For the first time since he has been in the White House, and without any authorization from Congress, Donald Trump has ordered a bombing raid on Syria. When it was 2 in the night in Italy, the United States launched 59 cruise missiles towards the Syrian air base of Al Shayrat, from which the chemical weapons attack in the province of Idlib is presumed to have originated. These are "Tomahawk" missiles launched from two ships in the Mediterranean. The toll so far would be four victims, including a brigadier general, as stated by the Syrian authorities.
“On Tuesday the dictator of Syria, Bashar al-Assad launched a horrific chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians, killing men, women and children – Trump said after the attack – For many of them it was a slow and painful death. Even small and beautiful children were cruelly killed in this barbaric attack. No child should ever suffer such horror."
The American President then added that the attack in Syria is in the "vital security interest" of the United States, because Assad ignored warnings from the UN Security Council. Trump has called on the world to join the US "to end the scourge of terrorism".
Before the bombing, Pentagon sources tell the US media, they were Warn the Russians. "We had no intention of hitting their planes," an anonymous official told the New York Times. According to Russian media Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federal Council, said that “Russia will first of all ask for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. This can be considered as an act of aggression by the United States against a UN state”.
Russia's State Duma (Lower House) Defense Committee Says US Missile Attack Against Syria it could worsen relations between Moscow and Washingtonas well as lead to an expansion of armed conflicts in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Tuesday's attack in the province of Idlib, in which chemical weapons were allegedly used, has risen to 86. This was announced by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding that among the victims there are 30 children and 20 women. Russia for its part also maintains that support for Syrian President Bashar al Assad is not unconditional. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov added that Moscow is calling for a full investigation into the attack.
As for the first reactions of the markets, the US attack in Syria triggered a rally in assets considered safe by investors
in times of uncertainty. The Petroleum,gold and yen Japanese jumped higher, as did the Treasury. At the same time, index futures a Wall Street they lost altitude. Risk aversion has certainly increased, even if it has declined with respect to the immediate reaction to the news. The Petroleum in New York, however, it exceeded 52 dollars a barrel and thegold it went beyond 1.264 dollars an ounce.
