Trump defends massive missile assault as bombed Syrian air base operates again and ‘sarin attack’ village reports new air strikes
Governor of Syria’s Homs province confirmed the air base targeted in the US cruise missile attack is operating again
In a tweet, Trump defended the operation against criticism from some members of US Congress and military analysts that the nighttime volley of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles two days earlier did not target the runways at the Shayrat air base in eastern Syria.
Administration officials have said the attack successfully destroyed refuelling stations, hangars and some planes, effectively making the base inoperable.
“The reason you don’t generally hit runways is that they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)!” Trump wrote on Twitter from Mar-a-Lago after playing a round at the nearby Trump International Golf Club. The president was spending the weekend here after completing a two-day summit at his winter estate with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Watch: US Navy missiles launched at sea toward Syria
In an earlier message, Trump offered: “Congratulations to our great military men and women for representing the United States, and the world, so well in the Syria attack.”
The White House has sought to cast the mission - which came in response to evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime had carried out an attack on civilians with the nerve agent sarin - as a major success in putting Assad on notice that he can no longer use such weapons without consequences. Officials announced Saturday that Trump had spoken with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who offered support for his decision.