U.S. President Donald Trump, in a filmed statement from his Mar-a-lago resort Thursday night – where he is currently meeting President Xi – said the strike was “in [the] vital national security interest of the U.S.,” adding that “years of previous attempts at changing Assad’s behavior have all failed.” The Syrian army has said that the strike killed six Syrian soldiers, and claimed that the attack made Washington a “partner” to “terrorist groups.” A spokesman for the Russian government, Dmitry Peskov, also denounced the attack as unprovoked “aggression against a sovereign nation,” and the Kremlin has suspended its air safety agreement with the U.S. in retaliation. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Australia have supported the strike.
Thursday night’s attack represents a striking about face for the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Just one week ago, administration officials seemed ready to abandon the idea of regime change in Syria, a longstanding Obama Administration policy. On Friday, White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, stated that the Trump administration “accepts the political reality” of Assad’s rule, while Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, observed vaguely that Assad’s fate would be “decided by the Syrian people.” Now, the Trump administration has taken the most significant U.S. military action against Assad since the Syrian civil war started six years ago.
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