President Donald Trump tweeted "mission accomplished" Saturday in the wake of coordinated air strikes against Syria's chemical weapons capabilities, writing "could not have had a better result."
"A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!" Trump wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, he wrote, "So proud of our great Military which will soon be, after the spending of billions of fully approved dollars, the finest that our Country has ever had. There won’t be anything, or anyone, even close!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/985130802668294144
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/985133017256660995
Trump announced Friday the U.S., along with France and Britain, had launched precision strikes in retaliation for a chemical attack they concluded the Bashar al-Assad regime carried out last week in the rebel-held suburb of Douma.
"The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread, and use of chemical weapons," Trump said. "Establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the United States. The combined American, British, and French response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power: military, economic, and diplomatic."
The strikes, according to the New York Times, hit three of Assad's chemical weapons facilities: a scientific research center in greater Damascus used in the production of weapons, and two chemical weapons facilities west of Homs.
Defense Secretary James Mattis called the operation a "heavy strike."