US: Syria strike was 'very clear message'

WASHINGTON

The strikes the U.S. carried out after a deadly chemical attack were a clear signal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the White House said Friday as Russia warned against risks of a looming wider conflict.

"A very, very clear message was sent last night," spokesman Sean Spicer said. "One that was backed up and echoed by not only our own leaders here in this country, but throughout the world.

"They understand that the U.S. acted appropriately, and in most cases, there is widespread praise from around the globe for the president's actions," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a strike on a Syrian military airbase American officials believe was used to carry out the deadly chemical attack. Fifty-nine Tomahawk missiles were fired, the Pentagon confirmed.

The strike on Shayrat Airfield, Spicer said, "was very decisive, justified and proportional", arguing that it sends a "very strong message" to Syria and the world.

"This was a clear response on humanitarian purposes," Spicer said.

The missiles were fired from two U.S. destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean and hit the airbase at approximately 8:40 p.m. Eastern Time (1245 GMT). Aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars were targeted, the Pentagon said.

Assad should "at a minimum", abide by a 2013 agreement to refrain from using chemical weapons, Spicer said.

"There can be a shared commitment to defeat ISIS, and also agree that you can't gas your own people," he said. ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is another name for Daesh terror group.

Meanwhile, Moscow -- Assad's principal benefactor -- has sounded the alarm in the aftermath of the U.S.'s action.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wrote on social media on Friday the U.S. strike in Syria had brought the country “on the verge of a military clash with Russia”.

“Instead of an overworked statement about a joint fight against the biggest enemy, ISIS (the Islamic State), the Trump administration proved that it will fiercely fight the legitimate Syrian government,” Medvedev wrote.

He wrote the U.S. strikes were “in tough contradiction with international law and without UN approval, in violation of its own procedures stipulating that the Congress must first be notified of any military operation unrelated to aggression against the U.S.”.