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Allies: Strikes to Deter Assad, Not Oust

by Jamie Dettmer

   Moments after President Donald Trump concluded his seven-minute
   broadcast Friday announcing the start of precision airstrikes on Syrian
   government facilities associated with the development of chemical
   weapons, loud explosions shook Damascus.

   Among the sites struck in a coordinated operation by U.S., French and
   British forces shortly before dawn prayers was a scientific research
   center on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, a chemical weapons
   storage facility near Homs and a nearby command post, the Pentagon
   said.

   There were also reports by political activists that the Syrian Army's
   4th Armored Division, an elite formation commanded by President Bashar
   al-Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad, as well as the Republican Guard,
   were also hit in the strikes. But it remains unclear if they were
   struck by French and British manned aircraft and cruise missiles rather
   than by the U.S. military.

   From the point of view of those on the receiving end of the one-night
   operation, the military retaliation by the Western powers may have
   seemed anything but restrained.

   'Restrained strike

   The strike, intended to show Western resolve in the face of what Trump
   called persistent violations of international law by Assad, was larger
   than last year's, when the United States fired 58 cruise missiles at
   Syria in retaliation for a purported chemical weapons attack by
   government forces on a rebel-held town in the north of the country.

   This time about twice the number of cruise missiles were launched by
   the United States in response to last Saturday's alleged chemical
   attack by Assad on the town of Douma just outside of Damascus, in which
   at least 40 people died and hundreds were sickened.

   But the coordinated strike, which included missiles fired from
   fixed-wing aircraft as well as from warships, has left some analysts
   puzzled, questioning the limited nature of the punitive raid.

   "To many people's surprise this was somewhat limited. We were expecting
   at least more airfields, ground force and naval bases to come under
   attack," said Arash Aramesh, a national security and foreign policy
   analyst.

   WATCH: U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Briefs Reporters in Syria Strikes

   Speaking in Washington as the operation was close to concluding, U.S.
   Defense Secretary James Mattis appeared somewhat at pains to explain
   what the objective had been, saying it focused on degrading the Syrian
   government's chemical weapons program only.

   "We confined it to the chemical weapons-type targets. We were not out
   to expand this, we were very precise and proportionate, but at the same
   time it was a heavy strike," he said.

   In London, Britain's Theresa May also emphasized that the retaliation
   was focused on Assad's chemical weapons and ensuring a stop to the
   "erosion of the international norm that prevents the use of these
   weapons." In a television broadcast, May said: "This is not about
   intervening in the civil war. This is not about regime change."

   She added: "It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not
   further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything
   possible to prevent civilian casualties."

   WATCH: President Trump Announces Strikes Against Syria

   Too limited to deter?

   Some critics question whether the scale of the reprisal may have been
   too limited to act as a deterrent. Asked whether he could guarantee
   Assad wouldn't use deadly poisons again, Mattis told reporters at the
   Pentagon, "nothing is certain in these kind of matters."

   U.S. officials later highlighted Trump's statement that the three
   Western allies were willing "to sustain this response until the Syrian
   regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents."

   For Steven Bucci, a former senior Pentagon official and a visiting
   fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, the
   U.S. president was "sending a message that this isn't just firing and
   forgetting and everyone drives home. Clearly, he's prepared to continue
   this for some length of time."

   Bucci believes the retaliation has the potential to force Assad to
   forgo the use of chemical weapons.

   "It appears from very initial reports that we're hitting some very
   specific targets and facilities that seem to be connected to the
   production, development, and usage of chemical weapons," he said. "What
   may change Assad's behavior is removing the tools with which he's been
   using these horrible things. That's kind of what you have to do -- you
   can't just stomp your feet and wag your finger. You have to force him
   to stop."

   PHOTOS: US, France and Britain Hit Syrian Chemical Facilities