President Donald Trump announced military strikes against Syria during a live news conference Friday evening.
“I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway,” Trump said. “We thank them both.”
The move was in response to a recent chemical weapons attack by Assad’s regime against Douma that took place April 7. The attacks left the victims “thrashing in pain and gasping for air,” saying the use of chemical weapons, “are not the at the actions of a man they are crimes of a monster.”
During the 6 p.m. news conference, Trump called last week’s attack a “significant escalation” in the use of chemical weapons, one the represented a serious concern for the nation’s security.
The reason given for the strikes were, “to establish a strong deterrent against the productions spread and use of chemical weapons,” Trump said. “Establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the United States.”
Congressman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, supported the move in a statement issued on his Facebook page Friday evening.
“It is not acceptable for Assad to use chemical weapons against civilians,” Knight stated. “The United States has always been the world leader in standing up against atrocities like this. I support the decision to join our allies in stopping this brutality.”
