Reports: U.S. launches missile strikes on Syria

There is breaking news on all the major networks that approximately 50 Tomahawk missiles were launched against Syrian air bases and other bases at which chemical weapons were stored.

The strikes come after what is believed to be Syrian Air Force chemical weapons attacks that killed dozens.

We will update as more details are known.

UPDATES:

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed the media after Trump. He stated that the government has taken steps “on an international coalition to pressure Bashar Assad from power.” He also said that Russia needs to “consider carefully” its decision to keep supporting Assad:

Asked if the U.S. would organize a coalition to remove Assad, Tillerson said: “Those steps are underway.”“It’s a serious matter, it requires a serious response,” Tillerson said, adding the recent attack “violates all previous U.N. resolutions, violates international norms and long-held agreements.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has remained Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fiercest ally since Syria broke out in its civil war six years ago. Reports have come in that Trump did not warn or give Putin a heads up about the strike.

Trump made the decision to conduct the airstrike when he met with his national security team before he dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis continues to update Trump on the strikes.

From Fox News:

U.S. defense officials tell Fox that two warships based in the eastern Mediterranean, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, have been training for the past two days to execute this mission.“Our forward deployed ships give us the capability to quickly respond to threats,” said a Navy official. “These strikes in Syria are a perfect example – this is why we’re there.”The original plans called for two targets, the airbase and a chemical weapons storage facility. However, Pentagon planners decided late Thursday to target just the airbase.

Tags: Syria, Trump Foreign Policy

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