US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the recent missile attack on a Syrian airbase doesn’t indicate that Washington is planning to invade the Middle-Eastern country.
The US strike at an airfield in Syrian province of Homs does not mean Washington plans full engagement in a war in the country, Trump said in an interview.
“We’re not going into Syria,” Trump told in the interview with Fox Business, which will be aired on Wednesday.
On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase in the Idlib province. Trump said the missiles launch was conducted in response to a chemical attack on civilians in Idlib that killed more than 80 people, including children.
The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons, and has reminded the international community its entire stockpile was destroyed in 2016 by the Organization for prevention of Chemical Weapons.
During the interview, Trump reiterated that the immediate action in Syria was necessary and should have been taken by former President Barack Obama’s administration.
Following Thursday’s missile attack, US Ambassador to United Nations Nikki Haley stated that the Trump administration was ready to take further military action in Syria, but hoped that would not be necessary.