President Donald Trump ordered the launch of 59 tomahawk missiles to attack a Syrian airbase held by the government. The missiles were launched from two naval destroyers positioned in the Mediterranean. Trump claims to have ordered the missiles in order to deter the use of chemical weapons after Assad was accused of using them on innocent civilians. The airbase attack was reported as “US aggression” by Syrian news outlets. The missiles were targeted at Syrian military in the airbase and was directed to avoid Russian military units at that same base. Russian news outlets like “Russia Today” disputed the US’s intel and questioned whether or not Assad had any reasonable motives for allegedly using chemical weapons. Critics of president Trump argue that his sudden aggression is a result of his low national approval rating (30%) and risk of impeachment. The credibility of the US’s intel isn’t as trusted as it used to be on a global scale and many skeptics wonder if this is another case of faulty intel that we’ve seen over the last two decades.

Trump held a press conference to address the attack at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where he is currently hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In his press conference president Trump called on all civilized nations to help the US battle the slaughter and oppression of Syrian people. In his press conference president Trump also stated,”It is in this vital national security of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.” Trump officials expressed their support for the president’s order and reaffirmed their stance of encouraging the replacement of Syria’s current leadership .

Prior to this attack the US and Israel have been actively working to dismantle Assad’s power and control. Israel has used military action earlier this year but this is the first time the US has directly attacked the Syrian government. The US has been competing with Russia in terms of control in Syria. Vladimir Putin has been a strong supporter of Assad and they have been his best ally in the region since the Syrian civil war started in 2011. The sudden escalation of tensions in Syria isn’t a soothing sign of peaceful diplomacy and only time will tell whether or not more military action will follow.

This attack ordered by Trump came to the surprise of many Americans and they reacted accordingly via Twitter: