The cruise missiles attack on a Syrian airfield was a "very limited" operation intended to send a "decisive" message to the Bashar al-Assad regime that the United State will no longer tolerate chemical weapon attacks, retired four-star general Gen. Jack Keane said Thursday.
In remarks to Fox News, Keane, a former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, said "finally the United States has taken a stand in terms of our own moral values."
Keane argued the United States cannot be "paralyzed by the fear of adverse consequences, paralyzed by the fear of escalation."
"Sometimes the way to prevent escalation is to act decisively," he said.
"Barack Obama was paralyzed by the fear [of] adverse consequences and particularly of military escalation," he said. "[Russia President Vladimir] Putin used it many times. We wanted to provide robust legal aid to the Ukrainians, Putin told him flat out 'if you do that, it's going to result in escalation.' So, we didn't do it."
"Standing up to people that are being so horrifically damaged like this . . . sends a loud message," Keane said of the suspected Syrian chemical weapon attack on some 100 Syrians.
Keane said the U.S. cruise missiles strike was a "very limited military operation to strike the origin of the airpower that's delivered that horrific blow on the Syrian people – and to send a message to the Assad regime of the United States is not going to tolerate anymore strikes using sarin gas or any kind of chemical weapon on its people."
He also said he doubts U.S. troops in Raqqa will be in danger.
"There are quite removed from the area – we know where all of them are," he said.
"The Syrian forces are not going to go against U.S. troops in retaliation. We would effectively destroy that force if they did. They certainly understand that. The Russians are not going to attack American forces on the ground. That would put us at war with Russia. They don't want to war with the United States."
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