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Moscow Opposition Platform Expects Russia's ‘Wise Reaction’ on US Homs Strike
The Moscow platform of the Syrian opposition views the US missile strike on the Ash Sha'irat airfield near Homs as an aggression against the Syrian people and expects a "wise reaction" on it in short and long term from Russia, the platform’s representative Mohannad Dlykan told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat near Homs late Thursday. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on Damascus.
"We in Moscow platform regard the American airstrikes as an aggression against Syria and the Syrian people. They are a clear violation of international law," Dlykan said. "There is no doubt that American provocation will, at the end of the day, push the United States further down. We expect a wise reaction from Russia in short and long term."
Dlykan said the US strikes could give terrorists "strength to go on."
"The ultimate consequences are going to be the intensification of the war against terror in conjunction with further pressure for realizing the political solution of Syrian crises, despite what will emerge within the next few days of potential obstacles facing Astana and Geneva tracks. Nonetheless these two tracks will be sustained and strengthened in the next few weeks," Dlykan added.
Following the US military action, Russia decided to suspend its memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria with the United States, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier on Friday. The ministry also decided to expand Russia's military presence in Syria at President Vladimir Putin's instructions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed concern the US strike on the Syrian airbase was de facto carried out in the interests of Daesh and former al-Nusra Front terrorist groups (both banned in Russia).
Earlier in the day, the Syrian Armed Forces General Staff said that the US missile strike on Syria's military airfield was a violation of international law. Homs Governor Talal Barazi said earlier on Friday that the airbase had suffered insignificant damage after the overnight attack with US cruise missiles. According to Barazi, the attack left five servicemen and two civilians dead.
Source: Sputnik news
