On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles (costing a cool $1.4 million each) at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat, located about 25 miles from the city of Homs. Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government.
On Saturday, the Syrian military airfield began resumed operations, a senior Syrian officer told Sputnik. US Senator Lindsey Graham said he thinks "Assad's telling Trump by flying from this base: 'F you'."
Ash Sha’irat airfield, a Syrian Air Force base which was struck by the United States on April 6, resumed combat flights, Syrian fighter jets take off and land safely.
"The airfield is functioning as usual. The aircraft are fulfilling tasks and carrying out military flights, striking terrorists," a senior Syrian officer told Sputnik on April 8.
"Here's what I think Assad's telling Trump by flying from this base: 'F you,'" US Senator Lindsey Graham told NBC, adding that he also thinks the Syrian President is making a serious mistake.
On Thursday night, the Pentagon launched 59 Tomahawk land attack missiles from USS Porter and USS Ross, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers deployed to the eastern Mediterranean, hitting the Syrian Air Force base located near the village of Ash Sha’irat, located in the vicinity of the Homs.
The strike destroyed eight hangars and all the military equipment located inside them, but spared several fighter jets and left the runway mostly intact.
US President Donald Trump said the attack on the Ash Sha’irat airfield was a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria's Idlib on April 4, which Washington blames on the Syrian government, and which Russia claims was a 'false flag' operation.
On Tuesday, the US and its allies accused President Bashar al-Assad of using toxic compounds in an attack that claimed nearly 80 lives and left 200 injured on the outskirts of Khan Shaykhun, a town in the rebel-held province of Idlib.
Although no evidence that Assad ordered the use of toxic agents against civilians has been provided, Trump ordered the US Department of Defense to carry out a retaliatory mission against Damascus, saying that it was a response to "a horrible chemical attack on innocent civilians using a deadly nerve agent."
Governor of Homs Province Talal al-Barazi reported that at least seven people were killed, including two civilians from the village, located near the air base.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack left four Syrian servicemen killed, two missing and six suffering severe injuries from the subsequent fire. The Syrian army, however, said that a total of ten people were killed.
