The US and its allies launched strikes against three targets in Syria early Saturday morning in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on civilians in Douma last week.
Three Western powers joint action will be limited, and it won't start a full-scale war in Syria, said a Chinese expert on Middle East issues.
(File photo: Xinhua)
In a televised speech Friday, US President Donald Trump said he ordered the US armed forces to launch attacks against targets related to Syria's chemical weapons capabilities, in cooperation with Britain and France.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said on Friday that the attack had multiple targets in Syria, including a scientific research center in greater Damascus area, a chemical weapon storage facility west of Holmes and a facility in the second target.
US aircrafts, including B-1 bombers, and naval vessels were used in the attack, according to multiple US defense officials, CNN reported.
The Chinese embassy in Syria released a notice on its website Friday to tell Chinese citizens to not go to Syria right now, and the notice also stated that Chinese citizens who stay in Syria should keep away from military facilities and crowded public places.
The targets have been selected carefully, and the strikes will be limited. It shows that the US and its allies won't start a full-scale war with Russia, and they are not trying to destroy the Syrian government," said Gu Zhenglong, senior research fellow with Xinhua Center for World Affairs Studies and former chief correspondent stationed in the Middle East with Xinhua News Agency.
Trump has said a lot of tough words so he needs actions to prove his determination, and the UK and France are expressing their support of the US by participating in the military actions, Gu told the Global Times.
Syria is not Iraq. It has significant meaning to Russia, and a war aimed to take down the Syrian government will trigger a total war with Russia, and Western powers are not ready for that, Gu added.
The Russian embassy in Washington responded to the strikes with a tweeted statement attributed to Ambassador Anatoly Antonov that said "our warnings have been left unheard."
"A pre-designed scenario is being implemented. Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris," Antonov said, CNN reported.