Israel Says US-Led Strike Force Acted 'Appropriately' After Syria's 'Murderous Actions'
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—Israelis awoke Saturday to a beautiful and quiet Sabbath, with little outward sign that a US, British and French forces had struck Syrian targets overnight in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack believed to have been carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad last week.
The Israeli government does not offer many reactions to such events on the Sabbath, but an unnamed Israeli official released a statement of support for the action.
"Last year, President Trump made it clear that using chemical weapons crossed a red line. Tonight, led by the Americans, the US, France, and Britain acted appropriately," the statement read.
The official added, "Syria continues to carry out murderous actions and to be a base for these and other actions, including by Iran, that puts its territory, forces and leadership in danger."
The Times of Israel reports that the Israeli government was notified in advance of the attack designed to hamper and destroy Syria's chemical weapons production.
Russia, Syria, and Iran all reacted to the strikes with condemnations and warnings.
Al Jazeera reported a tweet by Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US which read in part, "Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences." Russia also claimed a "considerable part" of the missiles fired in the attack were shot down.
SANA, the Syrian state news agency said, "This aggression will only lead to inflaming tensions in the world."
And Iran warned of "regional consequences" for the attack, perhaps an indirect reference to some sort of action against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces were put on high alert earlier this week because of the growing instability near the borders of Syria and Lebanon, as well as the ongoing riots sponsored by Hamas in Gaza.
Iran also promised to retaliate for a presumed Israeli attack on a missile base in central Syria last Monday which killed at least 14 people, including Iranian military officers.
