Tag: syria

Strike kills 15 near Syria’s IS-held Raqa: monitor

  BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — At least 15 civilians, including four children, were killed in a suspected US-led coalition airstrike on Saturday near the Islamic State group’s Syrian bastion Raqa, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17 people were injured in the strike on Heneyda, and that the death toll could rise further because several of the wounded were in serious conditions. The Britain-based group said the strike was […]

US threatens further strikes in Syria

by Carole LANDRY / with Omar Haj Kadour in Khan Sheikhun Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United States warned Friday it is ready to hit Syria again after a missile strike that infuriated Moscow and fueled calls for a push to end the six-year war. US Ambassador Nikki Haley delivered the warning at an emergency session of the UN Security Council called after the US strikes, which were launched to punish […]

Defense stocks, oil boosted by US attacks on Syria

  by John Biers Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Wall Street stocks finished modestly lower Friday following a disappointing US jobs report, while Pentagon missile strikes on Syria lifted defense shares and oil prices. Gold prices, a traditional safe haven in times of turbulence, also rallied following the Syria action, while global stock markets were mixed. The Labor Department reported that the US added just 98,000 jobs in March, far below […]

Watch: Damascus residents denounce US strikes on Syria as “int’l terrorism” on sovereign state

  Damascus residents criticize an American air strike on a Syrian airbase that marked the first direct US assault on President Bashar al-Assad’s government, saying it amounts to “international terrorism against a sovereign state.” Najeed Haj Bakri, university student said, “The US will intervene, whether it’s in the Shayrat airfield or any other airfield, every time the Syrian army advances and captures new areas. The Israelis and Turks did the same thing.” Esam Remeh, a […]

Trump’s far-right backers rebel over ‘hoax’ Syria attack

  by Paul Handley Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Far-right backers of US President Donald Trump rebelled Friday after he ordered a missile strike to punish Syria for a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people. Bandying the hashtag #Syriahoax, leaders of the “Alt-Right” white nationalist fringe lashed out at the president for abandoning his election campaign stances. Some denied the suspected chemical attack took place. Others rejected the broadly accepted […]

NATO says Syria to blame for US strikes after attack

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Syria is to blame for the United States missile strikes carried out after a deadly suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town earlier this week, North Atlantic Treaty Organization head Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. “The Syrian regime bears the full responsibility for this development,” Stoltenberg said in a statement. “Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, cannot go unanswered, and those responsible must be held accountable,” he added.

Russian military says Syrian air defenses to be “strengthened”

MOSCOW, Russia (Eagle News) — Russia’s military on Friday said the Syrian forces’ air defenses will be boosted following the United States’ strike on a regime air base ordered by US President Donald Trump. “To protect Syria’s most sensitive infrastructure, a complex of measures will be implemented in the near future to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of the Syrian armed forces’ air defence system,” said spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.

US Syria strikes show necessary “resolve” after attack: EU’s Tusk

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) –The United States missile strikes on a Syrian airbase Friday demonstrated “needed resolve” against chemical attacks, European Union President Donald Tusk said. “US strikes show needed resolve against barbaric chemical attacks,” tweeted Tusk, who represents the 28 EU member states, adding the bloc will work with the US to “end brutality” in Syria. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, the EU executive, expressed his support for the US decision. “President Juncker […]

Syria army says six dead in US strike

  DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) – Six people were killed and serious damage caused by a US missile strike on a Syrian air base in the center of the country early Friday, Syria’s army said. “At 3:42 am (0042 GMT) the United States carried out a flagrant aggression with missiles against one of our airbases in the central region, killing six people and wounding a number of others, and causing significant damage,” a spokesman said, reading […]

Iran ‘strongly condemns’ US strike in Syria

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said Friday that it “strongly condemns” a United States air strike on a Syrian government airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town. “We condemn all unilateral military action and the missile strike by US warships against Shayrat airbase under the pretext of Tuesday’s suspected attack on Khan Sheikhun,” foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghassemi told the Fars news agency. Iran, with Russia, is the closest […]