The United States fired over 50 cruise missiles in a direct attack on Syria’s airfield and military aircraft on Thursday, NBC News reports.
President Donald Trump ordered the missile launch in response to Syria’s use of banned chemical weapons that killed at least 100 Syrian men, women and children on Tuesday.
Two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at Ash Sha’irat in Homs province in western Syria, where the U.S. believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired the banned chemical weapons.
There was no response from Syria’s ally Russia, which warned on Thursday of “negative consequences” if the United States reacted to the chemical attacks.
“Russia cannot escape responsibility for this,” said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “They chose to close their eyes to the barbarity. They defied the conscience of the world.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Thursday that “there is no doubt in our minds” that the Assad regime is responsible for the chemical attack on the Syrian people.
Tillerson urged Russia to “consider carefully their continued support of the Assad regime.”
Senator Paul Rand reminded President Trump that Congressional approval is required to go to war.
“While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked,” he tweeted on Thursday night.
“The President needs Congressional authorization for military action as required by the Constitution,” he added.
But one of his Twitter followers reminded him that former President Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry claimed all of Syria’s chemical weapons had been removed.
