MESOPOTAMIA NEWS FINAL ANALYSIS : TRUMP’S STRIKE – SUCCESS OR NOT ?
April 16, 2018 – By Defense One – Was it enough? Did Friday’s airstrikes on alleged Syrian chemical weapons positions really change anything? That’s one question among many likely to be considered this week after more than 100 missiles were fired at three different positions inside Syria at about 4 a.m. Saturday morning local time in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack nearly a week earlier just outside of Damascus.
The most significant target was the Barzah Research and Development Center, located close to downtown Damascus, and heavily protected by Syrian air defenses, Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports in a battle damage assessment from the U.S. military Saturday morning. That facility was targeted by U.S. warships, “which launched 57 Tomahawk cruise missiles and B-1 bombers 19 JASSM missiles. The bombers were escorted by attack aircraft and an EA-6B electronic warfare jet.”
The second site was the Hims-Shinshar Chemical Weapons storage facility near Homs, against which U.S. forces fired nine Tomahawks. The British fired eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles from Royal Air Force Tornado jets.
The third target: the Hims-Shinsahar Chemical Weapons Bunker, which was the destination for seven French SCALP land cruise missiles.
According to the U.S. military: “This is going to set the Syrian chemical weapons [program] back years,” Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Jr. told reporters.