Saudi Arabia and Israel praise attack which they also read as a message to North Korea and Iran. Turkey calls it a "positive", but not enough. Russia and Iran criticize the unilateral decision, Putin terms it an "aggression against a sovereign state."
Washington (AsiaNews) - The US bombing of the Syrian Khan Sheikhun base has provoked immediate reactions above all from Saudi Arabia and Israel, who have been supported the decision of the President of the United States Donald Trump. Instead Russia and Iran have expressed their firm opposition.
The Saudi foreign minister said the missile launch was the right answer " "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it”. Saudi Arabia is a historical enemy of Assad, and has supported the rebels against him, because it considers the conflict a "continuation" of the one against its rival in the Middle East, Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Trump’s decision, expressing its "full support." For Netanyahu, the attack is a "strong message" against the use and spread of chemical weapons. According to the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, military action was "a moral decision that sent a message three times," not only to Syria, Iran and North Korea, but also to the international community, regarding the opportunity to act in situations which the UN is "incapable". A second message that Netanyahu "will resonate not only in Damascus but in Tehran, Pyongyang, and in any other place."
Turkey has also stated its support for Trump. The Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said today during a television interview that it is "imperative that the Assad regime is to be punished by the international community." He said that the air raid is "positive, but should be brought to fruition and" the barbaric regime of Assad immediately stopped. " Turkey had already announced his support yesterday when Tayyip Erdogan had announced he is ready to do its part in case of US attack.
However Russia and Iran, Assad's allies, have expressed their condemnation. Russian President Vladimir Putin considers the US military action an "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law." Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that the President considers the bombing a "forced pretext".
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says that "Iran condemns all unilateral attacks of this nature. These measures reinforce terrorism in Syria and complicate the situation in Syria and the region. "