During a televised address, President Trump on Thursday night called the chemical weapon attack that killed dozens of people in Idlib, Syria, on Tuesday "barbaric," causing a "slow and brutal death for so many."
Trump blamed the attack on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying he used a "deadly nerve agent" to kill "innocent civilians," and said he ordered Thursday night's "targeted military strike" of nearly 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles on the "airfield from where the chemical attack was launched." It is in the "vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," he added, and "there can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and ignored the urging of the U.N. Security Council."
Trump ended his message by calling on "all civilized nations" to "stop the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria" and to "end terrorism of all kinds and all types."
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