US missile strike against Syria

7 Apr, 2017 03:09 / Updated 7 years ago

The US fired almost 60 cruise missiles at an airfield of the Syrian army, claiming that it was used to conduct a chemical weapons attack at a rebel-held town in the province of Idlib on Tuesday.

READ MORE: What we know so far about target, victims & reactions

READ MORE: Follow developments on US missile strike against Syria

10 April 2017

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhamanov has invited all parties interested in a Syrian ceasefire to attend a meeting on Syria set to take place in Astana from May 3-4. Kazakhstan also urged a wider circle of countries to take part in the ceasefire process, the minister told journalists on Monday. The country is now preparing to host the meeting and waiting for further information from the guarantor-states of the Syrian ceasefire.

09 April 2017

RT’s Ruptly agency has talked to the wife of a soldier who was killed in the US attack and also to the residents of a village located near the Shayrat airfield who showed the aftermath of stray Tomahawks landing outside their homes.

READ MORE: Ruptly films Syrian village hit in US missile strike on Syrian airfield (VIDEO)

Russia’s decision to suspend a joint agreement signed with the US in 2015 to prevent in-flight incidents in Syria was “the right step,” the Syrian Ambassador to Moscow, Riyadh Hadid, said.

“Russia has contributed immensely to the fight against international terrorism, and if the US-led coalition forces strike the army which is battling the terrorists, then to defend its ally is the right step to make in the fight against international terrorism,” Hadid said in an interview to Russian daily Izvestia, accusing US President Donald Trump and previous US administrations of implementing a “policy of double standards.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the Syrian crisis can only be solved through a political process, claiming it's not regime change but the defeat of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group that Washington is seeking in Syria.

The Red Cross has characterized the current situation in Syria as an “international armed conflict” after the US missile strike on Syrian Shayrat airfield near Homs, the ICRC regional spokesperson told RT.

READ MORE: Syria situation ‘an international armed conflict’ after US missile strike – Red Cross to RT

The Russian and Iranian top generals condemned the US missile strike in a telephone conversation on Saturday, Iranian IRNA and MEHR news agencies report. Iranian Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, called the bombardment a “decisive and clear violation against an independent state,” which can strengthen terrorists and impede the fight against them.

08 April 2017

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has canceled his visit to Moscow, hours before he was supposed to depart to Russia on Saturday. The British diplomat cited recent events in Syria behind his decision, saying that “developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the cancellation as “absurd.”

A thorough and impartial investigation must be launched following the alleged chemical attack in Idlib, which the US cited as the reason for its missile strike, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone conversation Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Following their conversation over the phone, the two officials agreed to continue the discussion of the Syrian issue during their planned face-to-face meeting in Moscow next week, the ministry added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has had a phone conversation with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, discussing the Syrian issue, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Saturday.

Lavrov has underlined the importance of a proper investigation of Friday’s US missile strike in Syria, having “in detail” explained Russia’s stance on the issue to the German politician, the ministry said.

Washington’s “illegal action” in Syria “undermines both regional and global security,” the ministry cited Lavrov as saying, while adding that US chemical weapons “arguments" behind the attack are “unreliable and weak.”

The Syrian airbase Shayrat is back to properly functioning, despite the damage done by the US strike, RIA Novosti reports, citing their correspondent at the scene.

Military planes just returned from the first mission following the attack. The runway was not damaged in the strike, as was previously reported.

“The airbase is functioning normally. The planes carry out their tasks and missions, hitting terrorists,” an officer from the Syrian top command told the agency’s correspondent.

US President Donald Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia held a phone conversation on Friday, discussing the US missile strike on Syria, SPA state news agency reported.

The Saudi monarch congratulated Trump for his “courageous decision,” saying it “serves the regional and world interest.”

Riyadh is backing Sunni rebel groups seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Kingdom said on Friday it “fully supports” US strikes on military targets in Syria.

“Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of member states expressed their strong support for the military operations carried out against military targets in Syria, which came in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime against innocent civilians that caused the deaths of scores of people, including women and children,” a statement carried by SPA said.

People in the streets of the Syrian capital of Damascus have harshly criticized the attack, advocating a response for what they called an “aggression” against the entire nation.

This is a war crime, because those Syrian soldiers are part of our country, and we won't accept this at all,” a Damascus resident told RT’s Ruptly agency.

Six people were arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, after protesters against the Syria strike clashed with counter-demonstrators, according to WFOX. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reportedly confirmed three arrested for inciting a riot, while three others were handcuffed for battery on a law enforcement officer.

The US bombardment of the Syrian airbase only serves to encourage Islamic State terrorists as the base was actively involved in the anti-terrorist campaign, including in Palmyra and Raqqa, Qusai Nasr from Homs, whose relative was killed in the airstrike told RT.

“All of the officers [stationed] there have actually taken part in the Syrian campaign against ISIS [Islamic State],” Nasr said.

Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov has blasted Washington for disregarding international law and abetting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) militants by striking the Syrian airbase.

“The missiles launched from the US warships have spilled blood of innocent citizens and made a generous gift to ISIS – the exhausted army of Bashar Assad has lost up to 10 aircrafts,” Kadyrov wrote on Instagram.

He also accused the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of hypocrisy, arguing that it is eagerly issuing statements based on “rumors from Chechnya,” but remains silent on the Syrian airstrike.

“The European Parliament, which reacts to every sneeze in Russia, has now swallowed its tongue.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Washington is closely following the Syrian government’s response to the US airstrike on the airbase near Homs, adding that the further actions by the US will depend on if and how Syria decides to retaliate.

“And as we said last night, we will monitor Syria’s response to that strike in terms of whether they attack our own forces or coalition forces, or whether we detect that they are considering mobilizing to take additional chemical weapons attacks,” he said in a briefing Friday.

NYPD warns protesters of arrest

The New York Police Department has begun warning protesters of potential arrests for not allowing "sufficient space" on the sidewalk for pedestrian traffic or walking in the street, obstructing vehicles.

The protesters were marching from Union Square in downtown Manhattan, New York City, against US intervention in Syria.

"You may be placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct," the police loudspeaker announcement said.

The former UK ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, has sharply criticized the US missile strike against Syria, questioning the mainstream narrative and warning of dire consequences for the Syrian people.

“If it’s only an alleged chemical attack, then the strike by the Americans can’t possibly be justified. They have delivered the verdict without deliberating on the evidence. What needs to happen, and may yet happen, is the proper UN investigation, but the damage is done,” Ford told RT.

The US strike will likely encourage terrorists in Syria to launch attacks, including possible chemical attacks, the former ambassador said.

“If you were a jihadi, would you not be jubilant this morning? Would you not be planning false flag operations to make sure more American involvement was brought on Assad’s head? Of course you would,” Ford said.

AP reports that the US has begun an investigation into whether Russia is linked to the suspected chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib, which Washington claims was carried out by Damascus.

An unidentified drone, allegedly Russian or Syrian, has been spotted over a rebel-held town in Idlib province after the Tuesday incident Khan Sheikhoun, AP cited US military officials as saying.

07 April 2017

'Emergency' protests against US strikes on Syria

An "emergency" demonstration organized in New York City's Union Square on Friday against US intervention in Syria was marked with chants including, "Hands off Syria," "Stop the US war machine, from Syria, Palestine to the Philippines," "US imperialist, number one terrorist," and "What do we do when Syria's under attack? Stand up, fight back!" 

The White House has described its missile strike in Syria that killed several people as a “very decisive, justified and proportional” action, which sends “a very strong signal not just to Syria but throughout the world.”

There [are] very important national security interests in the region, stability, and obviously there is a huge humanitarian component to this,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Friday.

There was no political contact made with Moscow,” Spicer said.

The official also claimed that “all 59” Tomahawk missiles that had been launched from US Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean “hit their target,” adding that when president Trump “asked about reaction from the world community as well as congressional leaders, [he] was informed that there was fairly unanimous praise for the decision and the actions [he] took.”

The Russian Defense Ministry had officially notified the Pentagon of the suspension of the memorandum of flight safety in Syria, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Friday.

The communications line used to avoid accidental clashes in Syrian airspace would be closed starting from April 8, the Defense Ministry said, adding that it had summoned a US military attache in Moscow and presented him with the official note.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has described the attack as “a very measured step,” also saying that Washington is "prepared to do more," though it "hope[s] that will not be necessary.”

“The US won’t wait for Assad to use chemical weapons without consequences. Those days are over,” she added.

Speaking of “guilty parties,” apart from the Syrian government, Haley also mentioned Iran and Russia.

“The Russian government also bears considerable responsibility. Every time Assad has crossed the line of human decency, Russia has stood beside him,” the ambassador said.

READ MORE: Moscow’s support for Damascus ‘not unconditional,' Assad doesn’t follow Russia’s orders – Peskov

The use of chemical weapons is absolutely unacceptable, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the guilty party should be found and punished.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has confirmed that Islamic State and Al-Nusra militants produce poisonous substances and use them in Syria, as well as Iraq, the ministry stressed, while noting that the terrorists also have access to precursors coming in from neighboring countries.

A representative from Uruguay called on the international community to “refrain” from further military action in Syria. Speaking at the Security Council meeting, he said that countries should “keep calm and carry on” with “respect for international human rights law.”

Italy called for a “UN-led political transition” in Syria, with its representative saying that this remains “the only way out” to avoid “further violence.”

Having told the UN Security Council meeting that the US claims that “the missiles severely damaged and destroyed Syrian aircraft and support infrastructure equipment,” a UN under-secretary-general added that Washington had reportedly warned Moscow of its missile strike in Syria.

According to news reports, the US said that they had informed Russian Federation forces of the strike in advance using the established deconfliction mechanism and taken precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield,” the UN official said.

The UK supports Washington’s strike in Syria, Britain’s representative at the UN Security Council meeting said, having called the military action a “proportional response” to an alleged chemical attack, which he said had been carried out by the Syrian government.

In his speech, the UK representative also called on Russia “to end protection of a war criminal,” saying that Russia is “humiliated” by its “failed” support of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah said on Friday a U.S. cruise missile strike on a Syrian airbase was an "idiotic step" which would lead to "great and dangerous tensions" in the Middle East. Hezbollah, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the six-year-old conflict, said in a statement the strike would not demoralise the Syrian army or negatively affect its allies. The U.S. military action was a "service" to Israel and its "ambitions in the region," Hezbollah added, without elaborating. (Reuters)

The International Committee of the Red Cross has amounted the situation in Syria to “an international armed conflict” following the US strikes on Syrian airfield in Shayrat, Reuters cites a spokesperson as saying.

“Any military operation by a state on the territory of another without the consent of the other amounts to an international armed conflict," Iolanda Jaquemet said.

The US missile strike violated not only international, but also US laws, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said, adding that the attack was “on the verge of a military clash with Russia.”

“Instead of an overworked statement about a joint fight against the biggest enemy, ISIS, the Islamic State [terrorist group], the Trump administration proved that it will fiercely fight the legitimate Syrian government,” Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page.

Washington’s missile strike was carried out “in a tough contradiction with international law and without UN approval,” the Russian PM went on to say, adding that American internal procedures for such military action were also violated, as Congress “must first be notified of any military operation unrelated to aggression against the US.”

Russia has initiated an emergency meeting of ceasefire task force of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to discuss overnight US strikes on an airfield in Shayrat, RIA Novosti reported citing a diplomatic source. The meeting is to take place at 15:00 GMT in Geneva.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet at 11:30 EDT (15:30 GMT) on Friday to discuss the US missile strikes on Syria. The meeting of the 15-member council will be public, diplomats said, as cited by Reuters.

Australia called for “a strong response” when condemning the alleged chemical attack in Idlib, the Guardian reports, citing Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s interview with 3AW radio.

“We have condemned this attack utterly. It cries out for a strong response and we are in very … close and constant communication with our allies, in particular the United States,” Turnbull said.

Belgium believes only a political solution can resolve the Syrian conflict, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told Le Soir. 

He urged European partners to prevent further escalation and called on the EU to provide dialogue between Russia and the US.

Reynders didn’t condemn the unilateral US missile strike, but called for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib province. However, he blamed the Syrian government for the attack, claiming that Assad cannot remain in power after such actions.

Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov has provided details on the protection that Russian forces are receiving in Syria.

"The Russian missile defense system is Syria is organized as point defense. The S-400 and S-300 air defense missile weapon systems, and Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system provide reliable defense for the Russian stationing sites from the air," he said.

"The S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems reliably cover the Russian military aircraft fleet at Khmeimim airport. Another S-300 and Pantsir air defense system protects the sustainment center of the Russian air forces in Tartuz," the official added.

There are conflicting reports on the number of those killed in the US missile strike, with versions varying from four fatalities to 10.

Four Syrian soldiers died, according to the Russian military, while a Syrian Army officer speaking to RIA Novosti stated that 10 troops were killed. Earlier, the Syrian Army said that the attack resulted in the deaths of six soldiers.

The governor of Homs has blamed the US strike for at least five deaths, including two civilians and three military personnel. 

Syria’s SANA state news agency, citing sources, reported that nine civilians were dead, including four children.

Francois Hollande says he will call an urgent UNSC session for Friday evening.

The office of the Syrian president has slammed the US attack as a “rash” action and “reckless, irresponsible behavior,” saying Washington was naively duped into carrying out the missile strikes by a false propaganda campaign, Reuters reported.

"This aggression has increased Syria's resolve to hit those terrorist agents, to continue to crush them, and to raise the pace of action to that end wherever they area," a statement from the presidency said.

The statement slammed the attack as “shortsighted,” saying it reflects the US’ long-standing policy of targeting and “subjugating people,” the AP reported.

Meanwhile, a Syrian Army officer told RIA Novosti that the US strike had left 10 Syrian soldiers dead.

Four Syrian military personnel died, two more are missing and four others suffered burns in the US missile strike at the airbase, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov stated during a briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the US missile strike on a Syrian airbase at a briefing session of Russia’s Security Council in Moscow, the president’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.

Italy believes the Syrian conflict should be resolved with Russia playing a “constructive role” in UN-supervised negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition forces.

The Syrian conflict resolution must come through “negotiation that includes the forces of the regime and the opposition, overseen by the UN, with a decisive and constructive role for Russia,” Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said, as cited by Reuters, adding that both France and Germany support this position.

Gentiloni doesn’t see the overnight strike as a step towards a military escalation of the conflict.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk has said that the US missile strikes on the Syrian airbase showed “needed resolve” against chemical attacks, Reuters reported.

In the aftermath of the US missile strike, China has called on all parties fighting in Syria to find a political solution to the war.

Beijing said it hopes that all “relevant parties stay calm, exercise restraint, and avoid doing anything that might raise tensions,” according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

“The latest developments in Syria again speak to the urgent need for a political settlement to resolve the Syria issue. We call on all relevant parties to resolutely stick to promoting a political settlement and not abandon efforts to find a political settlement,” Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing.

Syria's Ambassador to Moscow Riyad Haddad, commenting on a potential military response by Damascus to the US missile strike on a Syrian airbase, declared that such a decision could be taken only with the coordination with Russia.

“All actions are coordinated with the Russian Federation, that's why the solution to this question could only go in coordination of the Syrian government and Russia,” he stated.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano says Rome regards the Syrian strike as a reasonable action and a deterrent for Assad's alleged chemical attacks, Reuters reports. 

"Italy understands the reasons for the US military action," the official said. The strike was "a commensurate response ... and a signal of deterrence against the risks of further use of chemical weapons by Assad."

“This time, they didn't even care to provide any facts, just referred to some photos, speculated on the photos of kids yet again, and of course speculated on the testimony of various NGOs, including the infamous swindlers from the White Helmets, who stage different situations to provoke activities against the Syrian government,” Lavrov said.

The US didn’t bother to provide any facts to back its allegation that Damascus carried out a chemical attack in Idlib, Lavrov said.

“Which brings us back to the thought that Jabhat Al-Nusra is regarded by the West as an organization that should be preserved,” the Russian foreign minister added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the US strike on Syria reminds him of the attack on Iraq back in 2003, which was launched without approval from the UN Security Council.

“This reminds us of the 2003 situation, when the US and the UK, along with their allies, intervened in Iraq without approval from the UN Security Council, which was a blatant breach of international law,” Lavrov said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged Assad to step down and called for a transitional government to be established.

“It is necessary to oust this regime as soon as possible from the leadership of Syria,” Cavusoglu said, as cited by Reuters.

“If he doesn’t want to go, if there is no transition government, and if he continues committing humanitarian crimes, the necessary steps to oust him should be taken,” he added.

Assad is to blame for the US attack, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel maintain.

“Assad bears full responsibility for this turn of events. His constant use of chemical weapons and mass killings can't stay unpunished,” their communique says.

Hollande and Merkel called on the international community to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

Turkey has called for no-fly and safe zones to be urgently established in Syria, according to the country’s presidential spokesman.

The US strike has left six dead and led to huge material losses, according to the Syrian army, as cited by Reuters. The military added that it will keep fighting to “restore peace and security” in Syria.

The missile strike has made America “a partner” of Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front, and other “terrorist organizations,” the Syrian army command said in a statement, while calling the attack an act of “blatant aggression.”

Islamic State took advantage of the US missile strike to try to seize oil areas near Palmyra, but failed, a local governor told RT.

British Defense Secretary Fallon has stated that Britain doesn’t see the missile strike as the beginning of a new military campaign, at the same time asserting that London doesn’t “see a long-term future for Assad in Syria.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa May was kept informed about the attack, Fallon added. The British government also reviewed the need to understand and take into account any Russian reaction.

The UK wasn’t asked to be involved in the operation, Fallon said.

Israel was one of the first countries to be notified ahead of the US missile strike on Syria’s military airbase, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Friday.

“We, I think, got a telephone call first,” Lieberman said on state radio, adding “we knew exactly where the strike would occur.”

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, has condemned the US missile strike on the Syrian airbase.

“What happened in Syria is terrible, and I strongly condemn this,” Le Pen said, adding that the West should have “waited for the results of an international investigation [into the use of chemical weapons in Idlib] before carrying out strikes on Syria.”

“We should allow democracy and the Syrian people to speak out. It’s they who should choose their leader,” Le Pen concluded.

Syria’s airbase was significantly damaged by the missile strike, RIA Novosti news agency has reported, citing one of the employees at the scene.

“All the planes have been brought out of operation, and one could say that the base is completely destroyed,” he said.

The fire at the airbase is ongoing, Syrian Sana TV channel reported.

A spokesperson for the Polish government said that the US is the guarantor of world peace, adding that “there are times when you need to react.”

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that Turkey sees the US missile strikes on Syria as positive, according to Turkish Fox TV. The official added that the world should take a stance against Syria’s President Assad, and his government should be punished in the international arena.

Hours before American missiles hit the Syrian airbase, deputy permanent representative of Russia at the UN Vladimir Safronkov said Russia was getting direct signals about an imminent US military operation in Syria and is surprised that no one is thinking of the consequences.

"For you, journalists, and for us, diplomats, it is no secret that all these discussing in the UN Security Council are happening at the same time with the hype about the upcoming military operation. We're getting direct signals that such military operation is being prepared.

"Moreover, what suprises most of all, is that no one is wondering about potential consequences."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has said that France was informed about the strike by the US ahead of the attack, with Washington asking for no particular help from Paris.

Ayrault added that the future of Syria isn't with Assad, with the Americans beginning to make their position clear.

He also said that Russia and Iran need to understand that supporting Assad makes no sense, adding that the West doesn't want a confrontation with Moscow and Tehran.

Speaking to Al-Mayadeen TV, Homs governor Talal Barazi said that five people had died and seven were injured in the US missile strike, but he doesn’t expect a big rise in the casualty numbers.

He added that the attack also led to civilian casualties in the village located near the airbase.

READ MORE: At least 2 civilians, 3 soldiers killed by US missile strike on Syrian airbase – Homs governor

Iran has strongly condemned the US strike on the Syrian airbase, ISNA news agency has reported.

The UK government has backed Trump’s decision to order the missile strike, calling it “an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime.”

The chances of US-Russian cooperation in fighting terrorism in Syria have grown dim with the latest missile strike on the Syrian military.

“Russian cruise missiles continue to hit terrorists, and American cruise missile continue to strike government forces that are actually leading the war against the terrorists, and I’m afraid that with such an approach, the idea of a Russian-American anti-terrorist coalition in Syria, about which so much has been said since Trump came into power, will die in childbirth,” head of the Upper House Committee for International Relations, Konstantin Kosachev, said.

Saudi Arabia ‘fully supports’ the US strike against Syria, Al Arabiya reported.

US lawmakers have been sharply divided on President Donald Trump’s decision to order a missile strike without consulting lawmakers.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has criticized the decision, saying that the incursion is hardly justified given the past experiences of the US in the Middle East.

“Our prior interventions in this region have done nothing to make us safer and Syria will be no different,” Paul wrote on Twitter.

Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu sided with Paul, pointing that “attacking the Assad regime requires congressional approval,” as opposed to the actions that are carried out “in defense of the US.”

Hillary Clinton’s former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine took a similar stance, calling Trump’s decision to go war unilaterally “unconstitutional” and “unlawful.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) argued that if the issue was not urgently debated in Congress it would mean the “abdication of our responsibility.”

Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who used to voice highly critical opinions on Trump, praised him this time, saying that Trump “deserves the support of the American people” as he "confronted a pivotal moment in Syria and took action.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) also commended Trump.
“The action in Syria was appropriate and just,” he wrote on Twitter.

The US strikes on the Syrian airbase are “reckless and irresponsible actions” that risk further destabilizing the situation in the Middle East and lead to the emergence of new military conflicts and the expansion of those that already exist, the first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma’s Defense Committee, Andrey Krasnov, said.

"The United States wants to stir up a big fire in the Middle East and by launching 59 cruise tactical missiles they added fuel to the flame," he added, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who recently visited Syria on a fact-finding mission and introduced a bill intended to stop US from arming terrorists, condemned the airstrikes as strengthening Al-Qaeda.

“It angers and saddens me that President Trump has taken the advice of war hawks and escalated our illegal regime change war to overthrow the Syrian government,” Gabbard said in a statement.

“This escalation is short-sighted and will lead to more dead civilians, more refugees, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other terrorists, and a possible nuclear war between the United States and Russia.”

The US attack on Syria is “an act of aggression against a UN member,” the chair of the Russian Senate’s security and defense committee, Viktor Ozerov, told RIA Novosti. He added that Moscow would call an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is soon to release a statement on the US strike in Syria, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Bolivia has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting to be held behind closed doors on Friday to discuss the US missile attack against Syria, a senior Security Council diplomat told Reuters.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Washington did not contact the Russian leadership or “any other level within Russian infrastructure” before conducting the airstrike on the Syrian base.

“No contacts were made with Moscow, with President Putin,” Tillerson told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.

The governor of Homs province said the American strike against the Syrian army installation was helping terrorist forces.

“The Syrian leadership and Syrian policy will not change,” Talal Barazi said in a phone interview with state television, as cited by Reuters. “This targeting was not the first and I don't believe it will be the last.”

He also said firefighting and rescue operations were underway at the Shayrat airfield.

The American attack against Syria came a day after its UN envoy, Nikki Haley, threatened unilateral action against Damascus unless the UN Security Council acted collectively on the alleged attack. The US and its allies Britain and France wanted the UNSC to pass a resolution blaming the Syrian government for the incident. Russia opposed it, saying a proper investigation was necessary before blame could be assigned in the case.

READ MORE: ‘We are compelled to take own action’ if UN fails in Syria – US envoy

Tillerson added that the US had a high degree of confidence that sarin gas was used in the alleged chemical attack. He didn’t offer an explanation of why the people responding to the incident were apparently not affected by sarin despite not wearing any protection gear, as footage released by the activists suggests.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused Russia of failing to carry out the 2013 agreement to secure Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, claiming that Moscow was either incompetent or complicit. The mandate to remove and destroy the weapons was never laid on Moscow. The Organization for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) did the job and has been verifying that Damascus kept its part of the bargain jointly with the UN.

Conflicting reports came from Syria on whether the US missiles caused loss of life on the ground, with some reports saying they did and others saying they didn’t. The Syrian state TV called the attack “American aggression”.

The Pentagon released footage of the Tomahawk launch from the Mediterranean as well as satellite images of the targeted airfield prior to the airstrike. It also provided a map of Syria with what it claimed to be a track of the Syrian aircraft used in the alleged chemical weapons attack.

US President Donald Trump said the attack against Syria served “vital national security interest of the United States” in a statement to the nation. He claimed that there could be no dispute on whether Damascus was guilty of the alleged attack. He further called on “all civilized nations” to join the US “in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.”

The Pentagon said Russia had been notified of the impending missile attack beforehand and that the US military planners took precautions to minimize the risk to Russian and Syrian troops from the missile attack.

On Friday, US missile destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat airfield in the Homs governorate, the Pentagon said in a statement. The US military claimed that the Syrian Air Force had launched the alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib from this airfield and that the attack was meant to reduce Damascus’s ability to launch such attacks in the future.

READ MORE: US fires dozens of Tomahawks at Syria military base near Homs, Trump cites ’Assad’s chem attack’

On Tuesday, an incident happened in Syria’s Idlib province, which local rebels described as a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government against the civilian population. The accusation has been backed by the US and its allies, which said the incident “bore the hallmarks” of an attack by Damascus. No reliable independent evidence backing the accusations has been made public.