The US claims it's perfect, Russia proves Syria blocked almost all of the Tomahawk missiles.
President Trump refused to accept the fact that the American missile was intercepted, praising the missile launch as perfect.
Writing on his personal Twitter account on the evening of April 14 (Vietnam time), President Trump emphasized that the attack on Syria was a "great" act, asserting that "the mission has been accomplished."
Less than 10 minutes later, the American leader posted another tweet, praising the strength of the US military, asserting that after "billions of dollars in approved funding," this force would "become the best army America has ever had" under his leadership.
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| Attacking Syria was a perfect battle. |
"Nothing and no one will ever be able to have a military like that," Trump wrote.
The American leader did not forget to thank his allies for their joint action.
"A perfectly executed attack last night. Thanks to France and Britain for their wisdom and the strength of their elite troops," he emphasized.
"We successfully hit all targets," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White.
U.S. General Kenneth McKenzie emphasized that the operation was precise, effective, and that "no American aircraft or missiles were shot down by Syrian air defenses."
His statement echoed an earlier declaration by the Russian Embassy in Lebanon that it would shoot down not only missiles but also missile launch systems of the US and its allies if they fired at Syria.
France says the operation destroyed much of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.
France and the United States have warned they will launch further airstrikes if the Syrian government continues to use chemical weapons.
A British human rights watchdog organization said that the targets of the US-led coalition attacks in Syria had been deserted for days.
The US leader's statement indicated that Western allies had been very successful, but it did not mention the number of missiles that were intercepted or diverted by Syrian air defenses. Russia said that Syria shot down at least 71 of the 103 missiles fired by the US and its allies.
Trump's "goal accomplished" also fails to take into account the six Syrian civilians injured and the material damage they suffered as a result of the attack.
Russia demonstrates Syrian air defenses can defend themselves against US airstrikes.
The Russian Ministry of Defense posted a video demonstrating that Syrian air defense systems used missiles to intercept the missiles, and on the morning of April 14th, they had to replenish the air defense systems that had been in use just hours earlier.
The video shows a missile-carrying vehicle moving toward a facility targeted in coalition airstrikes. The facility sustained some damage. The vehicle is carrying two new missiles for the Buk-M1 system.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also provided photos showing Buk-M1 launchers at the Mezzeh air base. One system had fired one missile, and the other two remained on the launch pad.
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| The Syrian air defense system was indeed successful in its defense. |
Syrian air defense units intercepted five of the nine missiles fired at the site. The airstrike caused no casualties and did not hit any military equipment.
The latest information indicates that in addition to the three locations attacked – the Biochemical Research Center in Baz Damascus and two bases believed to be storing chemical weapons and command centers for chemical attacks in the western part of Homs province – there were six other targets.
Specifically, there were reports of explosions at Special Forces Base 41, the 4th Mechanized Division of the Republican Guard, Hezbollah bases in Damascus, Mazzeh Airport, Dumayr Airport, and Masyaf Airport.
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| Mezzeh Air Base was hit by missiles but suffered no damage. |
The Western attack on Syria did not affect the Russian forces already stationed there, did not cause significant civilian casualties, and mostly hit empty targets, allowing Trump to achieve his goal of "de-escalating tensions honorably."
Furthermore, instead of discarding old missiles worth millions of dollars, firing them at a location where air defenses would certainly be able to deflect and counter them would still count towards defense spending.
Hundreds of missiles were fired; that was the sole objective. Whether they reached their intended destination or were diverted was no longer important.
