U.S. strikes Assad targets; Canada mum on abrupt Syria shift
NEW YORK — A ghastly chemical attack pushed the Syrian civil war toward a dramatic turning point, with the new U.S. administration launching a missile strike against the regime of Bashar Assad in a sudden shift in policy.
American warships launched dozens of rockets at a military air base in central Syria after a nerve-gas attack that killed scores of civilians including children, U.S. officials said late Thursday.
The strike came hours after the new Trump administration signalled a reversal of policy with respect to Assad: that the Syrian leader had lost the legitimacy to govern, he had to go, and an international coalition was being assembled to oust him.
President Donald Trump explained why he ordered the military strikes in a statement that did not elaborate on his longer-term political objective for Syria.