US missile strikes violated all red lines on Syria: Russia, Iran, allied forces

Russia, Iran and the popular forces supporting the Syrian government have severely censured the recent US missile strikes on Syria as a breach of all red lines, vowing to deliver a befitting response to any future military aggression against the crisis-stricken Arab country.

The trio, in a statement issued on Sunday, described the early April 7 attack against Shayrat airfield in Syria’s central province of Homs as “a dangerous act of aggression and a blatant assault on the sovereignty of the Syrian nation and government," noting that it "once again showed the US has made a mistake in its calculations and available options.”

The statement denounced the military action as grave injustice against Syria, adding that the country has been fighting multi-national terrorism on the part of the international community over the past six years and has paid a heavy price through the blood of its soldiers to triumph over savage terrorists.

It further condemned any deliberate targeting of civilian-populated areas and the chemical incident in the town of Khan Shaykhun, which reportedly left over 80 people dead, on April 4.

The Khan Shaykhun attack provided some countries with an excuse to attack Syria, the statement pointed out.

It went on to say that those who supported and trained terrorist groups, such as al-Nusra Front and Daesh, backed despotic regimes in the face of the legitimate rights of regional nations and had frequently used the veto power at the United Nations Security Council against Palestinians’ rights and, therefore, could not present themselves as advocates of human rights.

“The arrogant US did not have authority from anyone [to attack Syria], and treated the United Nations member states with total disrespect. It attacked Syria and brazenly announced the strikes before the results of the investigation into Khan Shaykhun case were released,” the statement underlined.

It added, “We are not ignorant of what the US is trying to achieve in northern Syria and northwestern Iraq. They must know that we are closely monitoring all their movements, and their attempt to occupy the Syrian soil is illegal.”

The statement emphasized that the US missile strikes on Syria amounted to a breach of all red lines, and the Syrian government’s allies would respond to any future attack on the Arab country.

“This act by the US will not deter us from fighting and eradicating terrorism. We will continue our fight alongside the Syrian Arab Army. We will work with them to liberate the entire Syrian territory from abject occupation."

“Russia and Iran will not allow the US to dominate the world and impose a unipolar system by means of direct military aggression against Syria, violation of international law, and working outside the framework of the United Nations,” the statement read.

The Pentagon said 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea at Shayrat airfield. US officials claim that Khan Shaykhun chemical assault had been launched from the military site.

At least nine people were killed in the early morning strike on the Syrian airfield, according to Syria’s official news agency, SANA.

Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the US strike as "a flagrant aggression" against the Arab country and said Washington’s real objective was to "weaken the strength of the Syrian army in confronting terrorist groups."

The Russian Foreign Ministry also slammed the attack as an aggression against a sovereign state.

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