Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May announced Saturday she authorized her country’s forces to conduct “precision strikes” alongside America and France against Syria in the wake of the chemical attack that left dozens of civilians dead this week. “This persistent pattern of behavior must be stopped — not just to protect innocent people in Syria from the horrific deaths and casualties caused by chemical weapons but also because we cannot allow the erosion of the international norm that prevents the use of these weapons,” May said in a statement.
She added, “This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change. It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also issued a statement in French saying his country’s “red line has been crossed” after the suspected chemical attack. He there was “no doubt” Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime was responsible.
Macron said his country’s priorities in Syria are to fight terror, allow the access of humanitarian aid and help bring peace to the region.
May and Macron’s statements came shortly after President Trump addressed the U.S. on the strikes from the White House.
Mr. Trump described a very specific type of target that the U.S. would go after, which are Syria’s chemical weapon capabilities. That could be anything from aircraft that dropped chemical weapons to the headquarters that control the forces that drop the chemical weapons, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
Mr. Trump claimed the U.S. is “prepared to sustain” a response until the Syrian regime stops using chemical weapons on its citizens, meaning this might not be the last use of military capabilities in Syria.
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