Russian diplomat slams US missile strike in Syria as 'senseless'

MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. The actions similar to the US missile strike on an air base in the Syrian province of Homs are illogical and senseless and such self-assertiveness by the US authorities is dangerous, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"But one thing is indisputable: such self-assertion through absolutely illogical, ill-thought-out and senseless measures from the viewpoint of the struggle against international terrorism is dangerous. This is dangerous because this runs counter to the collective struggle against international terrorism, against this global threat of contemporaneity," the Russian diplomat said.

"Sooner or later there will necessarily come the awareness of the harmfulness of such steps and such strategy, of course. And sooner or later, there will come the awareness that there is no alternative to the collective, joint actions by all the members of the international community on the international law basis of countering international terrorism and there is no alternative to the collective actions for the prevention of its spread. I would want this to happen sooner and not later," she said.

Domestic background

The US strike on Syria’s airbase has an obvious domestic background, she went on.

"First, we believe that these steps are wrong and groundless," Zakharova said. "Second, we think that they obviously have a domestic background. We have repeatedly said and underlined that, unfortunately, the situation in the world is more and more influenced by the domestic conjuncture and the domestic political landscape in Washington."

"Washington is still unable to form a foreign policy strategy following a tough election campaign," the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman went on to say. "It is no secret that the new US president has been facing difficulties during his first months in office particularly because various US political institutions have been doing all they can to oppose the new administration."

"One thing is certain: illogical and unreasonable steps taken by Washington to assert itself are dangerous as far as the fight against international terrorism is concerned," Zakharova pointed out. "They are dangerous because they run counter to joint efforts to fight terrorism. Sooner or later - and it is sure to happen - they will realize how harmful this strategy is while joint efforts by all members of the global community to combat and constrain international terrorism have no alternative."

"We would like it to happen sooner rather than later," the Russian diplomat stressed.

On Thursday night, at the direction of US President Donald Trump, the US forces fired 59 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) on a Syrian military air base located in the Homs Governorate. The attack came as a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Idlib Governorate on April 4. The US authorities believe that the airstrike on Idlib was launched from that air base.