MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The United States, France and Britain have launched a joint operation against Syria, US President Donald Trump said. Pinpoint strikes at what he described as chemical weapons production facilities were underway.
Tonight, @POTUS Donald J. Trump addressed the nation to announce a combined operation- with the #UnitedKingdom and #France- of precision strikes against sites associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of the #Assad regime in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/m0H3Pk8Dh1
— Department of State (@StateDept) 14 April 2018
"I ordered the United States armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad," Trump said from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room.
US aircraft and ships were used in the attack, according to multiple US defense officials.
Décollage, cette nuit, des forces armées françaises qui interviennent contre l’arsenal chimique clandestin du régime syrien. Déclaration du Président de la République @EmmanuelMacron : https://t.co/HNSK0FmZIO pic.twitter.com/DEAW7R50aC
— Élysée (@Elysee) 14 April 2018
Trump also insisted that the US would not remain engaged in Syria forever under any circumstances. He has previously told his national security team he wants US troops to exit Syria within six months: "America does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria," the US president said. "As other nations step up their contributions we look forward to the day we can bring our warriors home."
Our response, in coordination with our allies, #France and the #UnitedKingdom, integrates all elements of are our national power- military, economic and diplomatic- and will establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread, and use of chemical weapons.
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) 14 April 2018
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement that she "authorized British armed forces to conduct co-ordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian Regime's chemical weapons capability and deter their use."
The Prime Minister @theresa_may has made a statement on Syria: https://t.co/bBfYyowUIo pic.twitter.com/QlTeFXmOkt
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) 14 April 2018
Donald Trump also remarked that the United States hoped for establishing better relations with Russia and Iran, but did not rule out that might not happen.
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