Network Take: Do U.S. Airstrikes Mark Emergence of a “Trump Doctrine?”

Late on Thursday night, U.S. naval vessels stationed in the Mediterranean fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat Syrian military air base near Homs. The strike comes in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack on Monday in the rebel-held province of Idlib, which killed over 70 people.

This type of decisive action against the Syrian regime is something that regional and international allies opposed to Assad have been waiting for. However, it marks a major escalation against Russia and Iran, both of whom are deeply invested in the Syrian regime. The Trump administration claims that this is a one-off strike meant only to punish Damascus’ use of chemical weapons, and great pains were taken to avoid killing any Russian personnel.

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