Pentagon: Attacks on Syria Set Back Damascus's Chemical Weapons Program by Years

The Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Defense, assessed that the attacks by the U.S. in coordination with Britain and France on Syria early Saturday, April 14, were "successful"; it set back Syria's chemical weapons program "by years" and significantly damaged Syria's offensive capability in the use of chemical weapons. The U.S. and its two main Western allies, Britain and France, conducted airstrikes on targets in Syria in response to a chemical attack on civilians in the city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta the previous Sunday. According to Reuters, hours after these attacks, Dana White, Pentagon spokesperson, and General Kenneth McKenzie, a senior U.S. defense official, emphasized in a press conference that the attacks were "precise, decisive, and effective." According to Ms. White, Bashar al-Assad's army lost a significant amount of equipment, especially in the area of chemical weapons production, in these attacks. However, she added that the Syrian infrastructure suspected of producing these weapons remains intact because "Syria's chemical weapons production programs are broader than the three facilities targeted in the Western strikes." While Syria and Russia claimed that the air defense systems deployed in Syria intercepted and diverted "most of the missiles launched" by the three Western powers against Syria, the Pentagon spokesperson stated that the Russian systems were "largely" ineffective and that "there is no evidence of Syria using Russian air defense systems." According to Dana White, Russian weapons had "no effect" on the Western attacks on designated targets in Syria, and "since the dawn attacks, none of the players present in the Syrian scene reacted." Russia claimed that 71 missiles launched by Western powers were intercepted and diverted by the air defense systems in Syria; a claim that Syria also reiterated, but the Pentagon spokesperson rejected it. Images released from the aftermath of the attacks in Syria show extensive destruction at several facilities in the country. Two U.S. defense officials told CNN that American B-1 bombers fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at the targets. It was previously reported that American fighter jets took off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to begin operations. According to a report by AFP, British Tornado fighters and French Mirages also flew from warships stationed in the eastern Mediterranean towards the targets. Britain and France launched one-fifth of the total 115 missiles fired at Syrian targets. The Pentagon expressed ignorance about casualties and injuries from the Western allies' attacks. The spokesperson emphasized that U.S. attacks on Syria faced bipartisan support in U.S. politics, with both parties in Congress backing Donald Trump's decision. Donald Trump tweeted early Saturday that the full-scale attack on Syria "could not have had a better outcome" and that "the mission is accomplished." Mr. Trump, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, added: "I am proud of the U.S. military, which with billions in approved funding will soon be the best military in the world." Syria attempted to portray the situation as "normal" throughout Saturday; social media networks affiliated with the Syrian presidential palace released a few seconds of footage showing Bashar al-Assad entering the administrative section of his palace early Saturday. SANA, the official Syrian news agency, later reported that Bashar al-Assad, in a phone conversation initiated by Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated that "this aggression only strengthens Syria's determination to continue fighting terrorism... in every inch of the homeland." Iran, Palestinian groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Ansar Allah in Yemen, which the West and the Arab coalition consider to be the "axis of evil" and of a terrorist nature, have supported the Syrian government in the new regional situation. On the other hand, the European Union, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and many countries in the international community supported the joint air operations of the U.S.-Britain-France against Syria and deemed it necessary in response to the use of chemical attacks by the Damascus government against civilians.