Assad allies threaten to ‘respond with force’ to further US attacks

Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad say the US strike on a Syrian air base crosses red lines.

A joint command centre made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the US strike on a Syrian air base crossed “red lines” and it will respond “with force” to any new aggression.

Key points:

• Bashar al-Assad allies threaten to respond with force to any more US aggression
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani call for objective investigation into gas attack in Syria
• Britain, US say Moscow is partly to blame for deaths in Syria

On Friday the United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base which it said had been used to launch a chemical weapons attack which killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week.

The attack escalated the US role in Syria and drew criticism from Mr Assad’s allies, including Russia and Iran.

Timeline: Path to Syria attack

The missile attack came after years of heated debate and deliberation in Washington over intervention in Syria’s bloody civil war.

“What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines,” said the statement published by the group on media outlet Ilam al Harbi (War Media).

“From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.”

Source: Syria missile strike: Bashar al-Assad allies say US attack on Syria crosses ‘red lines’ – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)