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U.S. Allies in Mideast Praise Strike Against Syrian Airbase

Officials from Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia hailed the United States’ decision on Thursday to strike a Syrian airfield that was used to launch a lethal chemical attack against civilians earlier this week.

Iran, a chief ally and backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, condemned the operation, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“President Trump sent a strong and clear message today that the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Israel fully supports President Trump’s decision and hopes that this message of resolve in the face of the Assad regime’s horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere.”

Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security advisor, told reporters that while Assad previously acted with impunity because he was protected by Russia and Iran, now “the Americans are giving a very strong signal to Assad: not any more. … If you cross some red lines, unlike previous administrations, this administration is ready to take actions.”

For allies in the Middle East, Amidror said, the U.S. strike had a clear message: “you are not alone. America is here to help you if there will be a need.”

Mohammad Momani, a spokesperson for the Jordanian government, similarly called the strike “a necessary and appropriate response to the non-stop targeting of innocent civilians” with weapons of mass destruction.

A Saudi Arabian foreign ministry official said “the Syrian regime brought this military operation upon itself,” according to a report in the Saudi Press Agency. “The brave decision taken by the U.S. president in response to these crimes should be hailed when the international community has been unable to put a stop to such actions by the Syrian regime,” the official added.

“Everyone was waiting for the U.S. to act against Bashar al-Assad,” Ibrahim al-Marie, a retired Saudi colonel, told the Journal. Marie added that the strike could “make the regime more flexible” in negotiations to end the civil war, which recently entered its seventh year.

A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Bahram Qasemi, conversely condemned the U.S. attack on its client, saying, ‘Tehran considers this excuse for unilateral action as dangerous, destructive and violation of fundamental principles of international law.”

[Photo: U.S. Navy / YouTube  ]