US missile strike against Syria ‘act of war’: Activist

The US missile strike against Syria last week was an “act of war” and demonstrates that President Donald Trump lied about his prior opposition to American military intervention in other nations, says an anti-war activist in Chicago.

Trump’s ostensibly dramatic decision to order the strike on Syria was not based on his sympathy for victims of last week’s suspected gas attack, said Joe Iosbaker, a leader of the United National Antiwar Committee.

The strike “killed seven civilians, including four children; then he went on national television and did the best acting job he can muster; his performance was pathetic,” Iosbaker said in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.

“His attempt to sound like he actually cared for children; I think he only convinced the leadership of the US Congress,” he added.

Two US Navy destroyers fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea at Syria’s al-Shayrat airfield early on Friday, In retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on April 4 that Washington insists was carried out by Syrian fighter jets operating from the base.

The Syrian government has strongly denied responsibility for the gas attack, and there is no evidence that it was behind the assault.

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During his presidential election campaign, Trump had indicated that he would be less willing than some of his predecessors to conduct military operations against other countries.

In 2013, as a businessman, Trump advised former President Barack Obama not to strike Syria after a sarin gas attack near Damascus was reported.

Some of Trump’s far-right backers have rebelled after the military strike, criticizing the US president for abandoning his election campaign promises.

They blamed anti-Assad militants for staging a false-flag attack meant to be pinned on the Syrian government.

“Trump is now the CEO of American capitalism and US imperialism; they need him to act this way,” Iosbaker said.

“The US government represents Wall Street; it’s the US ruling class that is threatened by the existence of any nationalist governments in the world that stand-up to the US; that are independent of the US and their economic policies, their military and foreign policies,” he added.

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