Syria on Friday blasted President Trump’s decision to order a missile strike against one of its airbases as a “blatant act of aggression.”
Syrian President Bashar Assad said the attack on an airfield near the city of Homs was “irresponsible,” “reckless” and “shortsighted,” according to USA Today.
The Syrian army said Thursday’s military action made the U.S. a “partner” of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations that have contributed to the destruction of the nation’s ongoing civil war.
{mosads}Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province, confirmed that at least seven people died in Thursday night’s strike.
The U.S. launched a missile strike in Syria in response to a chemical attack earlier this week that officials said was carried out by forces loyal to Assad, according to The New York Times.
The Pentagon said 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched at the airfield, which is where Tuesday’s deadly gas attack originated.
Trump ordered Thursday’s maneuver one day after saying his view of Assad had changed following news of the chemical strike.
“It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,” he said at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
“There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons,” Trump added of Tuesday’s incident, which killed 72 people, including 20 children.
Thursday’s strike is the first direct American assault on Assad’s government and the most significant military action of Trump’s presidency so far.