Saturday, April 20, 2024 | Shawwal 10, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Sultanate supports reasons for action on Syria

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MUSCAT: The Sultanate expresses its support to the reasons that prompted the US, UK and France to take military procedures against Syrian military installations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its official Twitter handle.


Meanwhile, President Donald Trump triumphantly declared “Mission Accomplished!” on Saturday following a US-led missile assault on Syria and warned another attack could follow if Damascus were to unleash more chemical weapons.


The combined US-French-British operation, which saw more than 100 cruise missiles smash into three chemical weapons facilities early on Saturday, earned quick scorn from Russia, which pushed for a vote at the UN Security Council condemning the strikes.


Trump and his allies ordered the pre-dawn mission in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack a week ago on the rebel-held town of Douma that left more than 40 people dead.


Both the government of Syria’s Bashar al Assad and its ally Russia have denied all responsibility for the April 7 attack, and Moscow slammed the “aggressive actions” of the Western coalition, but it has not yet responded militarily.


US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned her UN counterparts that although the mission was designed as a one-off, that did not preclude further action against Assad.


“I spoke to the president this morning and he said: ‘If the Syrian government uses this poisonous gas again, the United States is locked and loaded,’” Haley said at emergency Security Council talks.


“When our president draws a red line, our president enforces the red line.”


The sounds of massive explosions rang out across Damascus just before dawn on Saturday, ushering in 45 minutes of explosions and the roar of warplanes.


“A perfectly executed strike last night.


“Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military,” Trump tweeted early on Saturday.


“Could not have had a better result.


“Mission Accomplished!”


Trump drew some criticism for his choice of words: former president George W Bush notoriously stood on an aircraft carrier just a few weeks after the initial Iraq invasion in 2003 in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner.


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