President Trump’s strikes on Syria over reported chemical attacks in the country included not only missiles, as previously used against the country, but also U.S. aircraft that were manned by pilots.
The Pentagon confirmed Friday night that the targeted strike against Syria involved putting pilots at risk to carry out the attacks.
The New York Times reports:
The strikes, carried with ship-based cruise missiles and manned aircraft, targeted three facilities associated with Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, including a scientific research facility around Damascus, a chemical weapons storage facility around Homs alleged to be used for sarin gas and a nearby command post, the Pentagon said.
The reports of pilots’ involvement in the Syria strikes were confirmed online by multiple news agencies. Though, it does remain unclear how many pilots were involved in the strike. The pilots, reports claim, did not enter Syrian airspace.
As Breitbart News reported, the strike against Syria was targeted and isolated to three targets and carried out in coalition with France and the United Kingdom.
“The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons,” Trump said Friday night. “Establishing this deterrent is a vital interest of the United States.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.