NCRI Staff
NCRI – After news broke about the most recent chemical weapons attack in Syria, many people took to social media to condemn those responsible for the attack. Not just ordinary people, but high officials and leaders from across the world.
However, condemnations on social media are not enough to stop the cruel criminals who are perpetrating attacks that are killing civilians including young children. Similar crimes have been happening in Syria for many years now and countless civilians have lost their lives.
These attacks are still happening because nothing is being done to stop those who are instigating them. They are not being held accountable and the international community is by and large remaining silent.
If the international community continues to accompany such attacks with silence and fails to act decisively it is sending a message to the perpetrators that it is ok. It also means that cities across the region could be the next targets for such attacks.
On 13th March 2013, we first became aware of a chemical weapons attack that took place in a residential area on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo. Just over a month later, another attack took place in Saraqeb. Several months after this one, there was an attack in Ghouta. A few days later there was one in Jobar, closely followed by another attack in Sahnaya. How is it possible that not one single person was held accountable for this quick succession of attacks?
The Syrian regime denied that the attacks involved chemicals and said that events were blown out of proportion, despite the evidence that suggests otherwise.
It is unacceptable that the Syrian regime and its Iranian allies are being left in peace to carry out such crimes.
The Iranian regime is no stranger to appeasement as it was left to its own devices for years during former President Barack Obama’s time in office. Iran knew that no matter what it did, Obama would fail to react, safe in the knowledge that the US president valued the 2015 nuclear deal – his legacy – so much that he would say nothing that had the potential of derailing it.
However, the administration has changed and Trump has vowed to curb Iran’s belligerence and meddling in the Middle East.
He condemned the chemical attack that took place last weekend and said that President Putin, Russia, and Iran are responsible for backing the Syrian President Bashar al Assad (whom he described as an “animal”). He said the attack was “mindless” and a “humanitarian disaster”.
Trump’s condemnation was strong, but he must take decisive action so that the criminals who perpetrated the attack are held accountable. If he fails to do so, attacks like this will continue to happen.
Iran is involved, one way or another, in all the conflicts in the region and it cannot be allowed to continue unchallenged. Trump has vowed to remain firm in foreign policy towards Iran and he recognizes that Iran has no regard for the lives of its own citizens, never mind those in Syria. The Iranian regime will stop at nothing to achieve its goals of regional hegemony.
