1UA TV

Britain’s foreign secretary says there are no plans to launch additional military strikes against Syria but his country and its allies will consider further action if Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons against his people in the future.

“There is no proposal on the table at the moment for further attacks because so far, thank heavens, the Assad regime have not been so foolish as to launch another chemical weapons attack,” Boris Johnson told the BBC.

The U.S., France and Britain launched the strikes early Saturday morning, firing 105 missiles at three Syrian chemical weapons facilities — one in the capital of Damascus and two others near Homs, near the border with northern Lebanon.

U.S. military officials said an initial assessment showed every one of the missiles struck its target, reducing the facilities to rubble while avoiding any civilian casualties.

The action was in response to a recent attack in the town of Douma which killed more than 40 people and sickened hundreds more. The U.S. and its allies accused Assad’s forces of using chemical weapons. Syria and Russia denied this.

U.S. defense officials say they have high confidence chlorine gas was used and are still assessing evidence indicating the presence of sarin gas. But late Saturday, senior administration officials called the evidence “incontrovertible.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry Saturday condemned what it called “the brutal American-British-French aggression… which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

Russia also decried the U.S.-led operation as a failure, saying the majority of the rockets fired at Syria were intercepted by the Syrian government’s air defense systems.

President Donald Trump called the joint military action “a perfectly executed strike. On Twitter Saturday, he thanked France and Britain for their “wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better results. Mission Accomplished!”

The U.S ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley warned the U.S. is “locked and loaded” if Syria uses chemical weapons again.

Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
…

Britain’s foreign secretary says there are no plans to launch additional military strikes against Syria but his country and its allies will consider further action if Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons against his people in the future.

“There is no proposal on the table at the moment for further attacks because so far, thank heavens, the Assad regime have not been so foolish as to launch another chemical weapons attack,” Boris Johnson told the BBC.

The U.S., France and Britain launched the strikes early Saturday morning, firing 105 missiles at three Syrian chemical weapons facilities — one in the capital of Damascus and two others near Homs, near the border with northern Lebanon.

U.S. military officials said an initial assessment showed every one of the missiles struck its target, reducing the facilities to rubble while avoiding any civilian casualties.

The action was in response to a recent attack in the town of Douma which killed more than 40 people and sickened hundreds more. The U.S. and its allies accused Assad’s forces of using chemical weapons. Syria and Russia denied this.

U.S. defense officials say they have high confidence chlorine gas was used and are still assessing evidence indicating the presence of sarin gas. But late Saturday, senior administration officials called the evidence “incontrovertible.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry Saturday condemned what it called “the brutal American-British-French aggression… which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

Russia also decried the U.S.-led operation as a failure, saying the majority of the rockets fired at Syria were intercepted by the Syrian government’s air defense systems.

President Donald Trump called the joint military action “a perfectly executed strike. On Twitter Saturday, he thanked France and Britain for their “wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better results. Mission Accomplished!”

The U.S ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley warned the U.S. is “locked and loaded” if Syria uses chemical weapons again.

Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
…

An American pastor imprisoned in Turkey is going on trial for alleged terror ties and spying in a case that has increased tensions between Washington and Ankara.

Andrew Craig Brunson, an evangelical pastor from North Carolina, is facing 35 years in prison on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and “espionage.” The trial begins Monday in western Izmir province.

He was arrested in December 2016 for alleged links to both an outlawed Kurdish insurgent group and the network of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Turkey blames for a masterminding a failed military coup that year. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies the claim.

Brunson has denied all allegations and maintains that he solely worked as a pastor

American officials have repeatedly requested that Brunson be released. In a meeting last year with his Turkish counterpart, President Donald Trump asked that the government “expeditiously” return the pastor to the U.S. But the appeals have not made much headway.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired back at Washington in September, demanding that the U.S. first return Gulen.

“You give him to us and we’ll give you this one,” he said, referring to Brunson.

Turkey has submitted an extradition request to the U.S. for Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, but so far it not been granted — a point that festers in the Turkish government, which has hunted down tens of thousands of alleged Gulen supporters and either imprisoned them or fired them from government jobs.

Brunson, 50, has been living in Turkey for 23 years and served as the pastor of Izmir Resurrection Church with a small Protestant congregation. The pastor was first detained in October 2016 with his wife, Norine Brunson, who was later released.

The Izmir prosecutor’s indictment against Brunson claims he was in contact with top-level executives of Gulen’s network and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Both are designated terror groups in Turkey. Brunson is accused of acting in “parallel and coordinated fashion” with them, aiming to “divide” the country.

The prosecutor also accuses Brunson of espionage, saying Brunson acted “as an agent of unconventional warfare,” gathering intelligence with religious work as his cover. The indictment — based on the testimonies of witnesses, including three secret ones, and alleged digital evidence — claims the pastor worked to convert Kurds to Christianity to sow discord.

The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian group in the U.S. lobbying for Brunson’s release, has called him a “hostage of the Turkish government.” A petition has garnered more than half a million signatures, stating that the case was putting Christianity on trial.
…

An American pastor imprisoned in Turkey is going on trial for alleged terror ties and spying in a case that has increased tensions between Washington and Ankara.

Andrew Craig Brunson, an evangelical pastor from North Carolina, is facing 35 years in prison on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and “espionage.” The trial begins Monday in western Izmir province.

He was arrested in December 2016 for alleged links to both an outlawed Kurdish insurgent group and the network of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Turkey blames for a masterminding a failed military coup that year. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies the claim.

Brunson has denied all allegations and maintains that he solely worked as a pastor

American officials have repeatedly requested that Brunson be released. In a meeting last year with his Turkish counterpart, President Donald Trump asked that the government “expeditiously” return the pastor to the U.S. But the appeals have not made much headway.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired back at Washington in September, demanding that the U.S. first return Gulen.

“You give him to us and we’ll give you this one,” he said, referring to Brunson.

Turkey has submitted an extradition request to the U.S. for Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, but so far it not been granted — a point that festers in the Turkish government, which has hunted down tens of thousands of alleged Gulen supporters and either imprisoned them or fired them from government jobs.

Brunson, 50, has been living in Turkey for 23 years and served as the pastor of Izmir Resurrection Church with a small Protestant congregation. The pastor was first detained in October 2016 with his wife, Norine Brunson, who was later released.

The Izmir prosecutor’s indictment against Brunson claims he was in contact with top-level executives of Gulen’s network and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Both are designated terror groups in Turkey. Brunson is accused of acting in “parallel and coordinated fashion” with them, aiming to “divide” the country.

The prosecutor also accuses Brunson of espionage, saying Brunson acted “as an agent of unconventional warfare,” gathering intelligence with religious work as his cover. The indictment — based on the testimonies of witnesses, including three secret ones, and alleged digital evidence — claims the pastor worked to convert Kurds to Christianity to sow discord.

The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian group in the U.S. lobbying for Brunson’s release, has called him a “hostage of the Turkish government.” A petition has garnered more than half a million signatures, stating that the case was putting Christianity on trial.
…

Gesturing towards the White House, home to President Donald Trump who has called himself “a very stable genius,” Isaac Newton begged to differ.

“Knowing many geniuses, and being one myself, I would venture to say that was rather a boastful claim on his part,” said “Newton,” actually Dean Howarth, a Virginia high school physics teacher in period dress.

Howarth was among hundreds of people who turned out to a “March for Science” Saturday in Washington to “create tangible change and call for greater accountability of public officials to enact evidence-based policy,” according to organizers.

That was the formal message of the rally, one of more than 200 events being carried out around the world. 

But as keynote speaker Sheila Jasanoff said, the signs carried by people like Howarth told a more direct and simple story.

Many of those messages, while more restrained than Howarth’s, carried implicit criticism of Trump, who withdrew from the global Paris Agreement on climate change, has defended coal-fired power plants, seeks to roll back environmental regulations, and has yet to name his top science advisor.

“Make America Smart Again,” said a placard carried by one demonstrator, giving an alternative take on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” pledge.

“We’re here because no one wants to be led by the gut feelings of our elected officials,” Jasanoff, a Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard, said in her opening address without specifically referring to Trump’s widely-reported tendency to govern by instinct rather than analysis.

“Good science depends on good democracy. Let me repeat: good science needs good democracy,” she said.

David Titley, a retired rear admiral who led the US Navy’s task force on climate change, told the crowd that science shows we need to “take actions now to avoid the worst of the risks we know are highly likely to appear.”

Many in the crowd listened under the shade of cherry blossom trees beneath the Washington Monument on the first summer-like Saturday of the year.

“Science is what separates facts from fallacies, falsehoods and fanaticism,” Titley said. “If we ignore and denigrate science we do so at our own peril.”

Suzelle Fiedler, 44, a former laboratory worker, told AFP she attended the rally because of the administration’s desire to cut research funding, and “they’re dismissing a lot of scientific facts like climate change.”

Steven Schrader’s sign proclaimed that he is not a “mad scientist. I’m furious.”

Schrader, 66, told AFP the administration “is trying to essentially take science out of decision making.”
…

Gesturing towards the White House, home to President Donald Trump who has called himself “a very stable genius,” Isaac Newton begged to differ.

“Knowing many geniuses, and being one myself, I would venture to say that was rather a boastful claim on his part,” said “Newton,” actually Dean Howarth, a Virginia high school physics teacher in period dress.

Howarth was among hundreds of people who turned out to a “March for Science” Saturday in Washington to “create tangible change and call for greater accountability of public officials to enact evidence-based policy,” according to organizers.

That was the formal message of the rally, one of more than 200 events being carried out around the world. 

But as keynote speaker Sheila Jasanoff said, the signs carried by people like Howarth told a more direct and simple story.

Many of those messages, while more restrained than Howarth’s, carried implicit criticism of Trump, who withdrew from the global Paris Agreement on climate change, has defended coal-fired power plants, seeks to roll back environmental regulations, and has yet to name his top science advisor.

“Make America Smart Again,” said a placard carried by one demonstrator, giving an alternative take on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” pledge.

“We’re here because no one wants to be led by the gut feelings of our elected officials,” Jasanoff, a Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard, said in her opening address without specifically referring to Trump’s widely-reported tendency to govern by instinct rather than analysis.

“Good science depends on good democracy. Let me repeat: good science needs good democracy,” she said.

David Titley, a retired rear admiral who led the US Navy’s task force on climate change, told the crowd that science shows we need to “take actions now to avoid the worst of the risks we know are highly likely to appear.”

Many in the crowd listened under the shade of cherry blossom trees beneath the Washington Monument on the first summer-like Saturday of the year.

“Science is what separates facts from fallacies, falsehoods and fanaticism,” Titley said. “If we ignore and denigrate science we do so at our own peril.”

Suzelle Fiedler, 44, a former laboratory worker, told AFP she attended the rally because of the administration’s desire to cut research funding, and “they’re dismissing a lot of scientific facts like climate change.”

Steven Schrader’s sign proclaimed that he is not a “mad scientist. I’m furious.”

Schrader, 66, told AFP the administration “is trying to essentially take science out of decision making.”
…

International reaction to joint U.S., French and British airstrikes Saturday against government targets in Syria ranged from support to intense criticism, depending largely on which countries the reaction came from.

The U.S. Department of Defense said the strikes targeted three sites believed to be linked to the production of chemical and biological weapons. The attacks were retaliation for suspected chemical attacks near Damascus last weekend that killed more than 40 people.

U.S. President Donald Trump commended Britain and France for the joint airstrikes.

“A perfectly executed strike last night,” Trump tweeted hours after the attack. “Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Saturday that Trump had informed her the United States was “locked and loaded,” ready to respond if Syria used chemical weapons again.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry said, however, it “condemns in the strongest terms the brutal American-British-French aggression against Syria, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

Hundreds of Syrians gathered Saturday around Damascus, honking car horns, flashing victory signs and waving Syrian flags in defiance of the joint military strikes. Some shouted, “We are your men, Bashar,” references to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attacks as an “act of aggression against a sovereign government” and accused the U.S. of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Syria.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the airstrikes were a failure, maintaining the majority of the rockets fired had been intercepted by the Syrian government’s air defense systems.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the attacks constituted a criminal act and that U.S., France and Britain would not benefit from them.

“This morning’s attack on Syria is a crime,” Khamenei said on Twitter. “I firmly declare that the Presidents of U.S. and France and British PM committed a major crime. They will gain no benefit; just as they did not while in Iraq, Syria & Afghanistan, over the past years, committing the same criminal acts.”

China’s Foreign Ministry called Saturday for an independent investigation into the suspected chemical attacks and said a political solution was the only way to resolve the issue. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had consistently opposed the use of force in international relations and that any military action that circumvented the U.N. Security Council violated the basic norms of international law.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May said there was “no practicable alternative to the use of force” against Syria.

“I judge this action to be in Britain’s national interest,” May said. “We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to be normalized within Syria, on the streets of the U.K., or anywhere else in the world. We would have preferred an alternative path but, on this occasion, there is none.”

In France, reaction has been mixed to President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to participate in the attacks against the Syrian regime.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday that the joint military action was justified, limited, proportionate and successful.

“A large part of his chemical arsenal has been destroyed,” Le Drian told France’s BFMTV in an interview, referring to the Syrian leader.

Far-left and far-right lawmakers sharply criticized France’s decision to join the United States in the strikes.

Conservative National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who lost the 2017 presidential race to Macron, warned via Twitter that France risked its status as an “independent power” and said the strikes could lead to “unforeseen and potentially dramatic consequences.”

Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon also denounced France’s participation on Twitter, calling the strikes an “irresponsible escalation” that did not have European or French parliament support.

Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan expressed support for the airstrikes. European Council President Donald Tusk said the bloc “will stand with our allies on the side of justice.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the attacks by the U.S., Britain and France on Twitter as proof that “their commitment to combat chemical weapons is not limited to declarations alone.”

Netanyahu said in a written statement that the airstrikes should remind Assad that “his irresponsible efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his blatant disregard for international law and his willingness to allow Iran and its affiliates to establish military bases in Syria endanger Syria.”

In Turkey, the airstrikes were also well-received.

“We welcome this operation which has eased humanity’s conscience in the face of the attack in Douma, largely suspected to have been carried out by the regime,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said. The ministry added that Syria “has a proven track record of crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said those who use chemical weapons “must be held accountable.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned all sides must comply with international law and not dismiss Moscow’s warning that airstrikes on its ally could lead to war.

“I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people,” Guterres said in a statement.
…

International reaction to joint U.S., French and British airstrikes Saturday against government targets in Syria ranged from support to intense criticism, depending largely on which countries the reaction came from.

The U.S. Department of Defense said the strikes targeted three sites believed to be linked to the production of chemical and biological weapons. The attacks were retaliation for suspected chemical attacks near Damascus last weekend that killed more than 40 people.

U.S. President Donald Trump commended Britain and France for the joint airstrikes.

“A perfectly executed strike last night,” Trump tweeted hours after the attack. “Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Saturday that Trump had informed her the United States was “locked and loaded,” ready to respond if Syria used chemical weapons again.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry said, however, it “condemns in the strongest terms the brutal American-British-French aggression against Syria, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

Hundreds of Syrians gathered Saturday around Damascus, honking car horns, flashing victory signs and waving Syrian flags in defiance of the joint military strikes. Some shouted, “We are your men, Bashar,” references to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attacks as an “act of aggression against a sovereign government” and accused the U.S. of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Syria.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the airstrikes were a failure, maintaining the majority of the rockets fired had been intercepted by the Syrian government’s air defense systems.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the attacks constituted a criminal act and that U.S., France and Britain would not benefit from them.

“This morning’s attack on Syria is a crime,” Khamenei said on Twitter. “I firmly declare that the Presidents of U.S. and France and British PM committed a major crime. They will gain no benefit; just as they did not while in Iraq, Syria & Afghanistan, over the past years, committing the same criminal acts.”

China’s Foreign Ministry called Saturday for an independent investigation into the suspected chemical attacks and said a political solution was the only way to resolve the issue. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had consistently opposed the use of force in international relations and that any military action that circumvented the U.N. Security Council violated the basic norms of international law.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May said there was “no practicable alternative to the use of force” against Syria.

“I judge this action to be in Britain’s national interest,” May said. “We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to be normalized within Syria, on the streets of the U.K., or anywhere else in the world. We would have preferred an alternative path but, on this occasion, there is none.”

In France, reaction has been mixed to President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to participate in the attacks against the Syrian regime.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday that the joint military action was justified, limited, proportionate and successful.

“A large part of his chemical arsenal has been destroyed,” Le Drian told France’s BFMTV in an interview, referring to the Syrian leader.

Far-left and far-right lawmakers sharply criticized France’s decision to join the United States in the strikes.

Conservative National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who lost the 2017 presidential race to Macron, warned via Twitter that France risked its status as an “independent power” and said the strikes could lead to “unforeseen and potentially dramatic consequences.”

Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon also denounced France’s participation on Twitter, calling the strikes an “irresponsible escalation” that did not have European or French parliament support.

Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan expressed support for the airstrikes. European Council President Donald Tusk said the bloc “will stand with our allies on the side of justice.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the attacks by the U.S., Britain and France on Twitter as proof that “their commitment to combat chemical weapons is not limited to declarations alone.”

Netanyahu said in a written statement that the airstrikes should remind Assad that “his irresponsible efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his blatant disregard for international law and his willingness to allow Iran and its affiliates to establish military bases in Syria endanger Syria.”

In Turkey, the airstrikes were also well-received.

“We welcome this operation which has eased humanity’s conscience in the face of the attack in Douma, largely suspected to have been carried out by the regime,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said. The ministry added that Syria “has a proven track record of crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said those who use chemical weapons “must be held accountable.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned all sides must comply with international law and not dismiss Moscow’s warning that airstrikes on its ally could lead to war.

“I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people,” Guterres said in a statement.
…

Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow has received a document from a Swiss lab that analyzed the samples in the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-Russian spy, which points at a Western-designed nerve agent as a likely cause.

Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that Moscow received the confidential information from the laboratory in Spiez, Switzerland, that analyzed samples from the site of the March 4 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

He said the analysis was done at the request of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The OPCW’s report confirmed British findings that the Skripals were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent, but didn’t say who was responsible.

Britain has accused Russia of poisoning them with a Soviet-designed agent, an accusation that Moscow denies.

Lavrov said the document indicated that the samples from Salisbury contained BZ nerve agent and its precursor. He said BZ was part of chemical arsenals of the U.S., Britain and other NATO countries, while the Soviet Union and Russia never developed the agent.

Lavrov added that the Swiss lab also pointed at the presence of the nerve agent A234 in the samples, but added that the lab noted that its presence in the samples appeared strange, given the substance’s high volatility and the relatively long period between the poisoning and the sample-taking.

He noted that OPCW’s report didn’t contain any mention of BZ, adding that Russia will ask the chemical weapons watchdog for an explanation.

Britain said that the A234 agent belonged to the family of Soviet-designed nerve agents dubbed Novichok.

Yulia Skripal, 33, was released from the hospital this week. Her father remains hospitalized but British health officials say he is improving.
…

Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow has received a document from a Swiss lab that analyzed the samples in the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-Russian spy, which points at a Western-designed nerve agent as a likely cause.

Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that Moscow received the confidential information from the laboratory in Spiez, Switzerland, that analyzed samples from the site of the March 4 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

He said the analysis was done at the request of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The OPCW’s report confirmed British findings that the Skripals were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent, but didn’t say who was responsible.

Britain has accused Russia of poisoning them with a Soviet-designed agent, an accusation that Moscow denies.

Lavrov said the document indicated that the samples from Salisbury contained BZ nerve agent and its precursor. He said BZ was part of chemical arsenals of the U.S., Britain and other NATO countries, while the Soviet Union and Russia never developed the agent.

Lavrov added that the Swiss lab also pointed at the presence of the nerve agent A234 in the samples, but added that the lab noted that its presence in the samples appeared strange, given the substance’s high volatility and the relatively long period between the poisoning and the sample-taking.

He noted that OPCW’s report didn’t contain any mention of BZ, adding that Russia will ask the chemical weapons watchdog for an explanation.

Britain said that the A234 agent belonged to the family of Soviet-designed nerve agents dubbed Novichok.

Yulia Skripal, 33, was released from the hospital this week. Her father remains hospitalized but British health officials say he is improving.
…

On Syrian state TV, President Bashar al-Assad strolls into his office carrying a briefcase around 9 a.m. Saturday, only hours after Western missiles rained down on suspected chemical weapons sites in Damascus and Homs.

They labeled the video on Twitter, “a morning of steadfastness.” 

But with the Middle East once again skirting the brink of an all out war between world powers, the region is anything but unwavering, with mounting fears that the attacks could cause dangerous ripple effects.

Analysts are urging restraint, saying the consequences of escalation could be disastrous.

“A large part of the reason that Syria is in ruins today is because nearly all actors have pursued military solutions instead of diplomacy aimed at halting the bloodshed,” said Reza Marashi, the research director at the National Iranian American Council.  “An eye for an eye approach will not bring justice or peace to Syria.”  

The U.S., Great Britain and France launched the assault in response to alleged chemical attacks against civilians in Syria that killed dozens of people on April 7.  

The U.S. said strikes could continue if the Syrian government continues to use chemical weapons, “they will be held accountable.”  

Russia — allied with Assad and Iran in Syria — responded by condemning the attacks, but did not repeat threats of retaliation made earlier this week. 

“The current escalation around Syria is destructive for the entire system of international relations,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement.  He also called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the “aggressive actions.”

Outrage and Glee

With nearly every country in the Middle East having a stake in the Syrian conflict, governments across the region are formulating responses to the attack, with some seeing it as a victory for human rights, and others as a war crime.

Saudi Arabia supported the attack wholeheartedly, as it considers Assad a proxy for Iran, its main rival in the region.  A Saudi official told Gulf News that the strikes “came as a response to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, including women and children.”

Iran roundly condemned the attack, calling it a crime.  “The aggression is a flagrant violation of international law and a disregard of Syria’s right to national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reads a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The Iran-backed Lebanese military, Hezbollah, which is fighting rebels and other groups with Assad in Syria,released some of the most vehement condemnation of the attacks.  The strikes “represent direct and forthright support to terrorist and criminal gangs” reads a statement on al-Manar, a Hezbollah media company.  The statement also said the Western strikes were related to aggression from Israel, Hezbollah’s main enemy.

This once again put Israel on the same side as Saudi Arabia, as Iran and Israel continue to trade accusations and cross border attacks.  One Israeli official said on Twitter early Saturday that the strikes sent an “important signal… that using chemical weapons crosses a red line.”  

Caution

But other Middle East leaders are reacting with more caution, with making careful statements and calling for calm.  

Egypt both expressed concern for the escalation and reaffirmed its condemnation of the chemical attacks.  The United Nations says it has confirmed at least 34 chemical attacks in Syria since 2013.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry released a statement calling the attack “a very dangerous development” and saying further destabilization in Syria could increase terrorism in the region.  Iraq’s military is both heavily supported by the U.S. and its Western allies, and by Iran, allied with Russia and the Syrian government led by Assad.  Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he plans to “keep away” from the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Turkey released a statement in support of the strikes, and has offered to mediate between the two sides squaring off on Syria, being allied with both NATO and Russia.  Turkish officials have said the attacks were “appropriate” and that they were given advance warning, according to the Reuters news agency.

Arab leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and Syria is among the topics they are planning to discuss.  Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is taking a virtual victory lap, tweeting, “Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”
…

On Syrian state TV, President Bashar al-Assad strolls into his office carrying a briefcase around 9 a.m. Saturday, only hours after Western missiles rained down on suspected chemical weapons sites in Damascus and Homs.

They labeled the video on Twitter, “a morning of steadfastness.” 

But with the Middle East once again skirting the brink of an all out war between world powers, the region is anything but unwavering, with mounting fears that the attacks could cause dangerous ripple effects.

Analysts are urging restraint, saying the consequences of escalation could be disastrous.

“A large part of the reason that Syria is in ruins today is because nearly all actors have pursued military solutions instead of diplomacy aimed at halting the bloodshed,” said Reza Marashi, the research director at the National Iranian American Council.  “An eye for an eye approach will not bring justice or peace to Syria.”  

The U.S., Great Britain and France launched the assault in response to alleged chemical attacks against civilians in Syria that killed dozens of people on April 7.  

The U.S. said strikes could continue if the Syrian government continues to use chemical weapons, “they will be held accountable.”  

Russia — allied with Assad and Iran in Syria — responded by condemning the attacks, but did not repeat threats of retaliation made earlier this week. 

“The current escalation around Syria is destructive for the entire system of international relations,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement.  He also called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the “aggressive actions.”

Outrage and Glee

With nearly every country in the Middle East having a stake in the Syrian conflict, governments across the region are formulating responses to the attack, with some seeing it as a victory for human rights, and others as a war crime.

Saudi Arabia supported the attack wholeheartedly, as it considers Assad a proxy for Iran, its main rival in the region.  A Saudi official told Gulf News that the strikes “came as a response to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, including women and children.”

Iran roundly condemned the attack, calling it a crime.  “The aggression is a flagrant violation of international law and a disregard of Syria’s right to national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reads a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The Iran-backed Lebanese military, Hezbollah, which is fighting rebels and other groups with Assad in Syria,released some of the most vehement condemnation of the attacks.  The strikes “represent direct and forthright support to terrorist and criminal gangs” reads a statement on al-Manar, a Hezbollah media company.  The statement also said the Western strikes were related to aggression from Israel, Hezbollah’s main enemy.

This once again put Israel on the same side as Saudi Arabia, as Iran and Israel continue to trade accusations and cross border attacks.  One Israeli official said on Twitter early Saturday that the strikes sent an “important signal… that using chemical weapons crosses a red line.”  

Caution

But other Middle East leaders are reacting with more caution, with making careful statements and calling for calm.  

Egypt both expressed concern for the escalation and reaffirmed its condemnation of the chemical attacks.  The United Nations says it has confirmed at least 34 chemical attacks in Syria since 2013.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry released a statement calling the attack “a very dangerous development” and saying further destabilization in Syria could increase terrorism in the region.  Iraq’s military is both heavily supported by the U.S. and its Western allies, and by Iran, allied with Russia and the Syrian government led by Assad.  Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he plans to “keep away” from the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Turkey released a statement in support of the strikes, and has offered to mediate between the two sides squaring off on Syria, being allied with both NATO and Russia.  Turkish officials have said the attacks were “appropriate” and that they were given advance warning, according to the Reuters news agency.

Arab leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and Syria is among the topics they are planning to discuss.  Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is taking a virtual victory lap, tweeting, “Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”
…