Pentagon says Syria strikes “successfully hit every target”

Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said Saturday the U.S. and its allies “successfully hit every target” in airstrikes in Syria overnight. The U.S., U.K. and France and U.K. launched the strikes Friday night Eastern Time in response to the Syrian regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons last weekend. In total, the U.S. used 105 weapons against three targets.

“I can assure you we took every measure and precaution to strike only what we targeted and –– and we successfully hit every target,” White told reporters Saturday. 

White said the U.S. believes it has “significantly crippled” Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ability to carry out a chemical weapons attack. White said the mission in Syria remains defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but the U.S. will not stand by while Assad attacks “innocent Syrian people.”

Later Saturday morning, the U.N. Security Council was meeting at Moscow’s request. 

Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, told reporters Saturday the initial assessment is that the Defense Department accomplished its goals “without material interference” from Syrian defenses. The attempts from Syrian defenses were imprecise, in contrast to the U.S. mission, he said. 

“We are confident that all of our missiles reached their targets,” McKenzie emphasized, reiterating what White said. 

McKenzie said, “As of right now, we are not aware of any civilian casualties,” although they cannot be certain, given the defense launched by the Syrians.

President Trump is claiming success.

“Mission Accomplished!” he tweeted Saturday morning, after addressing the nation the night before to announce the attacks.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis emphasized that the targets were infrastructure related to the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program, and that there are no plans at this time for further strikes. 

But the president, in his address to the nation from the White House, declared that the U.S. is prepared to continue military intervention until Assad stops the use of chemical weapons.

“Establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the United States,” Mr. Trump said Friday night. “The combined American, British and French response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power — military, economic and diplomatic. We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.”

White agreed with Mr. Trump’s assessment, even as the Pentagon leaves its options open about any future strikes. 

“It was mission accomplished,” she said. White insisted that, despite the U.S. intervention in attempting to stop Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons on his own people, the U.S. mission in Syria remains defeating ISIS.

“Our focus remains defeating ISIS. It is not to get involved in the Syrian civil war,” she said.