Washington (CSi) – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp issued the following statement after the United States military bombed a Syrian airfield.

 “All of us saw the horrific, heart wrenching images of innocent men, women, and children in Syria killed and wounded from a chemical weapons attack by its own government, which was a flagrant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention let alone a moral atrocity. Such senseless and brutal attacks by Bashar al-Assad and his government are a threat to America’s security and our strategic interests in the region, and to innocent Syrians. These actions cannot be tolerated and they deserve a response. Any use of military force is a serious act, and we need to be very careful whenever we escalate our military involvement abroad.

 

“It’s now up to the president to make clear to the American people and to Congress what his long-term plan is in Syria, how he will coordinate with our allies to implement that plan, and how he will secure the safety of American servicemembers in the region involved in the fight against ISIS. The situation in Syria remains volatile and complex, and the United States must also carefully weigh the best options for advancing our interests, which include stabilizing the devastating humanitarian crisis in Syria and the refugee crisis that has resulted from it.”

Senator John Hoeven Friday issued the following statement regarding U.S.-launched missile strikes in Syria:

“Last night’s military strike, which was limited and calculated, sent a clear message to the Syrian regime that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated. It is important that the world knows that we mean what we say, and that we will stand with our allies and stand up to our adversaries. Russia and Syria failed to uphold the diplomatic arrangements intended to eliminate the threat of Syrian chemical weapons so President Trump acted decisively to deter the Assad regime from using them again. We stand with our men and women in uniform who carried out this difficult mission with dedication and skill. We need to continue working with our allies in the region and other countries to defeat ISIS and stabilize Syria so that its people have an opportunity to chart their own future.”