Senior Sharbel Rached has become increasingly worried about the safety of his relatives in Syria due to the violence that has plagued the country for years. Living in western Syria, they have remained safe so far.

“Of course, I’m worried about them,” Sharbel said. “Its a dangerous area over there. Hopefully, they stay safe like they have been.”

Recently, the United States, United Kingdom, and France collaborated by launching airstrikes against chemical facilities in Syria as a reaction to that nation’s chemical attack that killed around 70 civilians, including women and children. The US alone launched over 100 missiles. Three sites were targeted: two command posts and storage facilities near Homs and a research center near Damascus.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis declared, “Right now this is a one-time shot, and I believe that it sent a very strong message.” Mattis also defended the strikes and noted that the Syrian Regime did not learn their lesson following the previous strike around a year ago, so this time the US struck harder.

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley threatened that, if the Syrian Regime launches another chemical attack, “The United States is locked, and loaded,” according to ABC News.

                               (Deutsche Welle)

The day after the missile strikes, President Donald Trump tweeted, “A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

The reactions in Syria were mixed. Some Syrian civilians were seen dancing in the streets of Damascus following the serious response to the chemical attack. However, according to ABC News, Syrian television criticized the “cowardly terrorist attack to save the US’s name.”

The Foreign Ministry of Iran also condemned the strikes, saying it was a violation of international laws. Likewise, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, called  the strikes a violation of UN declarations and denied that the chemical attack had even occurred.

President Trump does not want the US to maintain an indefinite presence in Syria and hopes the strikes will bring an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s despicable actions of using chemical weapons. A senior administration official said the strikes are not the end of the US’s response, and there is more to come if needed.