Statement from Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis on U.S. strike in Syria
At the direction of the president, U.S. forces conducted a cruise missile strike against a Syrian Air Force airfield
today at about 8:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 a.m., April 7, in Syria). The strike targeted Shayrat Airfield in Homs governorate,
and were in response to the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack April 4 in Khan Sheikhoun, which killed and
injured hundreds of innocent Syrian people, including women and children.
The strike was conducted using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) launched from the destroyers USS Porter and USS
Ross in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 59 TLAMs targeted aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and
logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars. As always, the U.S. took extraordinary
measures to avoid civilian casualties and to comply with the Law of Armed Conflict. Every precaution was taken to
execute this strike with minimal risk to personnel at the airfield.
The strike was a proportional response to Assad's heinous act. Shayrat Airfield was used to store chemical weapons and
Syrian air forces. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that aircraft from Shayrat conducted the chemical weapons
attack on April 4. The strike was intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again.
Russian forces were notified in advance of the strike using the established deconfliction line. U.S. military planners
took precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield.
We are assessing the results of the strike. Initial indications are that this strike has severely damaged or destroyed
Syrian aircraft and support infrastructure and equipment at Shayrat Airfield, reducing the Syrian Government's ability
to deliver chemical weapons. The use of chemical weapons against innocent people will not be tolerated.