A coordinated action on Syria under the mandate of the United Nations is required, French independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said Friday following US strikes on a Syria airfield.
Late on Thursday, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat near the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged use of chemical weapon in Idlib, an act which Washington and its allies were quick to blame on Damascus.
According to La Voix Du Nord media outlet, Macron took into account “the US intervention” and expressed his hope that a coordinated action will be taken in compliance with the UN mandate. He also called Syrian President Bashar Assad the main enemy of the Syrian people.
“We have an enemy: Daesh [banned in Russia] and other jihadist movements. The Syrian people have an enemy: Bashar Assad,” Macron was quoted as saying by the outlet.
On Thursday prior to the US strike on Syria, Macron called for an intervention in the country over the alleged chemical attack in Idlib. According to the recent data by the World Health Organization (WHO), 84 people, including 27 children died in the suspected attack.
The Syrian foreign minister has denied the government’s involvement in the Idlib incident, saying it had never nor would it ever use chemical weapons on either civilians or terrorists operating in the country.
The strikes on the Syrian airfield were supported by US allies, including France, which called the attack a just and appropriate response. Moscow condemned the move, saying it was “an aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law.”