Earlier this morning, US President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on the Syrian regime’s Shayrat airbase in Syria’s Homs governorate.
According to a press release issued by Trump, the military action came in response to Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s chemical attack on the people of Khan Sheikhoun in the northern opposition-held Idlib governorate, which has killed nearly 100 civilians.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread of chemical weapons.”
Trump’s motives were immediately – and rightly – put to question by Twitter users, and so was his strategy.
Trump is so moved by images of dying children that he will bomb their country but wont let those fleeing bombing seek refuge in the US
— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) April 7, 2017
Donald Trump is capitalizing on dead children to try to pull his approval ratings up, no hero. That being said, if this helps Syrians, GOOD.
— James Gandalf Feeny (@GabbaGabbaGhoul) April 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/ramaabbadyy/status/850257739250978816
Does have any strategy beyond lobbing missiles into #Syria? This should be criteria to decide whether to support or not? Where is this going
— Chris Doyle (@Doylech) April 7, 2017
Twitter users also pointed out that Trump himself was against military involvement in Syria, when he urged the Obama administration time and again not to strike Syria and to focus on “making America great again”.
What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
Many were against Trump’s involvement and the notion of the US “policing” the world.
https://twitter.com/jo_bouk/status/850218353889165312
#امريكا_تقصف_نظام_بشار wtf wrong with you guys !!! Y'all forgot Muslim ban and this is ridiculous! and y'all here praising him!
— • آ • (@asb77_) April 7, 2017
And yet, the strike action enjoyed a lot of support from Syrians and others following the conflict.
Some emphasised that the US has in fact been militarily involved in Syria for years, but the escalation of targeting a Syrian regime airbase was finally “the right target”. Others simply thought that, after six years of conflict, close to 500,000 deaths and millions of refugees, enough was enough.
I'm hearing this from many Syrians this morning: "Curse Assad for making us hope and rejoice at foreigners bombing our country"
— Elizabeth Tsurkov🌻 (@Elizrael) April 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/QZakarya/status/850200124680581121
Who cares if Trump is doing this for his own favour. We just want Assad gone by any means necessary!
— jamaal richards (@jamaaljay) April 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/Wafa_Zaidan/status/850256258271592448
إيران : #الضربة_الامريكية ستعقد الأمور في سوريا.
على أساس وجود الايرانيين بسوريا للحفاظ على البيئة.
وهل بقي تعقيد أكبر من القصف بالكيماوي .— محمد الربع (@malrubaa) April 7, 2017
Translation: “Iran: The US strike will complicate things in Syria / As though Iranian presence in Syria was to preserve the environment. / And are there bigger complications left after a chemical attack.”
https://twitter.com/thewarjournal/status/850228114714107904
For the first time in the #Syrian sky: no fly zoon in #Syria, syrian sky is empty from the killing machines #USattackSyria #Homs
— Asaad Sam Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) April 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/nowwaat/status/850208378693361664
https://twitter.com/AnarkoFairuzism/status/850245771995656192
The Syria Solidarity campaign said in a statement that it “welcomes and supports any actions in Syria that has the protection of civilians in its core and opposes any actions that fail to do so.” However, they requested further clarifications regarding Trump’s strategy.
“From this perspective, we would like more clarity on the Trump administration’s plan in Syria.”
It is clear that Syrians and supporters of the strike are hoping for an end to the suffering of the Syrian people, but as per the polarising nature of the Syrian conflict, sharp differences remain among those following the conflict on just how to put an end to it.
If you think toppling Assad will end the suffering of Syrians, I've got a bridge to Iraq for sale https://t.co/HbvkyQSBjD
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) April 6, 2017
It's a military base caused killing 1000s of civilians. Let's c if US attack will stop killing Syrian civilians or not? That's my criterion.
— Qais Fares (@qais_fares) April 7, 2017