shouldn't Bomb Syria

Ashley Hoffman
Apr 06, 2017
link

Before he was president, Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. should not bomb Syria in a number of tweets from 2013 to 2014.

As the White House ordered strikes on Syria late Thursday, several of those old tweets were recirculating on Twitter, especially two in which he called for congressional approval before launching any military actions against the Middle Eastern country.

Following the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons on his own people, killing more than 80, Trump announced Thursday's attack in an official statement.

"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."

His stance on U.S. Syria policy under then President Obama dates back to 2013 when Trump began repeatedly criticizing the potential for American involvement.

Below see Trump's past positions that began to resurface as Trump hinted at military action on Thursday.

June 16, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
We should stay the hell out of Syria, the "rebels" are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS?ZERO
8:33 PM - 15 Jun 2013

Aug. 28, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Remember, all these ‘freedom fighters’ in Syria want to fly planes into our buildings.
2:57 PM - 28 Aug 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Why do we keep broadcasting when we are going to attack Syria. Why can't we just be quiet and, if we attack at all, catch them by surprise?
12:45 AM - 29 Aug 2013

Aug. 29, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
@walaa_3ssaf No, dopey, I would not go into Syria, but if I did it would be by surprise and not blurted all over the media like fools.

8:09 AM - 29 Aug 2013 · Manhattan, NY

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
If we are going to continue to be stupid and go into Syria (watch Russia), as they say in the movies, SHOOT FIRST AND TALK LATER!

8:19 AM - 29 Aug 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Let the Arab League take care of Syria. Why are these rich Arab countries not paying us for the tremendous cost of such an attack?

8:25 AM - 29 Aug 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.

2:14 PM - 29 Aug 2013

Sept. 5, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!

9:20 AM - 5 Sep 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Russia is sending a fleet of ships to the Mediterranean. Obama’s war in Syria has the potential to widen into a worldwide conflict.

4:45 PM - 5 Sep 2013

Sept. 6, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Many of the Syrian rebels are radical jihadi Islamists who are murdering Christians. Why would we ever fight with them?

2:44 PM - 6 Sep 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
If Syria was forced to use Obamacare they would self-destruct without a shot being fired. Obama should sell them that idea!

6:49 PM - 6 Sep 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your "powder" for another (and more important) day!

9:21 AM - 7 Sep 2013

Sept. 9, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Don't attack Syria - an attack that will bring nothing but trouble for the U.S. Focus on making our country strong and great again!

7:59 AM - 9 Sep 2013

Sept. 11, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Obama must now start focusing on OUR COUNTRY, jobs, healthcare and all of our many problems. Forget Syria and make America great again!

9:19 AM - 11 Sep 2013

Sept. 13, 2013

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
We should stop talking, stay out of Syria and other countries that hate us, rebuild our own country and make it strong and great again-USA!

1:29 AM - 13 Sep 2013

Sept. 12, 2014

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
The so-called ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels pledged their allegiance to ISIS after Obama’s address. We should not be arming them!

2:46 PM - 12 Sep 2014

Sept. 17, 2014

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
So Obama wants to bomb ISIS in Iraq & arm them in Syria? What is he doing!

4:45 PM - 17 Sep 2014

Sept. 20, 2014

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Do you believe that Obama is giving weapons to "moderate rebels" in Syria.Isn't sure who they are. What the hell is he doing.Will turn on us

4:52 AM - 20 Sep 2014

This isn't the first time that Trump's past tweets have complicated things for the president. link Here are 19 tweets that came back to haunt President Trump.

BOOM BABY!

It's sad that this has become a Trump vs. Obama discussion...

It always does. It's a defense mechanism.

Message sent...

To Russia- Assad is unacceptable as leader of Syria.

To North Korea- We will act alone as necessary. Your actions may have consequences.

To China- Don't push us too far with those islands and Japan.

To our Allies- We are not afraid to act when needed, we have your backs.

To the World- America and our new President: Cross at your own risk.

Added one for ya.

1- Why do you continue to make this thread a Trump/Obama thing?

2- Why do you "Quote" me when it is not my quote? If I never said it, it is not a quote. It becomes a lie.

Palus Politicus having its own forum is a great idea.

It could have also been named Trump Politicus.

-----------------------------

Ron Paul: "Zero Chance" Assad Behind Chemical Weapons Attack In Syria; Likely A False Flag

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-06...kely-false-flag

Perhaps Donaldus Triumphus.

http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/stea...2fc778_full.jpg

I have to admit that's pretty good, 40!

1. I'm not making it a Trump/Obama thing. Other's here and the Trump admin are still whining about Obama. They need to get over it.

2. I quoted what you posted. I told you I added a line, sorry I didn't highlight it. My bad. Get over it.

Message sent indeed ! To the Russians warning in advance​ that the political diversion errr retaliation was coming . This was a political move pure and simple as we give two turds about Syria and its people . Is it coincidence that this happens on a day where yet another roadblock to tyranny was destroyed ? That's the way I would draw it up .

Message was sent to Syria a week ago that we're ok with Assad in power. Assad gasses his own people so fast that our heads spin.

This administration actually helped instigate a chemical attack in Syria by emboldening Assad. And now I've heard Russia is under investigation to find out if they had anything to do with it also.

Can this Russian connection get any worse?

The United States attacked a Syrian air base on Thursday night in response to the government’s chemical attack on civilians in Idlib Province earlier this week. This is the first time the U.S. has taken direct military action against Syria during the country’s six-year civil war.

“Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the air base in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched,” Trump said on Thursday night. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”

The U.S. Air Strike

Two U.S. warships — the USS Ross and USS Porter — fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Al Shayrat airfield in Homs Province in western Syria. That’s believed to be the site from which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces launched the chemical attack that killed at least 100 people on Tuesday. The strike began around 4:40 a.m. local time (8:40 p.m. ET) and lasted for three or four minutes.

The strike targeted hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars. The U.S. military avoided hitting a suspected sarin gas storage facility because they feared it would disperse the deadly gas.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters late on Thursday night that the strike was limited, and Syria is still capable of carrying out sarin gas attacks, like it did on Tuesday. However, Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said, “Initial indications are that this strike has severely damaged or destroyed Syrian aircraft and support infrastructure and equipment at Shayrat Airfield, reducing the Syrian government’s ability to deliver chemical weapons.”

Five people were killed and seven people were wounded in the attack, according to Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province.

Russian forces were notified prior to the strike, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed that Trump did not discuss the attack with Russian President Vladimir Putin before or after it occurred. Tillerson blamed Russia for failing to ensure that Assad upheld his 2013 agreement to get rid of his chemical weapons stockpiles. “Clearly, Russia has failed in its responsibility on that commitment,” he said. “Either Russia has been complicit or has been incompetent on its ability to deliver.”

Military planners tried to “minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield,” according to Davis. U.S. forces avoided hitting the Russian military area at the airfield, and they believe no Russian planes were present during the attack.

The attack puts the hundreds of U.S. troops already stationed in Syria to assist in the fight against ISIS at greater risk. The U.S. launched air strikes in Syria in September 2014 as part of the coalition campaign against the terrorist group, but Syrian government forces were not targeted in those attacks.

President Trump's Remarks

“Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women, and children,” President Trump said during a brief press conference at Mar-a-Lago about an hour after the strike. “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 suffer such horror.”

Trump called for “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.”

The Decision to Attack Syria

There’s been much confusion about the Trump administration’s position on Syria. Throughout the campaign, Trump said he was opposed to regime change in Syria, declaring during a debate, “I don’t like Assad at all, but Assad is killing ISIS.”

In 2013, Trump tweeted more than 20 times that President Obama should not attack Syria in response to Assad killing 1,400 of his people with sarin and VX gas. Though Assad crossed Obama’s “red line” by using chemical weapons, the president sought authorization from Congress to use military force against the regime. It appeared Obama did not have the support of Congress, but before a vote was taken a diplomatic solution emerged, with Syria promising to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons.

In the past week, several Trump administration officials said removing Assad from power was no longer a priority. But then hours before Thursday’s strike, Tillerson said steps to oust Assad were already “underway.”

Trump said the chemical attack had changed his stance on Syria, but he did not elaborate on what that meant. “I will tell you that attack on children had a big, big impact on me,” he said on Wednesday. “That was a horrible, horrible thing.”

That same day, military aides presented Trump with three options for responding to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. The Intercept reported that one option involved a “saturation strike,” launching dozens of cruise missiles “in an effort to limit future Syrian Air Force attacks on rebel positions.” This involved attacks on Russian air defense systems used by the Syrians, which would have killed Russians.

That would have been a drastic shift in U.S. policy, and there’s no word on how Trump responded. According to the New York Times, he told his aides to focus on two of the proposals. Following a “meeting of considerable length” with his top national security aides on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, Trump decided to launch a far more limited strike, then dined with President Xi.

A military official told the Times that the attack was meant to send a signal to Assad that the U.S. will respond with military force if he continues using chemical weapons.

Yet the Trump administration’s overall policy toward Syria remains unclear. Following the strike, Tillerson offered this baffling statement: “I would not in any way attempt to extrapolate that to a change in our policy or posture relative to our military activities in Syria today. There has been no change in that status.”

“It does demonstrate that President Trump is willing to act when governments and actors cross the line … and cross the line in the most heinous of ways,” he added.

The U.S. Response

Members of Congress generally supported the strike. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who have been clamoring for more aggressive U.S. action against Assad for years, said it sends “an important message the United States will no longer stand idly by as Assad, aided and abetted by Putin’s Russia, slaughters innocent Syrians with chemical weapons and barrel bombs.”

But, as in 2013, lawmakers have broken into several bipartisan factions.

A White House official said more than two dozen Republican and Democratic members of Congress were briefed prior to the strike, but Trump did not seek formal congressional authorization.

Liberal Democrats like Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Ted Lieu joined with libertarian-leaning Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee in condemning Trump’s decision not to seek congressional approval.

Congressional leaders from both parties took the middle ground, applauding Thursday’s strike while suggesting that they should be consulted before further action is taken.

“Making sure Assad knows that when he commits such despicable atrocities he will pay a price is the right thing to do,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “It is incumbent on the Trump administration to come up with a strategy and consult with Congress before implementing it.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan called the strikes “appropriate and just,” but added, “I look forward to the administration further engaging Congress in this effort.”

In a report last month, the Congressional Research Service noted that it’s not uncommon for presidents to “commit U.S. armed forces into potential hostilities” without consulting Congress, but there is still controversy over whether the president is “constitutionally authorized to send forces into hostile situations abroad without a declaration of war or other congressional authorization.”

The International Response

The attack “significantly increases” the risk of a direct U.S. confrontation with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia (and Iran) is backing Assad.

Putin believes the U.S. attack is an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law,” according to spokesman Peskov. He also said the strikes were carried out under a “far-fetched pretext.” Russia claims that the civilian deaths on Tuesday were the result of Syrian forces hitting a rebel chemical arsenal.

A statement from the Kremlin added that the U.S. committed the strike as “an attempt to distract from the mounting civilian casualties in Iraq,” an apparent reference to the Mosul bombing that killed as many as 200.

Viktor Ozerov, head of the Russian Federation Council’s defense committee, said the strike may undermine the war on ISIS. “This is an act of aggression against a U.N. member,” Ozerov said. “Cooperation between the Russian and U.S. militaries may be shut down after the U.S. strike.”

On Friday, Russia suspended a 2015 agreement with the United States over Syrian airspace. The memorandum required Moscow and Washington to share flight details on their air campaigns in the country and keep open the lines of communication to minimize the risk of in-air collision or catastrophe as the two countries flew missions over Syria. The United States had warned Russia about the impending air strike, but the Russian Defense Ministry said America was in “grave violation of the memorandum.”

The Pentagon was unclear about the immediate consequence of Russia’s decision to cast aside the agreement.

Even as Russia took a step to sever even further the already fractured relationship with the U.S., they downplayed the strike and called its effects on the Syrian base “extremely small.”

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Mayor General Igor Konashenkov, said that Moscow would help shore up the most “sensitive Syrian infrastructure,” another clear sign that Russia is refusing to distance itself from Assad.

Tillerson is set to travel to Moscow next week to meet with Russian officials.

Iran condemned the attack “regardless of the perpetrators and the victims,” according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi. He said the U.S. operation will “strengthen terrorists” and add to “the complexity of the situation in Syria and the region.”

The Syrian rebel group Ahrar al-Sham told NBC News it “welcomes any U.S. intervention through surgical strikes that would deter the Assad regime capabilities to kill civilians and shorten the suffering of our people.”

Alaa Alyousef, a 27-year-old resident of Khan Shaykhun who lost at least 25 relatives in the chemical attack, said the U.S. strike “alleviates a small part of our sufferings,” but he’s worried it’s only a face-saving measure.

“What good is a strike on Shayrat air base alone while we have more than 15 other air bases,” he said.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/us-strikes-syria-response-chemical-attack.html

That's a bit of a stretch.

I think the indisputable assertions that need to be focused on are:

1) Assad's use of chemical agents was absolutely deplorable.

2) Assad's use of chemical agents looks to be a very stupid move on his part (at least to this point).

Then I think it's best to focus on:

1) Was the US' recent move appropriate?

2) What should we do from here on out?

Maybe a bit. But there is no doubt that Assad was comfortable in his office knowing the U.S. was not going to do anything to help remove him from power. Huge mistake by this administration.

Escalation of U.S. involvement in yet another war isn't a win either.

To be fair, that is something that - until yesterday - was perpetuated by the current and previous administration.

I also need to be fair and state my view, too. I think the strike is certainly justified, as with any air support. I do think the international community, as a whole, is in our corner for the moves we made yesterday. I think at this point, though, putting legit boots on the ground would be over the line for me.

I was in favor of Tillerson's remarks about Russia, as I had anxiety about this administration's softened tone, and I abhor Putin and his government. I do think the president himself needs to stiffen his tone toward them as well.

I agree with everything else you said except the above is total BS!

It was the current administration that is on the record for stating that Assad's tenure would be up to the Syrian people to take care of. Two days later Assad gassed his own people.

The previous administration failed to to do anything about Assad. They never intended to. Obama was a total pansy on foreign affairs.

Is it me or have Republicans historically handled foreign affairs better than Democrats?

And 2 days later, we started blowing their stuff up. Unlike with the previous admin. that drew red lines in the sand. Over and over and over.

I thought the previous admin. said Syria didn't have any chemical weapons. Am I wrong in thinking that?

Depends on your definition of the word handled . I find it funny that a country nobody cares about has become the new battleground for political brinkmanship .

Trump : I'll call your troop involvement .

Putin : I'll raise you one chemical attack .

Trump : I'll call that attack and raise you 52 Tomahawk missiles to be launched only after I have notified you and your Syrian allies they were coming .

Meanwhile spotlight has shifted . Just in case more election meddling is uncovered we have a North Korea card in the hole .

Nah, I don't think this is anything like Bill bombing an aspirin factory in Africa.

And as for the u.s. telling russia "hey, get your butts out of there, we're bombing it", perhaps that was just a courtesy?

The conspiracy theory:

'Chemical Weapons Explosion In Syria Another False Flag Attack By The Usual Perps'

http://themillenniumreport.com/2017/04/c...he-usual-perps/

Have you ever been happy with anything in your life????? Just asking.

'We love you': Syrians 'thank' Trump for US airstrikes by changing their Twitter profiles to photos of him

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4391260/Syrians-mock-Assad-slogan-faux-Trump-propaganda.html

-----------------------

Putin tells the world - 'Attacking Syria again? You'll need to get through me': Russian battleship is positioned between US warships and runway hit by Trump's air strike as Vladimir makes his move

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4388834/America-launches-airstrikes-Syria.html

P.S. ^Ut-oh?^

That is really some deep stuff their 3rd.

1- Beware of those who talk above your head while adding truth into the mix with their BS.

2- Conspiracy Theorists always seem to be able to tell you what happened in the past but never provide something that will happen next or in the future.

3- People can not keep a secret to save their lives yet here you have an worldwide secret plan to take over the planet. As soon as someone is slighted or passed over for a promotion, you would have your leak.

Rack a history book . History ( especially American history ) is full of conspiracy theories that have turned out to be true . Gulf of Tonkin , MK Ultra , Tuskegee Experiment , CIA running drugs .....

The FO sure f'd this syrian raid up didn't they mac ....

1.) You could say the same thing about the mainstream media, except for the 'talking over your head' part.

2.) That's just not true (see below).

3.) Well, there's leaks all over the Internet!

I've read the New Testament three times now and am on my third reading of the Old Testament. I'm also a conspiracy theorist. In a nutshell, I believe the shadow government is a prelude to the NWO and the coming Antichrist.

If your interested, go to youtube and do a search for Russ Dizdar vids (audio mostly). He's a local pastor, from Akron. He is the most knowledgeable person I know on the Bible and end time revelations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/middleeast/syria-strikes-russia-donald-trump/index.html


Syria strikes: Site of chemical attack hit again



By Euan McKirdy, Jason Hanna and Barbara Starr, CNN


Syrians look down at a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and his late father and predecessor Hafez al-Assad in Damascus, as they watch the tourist train pass following the re-opening ceremony of the rail route between two neighbourhoods in the Syrian capital, Raboeh and Dumar, on May 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)



MEDITERRANEAN SEA - APRIL 7: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy,The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a Tomahawk land attack missile on April 7, 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Porter was one of two destroyers that fired a total of 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield in retaliation for a chemical attack that killed scores of civilians this week. The attack was the first direct U.S. assault on Syria and the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the six-year war there. (Photo by Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)



McCain: The Russians are as bad as Assad 


The Lead pre tape w/ Joni Ernst Jake is doing a pre-tape with Sen Joni Ernst at 245pm. The Senator will be from Russell. Location: Russell Rotunda

An S-300 PMU-1 anti-aircraft missile launches during a Greek army military exercise near Chania on the island of Crete on December 13, 2013. Greece is the first NATO country to try the Russian long-range missile system. AFP PHOTO / Costas Metaxakis (Photo credit should read Costas Metaxakis/AFP/Getty Images)







US Ambassador to the UN and UN security council president, Nikki Haley listens during an United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York on April 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)


US strike on Syria: An animated map 

Syrians look down at a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and his late father and predecessor Hafez al-Assad in Damascus, as they watch the tourist train pass following the re-opening ceremony of the rail route between two neighbourhoods in the Syrian capital, Raboeh and Dumar, on May 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)


MEDITERRANEAN SEA - APRIL 7: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy,The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a Tomahawk land attack missile on April 7, 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Porter was one of two destroyers that fired a total of 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield in retaliation for a chemical attack that killed scores of civilians this week. The attack was the first direct U.S. assault on Syria and the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the six-year war there. (Photo by Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

3067918 04/07/2017 The United States launched a military strike on a Syrian airbase Thursday. A plane in a shelter. Mikhail Voskresenskiy/Sputnik via AP



The Lead pre tape w/ Joni Ernst Jake is doing a pre-tape with Sen Joni Ernst at 245pm. The Senator will be from Russell. Location: Russell Rotunda

Sen. Ernst: This was a one-time attack 

Lawmaker questions gas attack evidence 

An S-300 PMU-1 anti-aircraft missile launches during a Greek army military exercise near Chania on the island of Crete on December 13, 2013. Greece is the first NATO country to try the Russian long-range missile system. AFP PHOTO / Costas Metaxakis (Photo credit should read Costas Metaxakis/AFP/Getty Images)



US Ambassador to the UN and UN security council president, Nikki Haley listens during an United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York on April 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

02:14


Haley: US was fully justified to strike Syria 
.
Story highlights
Russian warship en route to logistics depot in Syria
US investigating whether Russia was complicit in last week's chemical attack on Syrian civilians
Syrian air force resumes flights from base that US attacked

(CNN) — New airstrikes targeted a town in Syria that was hit by a chemical attack earlier this week, activists said, less than a day after the US bombarded a Syrian airbase to "send a message" to the Assad regime.

It wasn't immediately clear who conducted the strikes on Khan Sheikhoun, which was hit on Friday and Saturday, though only Russian and Syrian regime aircraft have been bombing that area of rebel-held Idlib province.

The latest attacks follow a missile strike early Friday by the United States on a base in western Syria that the US says was used to launch Tuesday's chemical attack, which left more than 85 people dead and hundreds more injured.

The new strikes came as Russia, the Syrian regime's main ally, sent a frigate armed with cruise missiles to a port in western Syria in an apparent show of force in response to the US action.


Key developments

•The Syrian air force resumed flight operations at the base that the US had struck Friday.
•Pentagon probes possible Russia involvement in chemical attack that prompted US strike.
•US officials say about 20 planes were destroyed in Friday's attack on the Shayrat base.
•US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley to UN says US 'prepared to do more' in Syria.
•Russian President Vladimir Putin said US strike was an "act of aggression."




At least one woman was killed and three other people injured in Saturday's strikes in Khan Sheikhoun, two activists in the town said. The strike that killed the woman happened in a residential neighborhood, activist Alaa Al-Youssef told CNN.

It wasn't clear where the strikes were launched from, but the Syrian air force resumed flight operations at the base that the US had struck Friday, two pro-regime media outlets and an opposition group said Saturday.

A video on Instagram, posted Saturday by a reporter from the state-run Russia-24 outlet, purports to show a jet rolling down a tarmac at the airbase. The caption reads: "Return to work at Shayrat."



A US defense official said Friday's strikes were not intended to damage runways or fully disable the base. Instead, the strikes hit aircraft, fuel storage, weapons dumps and other equipment, aiming to send a message to the Syrian regime that any use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated, the official said.

In the aftermath of the US strike, Russia pledged to help strengthen Syria's air defenses. Russian state media reported that a frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, would call at a logistics base at Tartus, Syria. It had earlier picked up supplies at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.



The Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. The ship, which is armed with cruise missiles, was reportedly entering the Mediterranean en route to a logistics site in Syria, Russian state media said.


The Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. The ship, which is armed with cruise missiles, was reportedly entering the Mediterranean en route to a logistics site in Syria, Russian state media said.

NATO called it one of the largest deployments from Russia in decades.

Retired US Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst, said the frigate appeared to be a show of force by Russia, which since late 2015 has been conducting airstrikes in Syria against forces opposing the Syrian regime.

"I think the Russians were caught off guard (by the US strikes)," Hertling said. "So they want to make sure they're tracking those (US) ships."


US quiet on next steps

US President Donald Trump praised his military for Friday's missile strike. "Congratulations to our great military men and women for representing the United States, and the world, so well in the Syria attack," Trump posted Saturday to Twitter.



But the White House late Friday refused to say whether its strike on Shayrat airbase was a one-off action or part of a new strategy designed to hobble the military capabilities of President Bashar al-Assad. Nor would it say whether the US believed Assad should step down after the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun that killed at least 80 people and injured dozens more on Tuesday.



A satellite photo of the Shayrat air base after the US missile strikes.


A satellite photo of the Shayrat air base after the US missile strikes.

The White House refused to discuss next steps. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump would not "telegraph his next move." Speaking to reporters at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Spicer said the US missile attack was "very decisive, justified and proportional."

He declined to say whether Trump now believed Assad should relinquish power. "First and foremost the President believes that the Syrian government [and the] Assad regime should abide by the agreement they made not to use chemical weapons," Spicer said.

What is Bashar al-Assad's goal?

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Russia had failed to honor an agreement to to guarantee the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons. "Clearly, Russia has failed in its responsibility to deliver on that commitment from 2013, he said. "So either Russia has been complicit or Russia has been simply incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement."

Who's with the US on Syria strike and who isn't

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, meanwhile, canceled his planned Monday visit to Moscow, citing developments in Syria.

In a statement Saturday, Johnson said his priority was to continue contact with the US and others in the run-up to a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy on Monday and Tuesday, with the aim of building "coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process."


Russia complicit?

US officials have said the Pentagon is looking for any evidence that the Russian government knew about or was complicit in Tuesday's chemical attack.

A US military official told CNN the Pentagon was examining specifically whether a Russian warplane had bombed a hospital in Khan Sheikhoun five hours after the initial chemical attack, with the aim of destroying evidence.

Russia flatly denies the allegations.



Samples are taken from the site of a suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.


Samples are taken from the site of a suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

Trump said he ordered the airstrike on the Shayrat base because the US believed aircraft that carried out the chemical attack were launched from there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the US strike as "act of aggression" and said it violated international law. Tillerson said he was "disappointed" in the Russian response.

Russian Senator Alexey Pushkov said that the disappointment was "mutual" and suggested that Tillerson's comments were made to gain "leverage" in upcoming US-Russia talks. Tillerson is due to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow next week.

He said on Twitter that the "conditions for negotiations in Moscow were even worse than (former Secretary of State John) Kerry's times."

CNN's Laura Smith-Spark, Kareem Khadder, Schams Elwazer, Ryan Browne and Paul P. Murphy contributed to this report.

See now, I agree with some of what you say. I also know they are working on the NWO, they have admitted it. Bush one announced it.

As a Christian, I believe there will be an Anti Christ and an end to this world.

I am sure there are leaks all over the internet but there are also a lot of nuts all over the internet. Very easy to be mislead.
Tread carefully.

One final thing to ask you...

If the end comes and Christ returns to slay Satan and mankind is caught up in the upheaval, what you gonna do about it there puny human?
You are along for that ride, try not to get any on you.
Nothing you think say or do is gonna effect that war in the least. May as well sit back and watch it unfold.

I don't think Trump ever praised Putin he just said Putin was more of a leader than Obama (And that was true). Putin made Obama look really bad over and over again.

Agree. The pansies are out of office and the Big Dog is back in charge.