Russia denounces 'treacherous and insane' U.S. strikes on Syria

Moscow on Saturday condemned Friday night's U.S. strikes on Bashar al-Assad regime targets in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. is "deepening a humanitarian catastrophe," while a Russian embassy statement called the attack "treacherous and insane" and a "clear and present danger to world peace" which violates international law.

Fellow Syrian ally Iran also slammed the strikes, labeling them "aggression" and "a flagrant violation of international laws and a disregard for Syria's right of national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he "explicitly announce[s] that the U.S. president, French president, and the British prime minister are criminals and have committed crime."

Assad himself told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani the attack has only strengthened his commitment to "crush terrorism in every inch" of Syria, referring to the rebel fighters whose territory the Syrian president is believed by the U.S. to have targeted with chemical weapons last week.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up