Transcripts For FOXNEWSW Special Report With Bret Baier 2017

Response to a barbaric attack. What a 24 hours this has bee been. Immediate reactions for what we saw over the past eight years, hes taking action, making it clear very early on how hes going to respond to these thing things. When you look at what happened to all of those kids, all of those people over there. It is heartbreaking. It is really hard to watch. The world has seen president obama talk about regime change, yet overnight, immediate action by the Trump Administration. What comes next as russia, iran, the Syrian Regime we heard just last hour, russia has already said its going to stop d conflicting over the skies of syria. The next couple of hours and days are going to say a lot about where this potential conflict comes. A lot of questions remain, President Trump is taking action, making it very clear to the rest of the world that were not going to stand for this. Weve got live fox news coverag. Live from washington, d. C. , at the state department, Kristin Fisher is at merrill lago with the president. Conor powell is live on the ground. Connor, what is the latest for you are . Good morning, overnight that u. S. Fired 60 tomahawk missiles. The aircraft took off to deliver that deadly chemical attack, the aircraft also turn there. Syrian media and Russian Media say that there is extensive damage done to the space. The question is what type of damage was done . Weve heard conflicting reports, a lot of damage done to the base. The u. S. Also gave warning to russia to get their people out of there before these strikes were carried out, so syrian media right now is reporting that they were able to remove most of the planes, both russian and also syrian jets were able to get out of there. We cant confirm that but that certainly the messaging that we are hearing. Theyre trying to limit the extent of damage, the airfield is damage and some of the base where damage. Russia as you pointed out has condemned this, syrian media is quoting the regime as saying this is strike by the u. S. Undermines a syrian counterterrorism operations, the regime still very much trying to present the image that theyre fighting terrorists, not rebels. Not people who oppose the regime, but in fact terrorists like isis and other groups. Israel releasing a statement not long ago in support of this action along with turkey and saudi arabia. What were seeing on the ground in the region is that the people who have supported assad during this brutal six year war continued to his support the assad regime. Countries that have long oppose them continue to oppose them and support of this u. S. Strike on syria and airbase, the bigger question Going Forward is what happens, does russia, does iran, does the assad regime, do any of them launch any type of retaliation against israel, jordan, turkey . This is limited and precise strike, that doesnt mean that russia, doesnt mean that hezbollah, doesnt mean that the assad regime doesnt in fact look at it that way. There is potential that this could escalate. Youre right there, the border between israel and syria, always been such a precarious balance. Do you have a sense that these strikes by the u. S. Can stay limited . They were intentionally limited to one facility trying to avoid russian and civilian casualties. Does that message get out, will the enemies of the United States tried to find a reason to escalate as a result . We are here mixed messages here. Im not sure the russians or the assad regime know how theyre going to respond. Most times in the last couple of years, israel has struck in syria with their jets when they believe that the assad regime was transferring weapons to groups like hezbollah. All of these strikes, the assad regime has not responded against israel. They have almost had to allow these air strikes to happen even though the assad regime in russia are not happy about them. Theyve allowed these strikes by israel to happen and have not responded. Its very possible that the assad regime, since theyre battling rebels and other groups in syria, they just dont have the ability to respond to this. Its also possible that groups like the hezbollah or even russia or iran say enough is enough, we need to respond. I think thats the worry in this region, this could escalate very quickly and there are a lot of targets. U. S. Troops in syria, u. S. Troops in turkey, u. S. Troops in jordan. Israel has always favored groups like the assad regime or hezbollah to respond as well. This could, i think were watching the next 72 hours or so, does this escalate . Not to mention what all this means for isis. Connor, thanks for being with us this morning. Really appreciate you breaking that. More from you as the day progresses, stay safe. Moscow firing back overnight. Just hours after secretary of state Rex Tillerson warned of the kremlin about continuing to support the assad regime. What is russias involvement at all this, what do they know what did they not know . When you look at what the russians are saying, this is in response to what secretary of state Rex Tillerson is charging, essentially saying that russia is morally responsible because they were the ones who were supposed to secure those chemical weapons, destroy those chemical weapons and failed to do so in the words of secretary of state Rex Tillerson. He said that russia would be complicit or simply incompetent. Rushes reaction to all of this is at the russian government says it will suspend its cooperation to prevent incidents over the skies of syria. A couple of years ago, the u. S. And russia entered into agreement with the militaries would talk to one another to make sure there was no incidental contact between aircraft and to make sure the skies over syria in that sense were not leading to any type of crash between u. S. And russian aircraft. The russians are now suspending that according to the associated press. From here, the secretary of state is now receiving from russia charges that theres other aggressions against a sovereign nation, a sovereign state with the u. S. Action from last evening. The United States has also created an obstacle to any type of coalition that the u. S. And russia may have created to fight isis and to fight extremism. However, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and his comments yesterday says hes going to get more aggressive in the u. S. Well, especially when it comes to Bashar Alassad. Assads role in the future is uncertain and with the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian People. The secretary of state had said last week that it would be up to the Syrian People to decide the longterm fate of Bashar Alassad. Much more aggressive language when it comes to how the secretary of state is responding. Russia and iran, syria have condemned his attack. U. S. Allies have applauded it. The u. K. Said it was an appropriate response to a barbaric attack. The saudi and israelis both say they fully support the United States. Turkey coming in and saying it was important and meaningful. We know wait to see if the u. S. And russia will still have their summit to an extent. Rex tillerson is scheduled to go to moscow early next week and as of yesterday afternoon that trip was still on. Interesting timing. Will be back with you shortly. We now want to bring you former advisor to the u. S. And nato commanders in afghanistan, good to have you here. Youre happy about this, you say President Trump is sending a very clear message right at the start. Absolutely. After long last, after six years of dithering on the syrian conflict, some u. S. President is taking action to achieve american goals in the region. This is long overdue. As someone who served on the ground in that region, what should our forces on the ground anticipate . We have 1,000 troops in syria, 5,000 in iraq, airpower, what will our enemies attempt to do as a result of the strike . Is narrow and tailored as it may be, what could we expect . I think the biggest threat is some sort of action by the Syrian Government against the kurds that our forces are allied within syria. They are landlocked, they face enemies in every direction, youve got 1,000 people that are mostly marines and army troops, who are totally vulnerable to some sort of retaliatory strike by either iranian militias like hezbollah, the Syrian Government or even potentially the russians. What i would do right now is start rushing weapons to syrian kurds including air defense systems. So many factors at play, the kurds, isis, russia. Russias deputy warned that concert once were going to come as a result of this air strike. What do you think the relationship between the u. S. And russia will play out . I was encouraged by the statement. They sounded a little bit rattled to me. Frankly good, im glad theyre not sure what to make of this and im glad theyre a little bit worried. Lets say Bashar Alassad retaliates, what does that mean for us . How do we handle that situation . It only gets worse and worse. I dont think either assad or russia have incentive to escalate this situation beyond a certain level. He doesnt want the u. S. To try to eliminate him from power. Russia has a broad agenda and they need u. S. Cooperation on a lot of things. The country i am watching is iran. It has forces right there in the country that can carry out a strike. A lot of people are looking at it from the outside who felt like he was committed to winning the civil war. International tension wasnt really his focus. The Trump Administration had said maybe they were okay with him saying where he is. Why use chemical weapons now . I think there are two answers to that. One is that january genuinely f chemical weapons has been ongoing since 2012, and they didnt expect there will be such a reaction this time. There also is evidence to indicate that control of chemical weapons is not solely the spots ability of damascus and the assad government. The syrians chemical strike in 2013 that led to president obam president obamas broaching his own redline, some of my sources tell me that that was actually a local commanders chemical attack that got out of hand. That was the biggest reaction to these air strikes that happen so quickly in response to these Chemical Attacks. How different that response was to former president barack obama who said that redline, never followed through with it, what does that tell you about President Trump and what we can all expect for the next four years . Like the last six weeks of his administration, hes kind of doing exactly what he said he was going to do. During the campaign, he said repeatedly that he would not tell the world his plans for syria or when he was going to take note of their reaction but he was going to go ahead and do it. I think it shows that he means that, and i think also on a political stance, it may be quiet for a moment, all of these trumprussia meetings that keep floating around. Frankly the russians sound a little bit upset. Peek into the future for us, we can always speculate too much. Does this signal, could this signal a change in approach from President Trump who has signaled that hes more weary of intervention in the middle east . Is there a chance that this could lead to a policy of regime change eventually . Absolutely. Im going to be watching the turkish reactions very closely, because clearly they think there is a chance for more American Military commitment to the middle east, and they have been an opponent of Bashar Alassads since day one. I would expect overnight today and into the next couple of weeks, the turks are going to be burning up the hotlines in washington saying hey, you know what, assad can still use chemical weapons in the future, the problem is that the sarin gas, the problem is assad himself. You have everyone that is so connected with our military, two brothers who are just beginning their journey to serve this country, what does this mean when you see these air strikes happening . Could we see more boots on the ground . How aggressive do you think this can get . Of course. As someone who served myself, i know pete has also, none of us want another war, with none of us want to see more americans in harms way. I think there are ways to do this without putting a large number of americans on the ground in syria. I think arming the syrian kurds, i think spreading more advanced weaponry to our allies in the region and frankly pushing back against iranian influence elsewhere in the middle east would allow iranians to make a bargain on the future of Bashar Alassad. Big question has to be, what comes next . You get rid of Bashar Alassad, youve got isis, rebels with questionable allegiances, russia and iran tinkering, how do you get rid of assad and make sure you dont replace him with something worse . The only way to do that is to get buyins with the community that is his base. You have to pose a genuine threat, not just to assad himself but to the lifestyle that the community enjoys in damascus. And some of the other major cities. When you start to think about when they start to look at a future, control of damascus, they are willing to negotiate a political future of syria that does not include bashar assad, and the only way to that without enabling al qaeda and isis is to our moderate groups. I know you know the region very well, but a lot of americans are worried about arming someone who will come back to bite us. The number one thing we should do is not give them ground to air missiles. Will leave it there. So good to have your perspective this morning. Thank you so much. President trump getting support by both sides of the political aisle. Live from maralago in palm beach florida. The president is waking up to demands from congressional action and approval from here on out. What are you hearing . Its very clear that already this morning President Trump has the support of three Top Republican senators, marco rubi rubio, john mccain, and Lindsey Graham have all come out and said that they support the action that President Trump took because not only did President Trump stop any future Chemical Attacks on his own people, but also on u. S. Troops in the region as well. To listen to senator marco rubio earlier tonight. I to get support to remember there are hundreds of americans stationed in that region and this guy is using sarin gas, it could ultimately be used against our own troops. That cannot be allowed to stand, so it is in our National Security interest. Senator marco rubio also said that he believes that President Trump has both a moral and Legal Authority to act without authorization from congress. Not everyone on capitol hill agrees with that. You have the democratic minority leader in the house, congresswoman nancy pelosi, she put out a statement that reads the president intends to escalate the u. S. Militarys involvement in syria, he must come to congress for an authorization to use military force to prevent another openended war in the middle east. It is not just democrats, some republicans are seeking out against this use of force without congressional authorization as well. Senator rand paul says that while we all condemned the atrocities in syria, the u. S. Should not attack. The president needs congressional authorization for military action is required by the constitution and i call on him to come to congress for a proper debate. In addition to all of this military action, President Trump said that he is calling for a Global Coalition to come together to stop what he describes as the slaughter in syria. Listen to this. I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end of the slaughter. It and bloodshed in syria. And also to and terrorism. Of all kinds and all types. We ask for gods wisdom as we face the challenge, pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed. President trump making it very clear that he is prepared and willing to take big, bold, decisive military action. All of this coming just hours before he is supposed to sit down with the president of china at his maralago resort. I wanted to ask you about that. Its speaking of this coalescing of nations, the timing is so interesting. He spends the next three or did four days of the president of china, xi jinping. Im sure this will be brought up a lot of the next few days. Its pretty fascinating these strikes took place while President Trump and xi jinping were at dinner, at maralago. He didnt let the chinese president know and right before President Trump came out to speak to the press, thats when he told the president of china what exactly was happening. Just imagine, obviously there is no chance that President Trump would take any military action against china, but it goes to show that he really can be a wild card when it comes to foreign relations. It injects a little bit of nervousness, you dont really know what President Trump is capable of. Hes proven to be very flexible and willing to change his opinion as the situation develops. In this case, deteriorated. One last question, you may not have an answer for ses. Beyond President Trump, do you have a sense of who is spearheading the communications are the leadership of this . Secretary of defense, secretary of state, whos taking the lead . Just based upon what happened last night, we had a briefing from second of state Trump Administration<\/a>. What comes next as russia, iran, the Syrian Regime<\/a> we heard just last hour, russia has already said its going to stop d conflicting over the skies of syria. The next couple of hours and days are going to say a lot about where this potential conflict comes. A lot of questions remain, President Trump<\/a> is taking action, making it very clear to the rest of the world that were not going to stand for this. Weve got live fox news coverag. Live from washington, d. C. , at the state department, Kristin Fisher<\/a> is at merrill lago with the president. Conor powell is live on the ground. Connor, what is the latest for you are . Good morning, overnight that u. S. Fired 60 tomahawk missiles. The aircraft took off to deliver that deadly chemical attack, the aircraft also turn there. Syrian media and Russian Media<\/a> say that there is extensive damage done to the space. The question is what type of damage was done . Weve heard conflicting reports, a lot of damage done to the base. The u. S. Also gave warning to russia to get their people out of there before these strikes were carried out, so syrian media right now is reporting that they were able to remove most of the planes, both russian and also syrian jets were able to get out of there. We cant confirm that but that certainly the messaging that we are hearing. Theyre trying to limit the extent of damage, the airfield is damage and some of the base where damage. Russia as you pointed out has condemned this, syrian media is quoting the regime as saying this is strike by the u. S. Undermines a syrian counterterrorism operations, the regime still very much trying to present the image that theyre fighting terrorists, not rebels. Not people who oppose the regime, but in fact terrorists like isis and other groups. Israel releasing a statement not long ago in support of this action along with turkey and saudi arabia. What were seeing on the ground in the region is that the people who have supported assad during this brutal six year war continued to his support the assad regime. Countries that have long oppose them continue to oppose them and support of this u. S. Strike on syria and airbase, the bigger question Going Forward<\/a> is what happens, does russia, does iran, does the assad regime, do any of them launch any type of retaliation against israel, jordan, turkey . This is limited and precise strike, that doesnt mean that russia, doesnt mean that hezbollah, doesnt mean that the assad regime doesnt in fact look at it that way. There is potential that this could escalate. Youre right there, the border between israel and syria, always been such a precarious balance. Do you have a sense that these strikes by the u. S. Can stay limited . They were intentionally limited to one facility trying to avoid russian and civilian casualties. Does that message get out, will the enemies of the United States<\/a> tried to find a reason to escalate as a result . We are here mixed messages here. Im not sure the russians or the assad regime know how theyre going to respond. Most times in the last couple of years, israel has struck in syria with their jets when they believe that the assad regime was transferring weapons to groups like hezbollah. All of these strikes, the assad regime has not responded against israel. They have almost had to allow these air strikes to happen even though the assad regime in russia are not happy about them. Theyve allowed these strikes by israel to happen and have not responded. Its very possible that the assad regime, since theyre battling rebels and other groups in syria, they just dont have the ability to respond to this. Its also possible that groups like the hezbollah or even russia or iran say enough is enough, we need to respond. I think thats the worry in this region, this could escalate very quickly and there are a lot of targets. U. S. Troops in syria, u. S. Troops in turkey, u. S. Troops in jordan. Israel has always favored groups like the assad regime or hezbollah to respond as well. This could, i think were watching the next 72 hours or so, does this escalate . Not to mention what all this means for isis. Connor, thanks for being with us this morning. Really appreciate you breaking that. More from you as the day progresses, stay safe. Moscow firing back overnight. Just hours after secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> warned of the kremlin about continuing to support the assad regime. What is russias involvement at all this, what do they know what did they not know . When you look at what the russians are saying, this is in response to what secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> is charging, essentially saying that russia is morally responsible because they were the ones who were supposed to secure those chemical weapons, destroy those chemical weapons and failed to do so in the words of secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a>. He said that russia would be complicit or simply incompetent. Rushes reaction to all of this is at the russian government says it will suspend its cooperation to prevent incidents over the skies of syria. A couple of years ago, the u. S. And russia entered into agreement with the militaries would talk to one another to make sure there was no incidental contact between aircraft and to make sure the skies over syria in that sense were not leading to any type of crash between u. S. And russian aircraft. The russians are now suspending that according to the associated press. From here, the secretary of state is now receiving from russia charges that theres other aggressions against a sovereign nation, a sovereign state with the u. S. Action from last evening. The United States<\/a> has also created an obstacle to any type of coalition that the u. S. And russia may have created to fight isis and to fight extremism. However, secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> and his comments yesterday says hes going to get more aggressive in the u. S. Well, especially when it comes to Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Assads role in the future is uncertain and with the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian People<\/a>. The secretary of state had said last week that it would be up to the Syrian People<\/a> to decide the longterm fate of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Much more aggressive language when it comes to how the secretary of state is responding. Russia and iran, syria have condemned his attack. U. S. Allies have applauded it. The u. K. Said it was an appropriate response to a barbaric attack. The saudi and israelis both say they fully support the United States<\/a>. Turkey coming in and saying it was important and meaningful. We know wait to see if the u. S. And russia will still have their summit to an extent. Rex tillerson is scheduled to go to moscow early next week and as of yesterday afternoon that trip was still on. Interesting timing. Will be back with you shortly. We now want to bring you former advisor to the u. S. And nato commanders in afghanistan, good to have you here. Youre happy about this, you say President Trump<\/a> is sending a very clear message right at the start. Absolutely. After long last, after six years of dithering on the syrian conflict, some u. S. President is taking action to achieve american goals in the region. This is long overdue. As someone who served on the ground in that region, what should our forces on the ground anticipate . We have 1,000 troops in syria, 5,000 in iraq, airpower, what will our enemies attempt to do as a result of the strike . Is narrow and tailored as it may be, what could we expect . I think the biggest threat is some sort of action by the Syrian Government<\/a> against the kurds that our forces are allied within syria. They are landlocked, they face enemies in every direction, youve got 1,000 people that are mostly marines and army troops, who are totally vulnerable to some sort of retaliatory strike by either iranian militias like hezbollah, the Syrian Government<\/a> or even potentially the russians. What i would do right now is start rushing weapons to syrian kurds including air defense systems. So many factors at play, the kurds, isis, russia. Russias deputy warned that concert once were going to come as a result of this air strike. What do you think the relationship between the u. S. And russia will play out . I was encouraged by the statement. They sounded a little bit rattled to me. Frankly good, im glad theyre not sure what to make of this and im glad theyre a little bit worried. Lets say Bashar Alassad<\/a> retaliates, what does that mean for us . How do we handle that situation . It only gets worse and worse. I dont think either assad or russia have incentive to escalate this situation beyond a certain level. He doesnt want the u. S. To try to eliminate him from power. Russia has a broad agenda and they need u. S. Cooperation on a lot of things. The country i am watching is iran. It has forces right there in the country that can carry out a strike. A lot of people are looking at it from the outside who felt like he was committed to winning the civil war. International tension wasnt really his focus. The Trump Administration<\/a> had said maybe they were okay with him saying where he is. Why use chemical weapons now . I think there are two answers to that. One is that january genuinely f chemical weapons has been ongoing since 2012, and they didnt expect there will be such a reaction this time. There also is evidence to indicate that control of chemical weapons is not solely the spots ability of damascus and the assad government. The syrians chemical strike in 2013 that led to president obam president obamas broaching his own redline, some of my sources tell me that that was actually a local commanders chemical attack that got out of hand. That was the biggest reaction to these air strikes that happen so quickly in response to these Chemical Attacks<\/a>. How different that response was to former president barack obama who said that redline, never followed through with it, what does that tell you about President Trump<\/a> and what we can all expect for the next four years . Like the last six weeks of his administration, hes kind of doing exactly what he said he was going to do. During the campaign, he said repeatedly that he would not tell the world his plans for syria or when he was going to take note of their reaction but he was going to go ahead and do it. I think it shows that he means that, and i think also on a political stance, it may be quiet for a moment, all of these trumprussia meetings that keep floating around. Frankly the russians sound a little bit upset. Peek into the future for us, we can always speculate too much. Does this signal, could this signal a change in approach from President Trump<\/a> who has signaled that hes more weary of intervention in the middle east . Is there a chance that this could lead to a policy of regime change eventually . Absolutely. Im going to be watching the turkish reactions very closely, because clearly they think there is a chance for more American Military<\/a> commitment to the middle east, and they have been an opponent of Bashar Alassad<\/a>s since day one. I would expect overnight today and into the next couple of weeks, the turks are going to be burning up the hotlines in washington saying hey, you know what, assad can still use chemical weapons in the future, the problem is that the sarin gas, the problem is assad himself. You have everyone that is so connected with our military, two brothers who are just beginning their journey to serve this country, what does this mean when you see these air strikes happening . Could we see more boots on the ground . How aggressive do you think this can get . Of course. As someone who served myself, i know pete has also, none of us want another war, with none of us want to see more americans in harms way. I think there are ways to do this without putting a large number of americans on the ground in syria. I think arming the syrian kurds, i think spreading more advanced weaponry to our allies in the region and frankly pushing back against iranian influence elsewhere in the middle east would allow iranians to make a bargain on the future of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Big question has to be, what comes next . You get rid of Bashar Alassad<\/a>, youve got isis, rebels with questionable allegiances, russia and iran tinkering, how do you get rid of assad and make sure you dont replace him with something worse . The only way to do that is to get buyins with the community that is his base. You have to pose a genuine threat, not just to assad himself but to the lifestyle that the community enjoys in damascus. And some of the other major cities. When you start to think about when they start to look at a future, control of damascus, they are willing to negotiate a political future of syria that does not include bashar assad, and the only way to that without enabling al qaeda and isis is to our moderate groups. I know you know the region very well, but a lot of americans are worried about arming someone who will come back to bite us. The number one thing we should do is not give them ground to air missiles. Will leave it there. So good to have your perspective this morning. Thank you so much. President trump getting support by both sides of the political aisle. Live from maralago in palm beach florida. The president is waking up to demands from congressional action and approval from here on out. What are you hearing . Its very clear that already this morning President Trump<\/a> has the support of three Top Republican<\/a> senators, marco rubi rubio, john mccain, and Lindsey Graham<\/a> have all come out and said that they support the action that President Trump<\/a> took because not only did President Trump<\/a> stop any future Chemical Attacks<\/a> on his own people, but also on u. S. Troops in the region as well. To listen to senator marco rubio earlier tonight. I to get support to remember there are hundreds of americans stationed in that region and this guy is using sarin gas, it could ultimately be used against our own troops. That cannot be allowed to stand, so it is in our National Security<\/a> interest. Senator marco rubio also said that he believes that President Trump<\/a> has both a moral and Legal Authority<\/a> to act without authorization from congress. Not everyone on capitol hill agrees with that. You have the democratic minority leader in the house, congresswoman nancy pelosi, she put out a statement that reads the president intends to escalate the u. S. Militarys involvement in syria, he must come to congress for an authorization to use military force to prevent another openended war in the middle east. It is not just democrats, some republicans are seeking out against this use of force without congressional authorization as well. Senator rand paul says that while we all condemned the atrocities in syria, the u. S. Should not attack. The president needs congressional authorization for military action is required by the constitution and i call on him to come to congress for a proper debate. In addition to all of this military action, President Trump<\/a> said that he is calling for a Global Coalition<\/a> to come together to stop what he describes as the slaughter in syria. Listen to this. I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end of the slaughter. It and bloodshed in syria. And also to and terrorism. Of all kinds and all types. We ask for gods wisdom as we face the challenge, pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed. President trump making it very clear that he is prepared and willing to take big, bold, decisive military action. All of this coming just hours before he is supposed to sit down with the president of china at his maralago resort. I wanted to ask you about that. Its speaking of this coalescing of nations, the timing is so interesting. He spends the next three or did four days of the president of china, xi jinping. Im sure this will be brought up a lot of the next few days. Its pretty fascinating these strikes took place while President Trump<\/a> and xi jinping were at dinner, at maralago. He didnt let the chinese president know and right before President Trump<\/a> came out to speak to the press, thats when he told the president of china what exactly was happening. Just imagine, obviously there is no chance that President Trump<\/a> would take any military action against china, but it goes to show that he really can be a wild card when it comes to foreign relations. It injects a little bit of nervousness, you dont really know what President Trump<\/a> is capable of. Hes proven to be very flexible and willing to change his opinion as the situation develops. In this case, deteriorated. One last question, you may not have an answer for ses. Beyond President Trump<\/a>, do you have a sense of who is spearheading the communications are the leadership of this . Secretary of defense, secretary of state, whos taking the lead . Just based upon what happened last night, we had a briefing from second of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> and the National Security<\/a> advisor hr mcmaster, sean spicer was oppressed eric terry, he was also in the room. He declined to take questions, wanted to leave it to the National Security<\/a> advisor at that time. Theres a solid chance it will be from one of those two players, perhaps the White House Press<\/a> secretary himself. Perhaps President Trump<\/a> will speak. He certainly known to do that, had no problem talking for about two and a half minutes last night. Appreciate it. Busy days ahead. Lets bring in National Security<\/a> analyst. First of all, your take on the decisive action, the air strikes the took yesterday. And some of the outcome from it. First of all, i am stunned that actually happened. This is such a change from President Trump<\/a>s rhetoric on the campaign trail and things that he said previously. This is a flipflop that i very much welcome. This was a precision strike, very carefully handled, doesnt threaten regime inclusion, where assad could fall and were dealing with a worse problem, it sends a very strong signal to iran and north korea, to russia, it did so in a humane way. A term called russia, let them know it was coming so they could get their people out of the way, it was even done in a way to minimize casualties among assads forces. Everyone who sang this might be world war iii, were going to war with russia, you were being dramatic, its nowhere near that, no chance of that right now. Take us back the past eight years, this is not the first time Bashar Alassad<\/a> has used chemical weapons to kill many people, we have seen this happen before. The difference is the leadership styles, how president s respond to that when it happens. Look at the speed with which this happened. Thats so impressive. What President Trump<\/a> did was send a very clear message that when you cross the line, he didnt even set this redline, im going to act appropriately and very quickly and decisively. Theres a message that went to the whole world, there is a new sheriff in town and this new sheriff wants to look like robocop compared to the old sheriff. Every ally and enemy around the world right now is recalculating their policy. This is as much about restoring credibility as changing dynamic on the ground. I know you said youd like to avoid too much of a shakeup or a regime change, how do they do that and whats the best next outcome . The most immediate thing were looking to see is will assad used chemical weapons again . I would say based on this reaction that he probably wouldnt. Following that, when he starts massacring people far greater than the chemical attack that we saw, how will President Trump<\/a> attack . Is this about chemical weapons or the death toll that we see on a daily basis. It was good for President Trump<\/a> to only strike one air base, because now he can say theres something left for him to strike. If you want to escalate this, we can escalate it. This is a way of putting u. S. Policy in a stronger direction, making assad think twice about the things that hes doing, and also because of collapse among those around him. I wouldnt be surprised if you see people defecting from the regime now. How do you think this country would respond to the air strike. You have met members like rand paul saying you cant take action without getting our approval. Do you think the country will come together based on how much this has responded or do you think it will further divide espresso who would have thought we would be here this early entrance and administration, where in a key point hes in agreement with Hillary Clinton<\/a>, she was calling for this on a much larger scale. There is widespread bipartisan support for this. I completely understand the issue congressional authorization, it makes me uncomfortable as well. But as a National Security<\/a> analyst and a human rights activist, this is on there that i welcome for sure. The other point i would make is people who are uncomfortable with getting involved in civil wars and humanitarian issues, look at the target that we hit. You may not realize it, that was a terror target. That airbase was used by the Iranian Revolutionary<\/a> guards corps of the Iranian Regime<\/a> to sponsor terrorism. Hezbollah, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization<\/a> also operated out of there. We didnt just strike the air base that was used to carry out the chemical weapons attack on civilians, a terror target was struck. Russia reacting today saying were going to stop d conflicting in the air zone over syria. A swat back at the u. S. How do we handle russia as this unfolds . I dont think that is going to last, neither side has an interest in having a midair dogfight. This is what they came up with, theyll retaliate somehow, maybe by bombing u. S. Rebels, theyre likely to orchestrate some type of terror plot in response. Thanks for being with us this morning. More on this breaking news from syria, President Trump<\/a> taking action, ordering five dozen air strikes on an air base. Stay with us here on fox friends first. Well be right back. This is a fox news alert, President Trump<\/a> launching missiles targeting an airbase in syria. The kremlin responding overnight condemning the strike, saying it has caused significant damage to u. S. Russian relations. Youre watching a special 4 00 addition of fox friends first, good morning. President trump launching those missiles in response to the deadly chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians. The beginning of that countrys civil war in 2011. On tuesday, syrian dictator Bashar Alassad<\/a> launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent, assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women, and children. It was a slow and brutal death for so many, even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of god should ever suffer such horror. I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield. From where the chemical attack was launched. Years of previous attempts at changing assads behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically. I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end of the slaughter. And bloodshed in syria. And also to and terrorism. I spent some time with the president yesterday, hes clearly a man transformed by events. These are what happen on the chemical attack against kids, was compelled as a leader of the free will to do something about it and took decisive action. 28 children killed, heartbreaking. He knew what he was doing but he kept everyone in the dark. Even the president of china, xi jinping, he didnt say a word until the press conference. He said he was going to be unproductive, not going to tell the enemy what he would do beforehand, these are military operations that are meant to happen in secret and this happen quickly because they wanted the element of surprise and wanted it to be tied as closely as possible to the chemical attack. The signal was sent clearly to Bashar Alassad<\/a>. So different from what weve seen in the past eight years, drawing that line and not following through with it. Making the message is very clear right off the bat in his presidency. When there are chemical weapons use were not going to stand for that. Our enemies understand actions far more than they do words, as a hat tip to the last eight years. Weve got live coverage of course for you, live from washington, d. C. , at the u. S. State department, live from capitol hill where a reaction is pouring in. We begin with conor powell. Conor, you have been right in the action, what is the latest . Good morning, the pentagon saying they targeted with these tomahawk missiles, they targeted the base where the aircraft that launched this week, chemical weapons departed and return to. Its a prominent and large syrian airbase, also used by russian soldiers and troops and has both syrian and russian jets from what we are understanding. Syrian and Russian Media<\/a> are reporting extensive damage to this base. The pentagon telling fox news that before the u. S. Carried out the strikes, they did notify russia through secure lines. That was their warning, multiple warnings according to the pentagon for russia to get their troops out of the way. They were able to get most of the syrian jets off the runways and into safe places. A little mixed messaging here in terms of what were hearing from the syrian media. There are at least six dead, seven wounded during the strikes. The syrian jets were able to escape unharmed. Its not really clear what the extent of damage was, but we are hearing several different reports. What were also hearing is at the Syrian Regime<\/a> condemned this attack, saying it undermined serious operations of counterterrorist operations. Mixed messaging in terms of what were hearing out of syria. Theyre trying to justify Chemical Attacks<\/a>, these were not civilians, innocent children and families but instead terrorist. Thats been who theyve been targeting during the civil war thats been going on now for six years. Russia also condemning, but here in israel and across the region, turkey, saudi arabia, israel, all saying they support President Trump<\/a>s actions here in the last few hours with the strikes on this base here. The bigger question is what happens next . There are u. S. Troops in syria, u. S. Troops in neighboring iraq, a lot of targets, if they decide they want to try to retaliate, israel is also always a possible target. What were looking for in the next 24, 48, 72 hours is does the assad and their supporters retaliate against these tomahawk air strikes . What does this mean for isis . Are they going to take advantage of the situation . One thing that should be pointed out is this is an area where isis was in fact operatin operating. The u. S. Mission, u. S. Operations in syria have targeted isis with some help from russia, not a lot but they have all been targeting isis here in the last few months or so jointly. Of course the u. S. Coalition there for the last year or two. What does this do to isis . The syrians were making the argument that this hurts their ability to tackle groups like isis and other terrorist groups as well. Whether or not they were really focusing on them is debatable, what theyve seen for the most part, the regime is focusing on the rebel groups that directly threaten their regime and not groups like isis, but there has been some limited joint operations between the u. S. And russia in terms of targeting isis. Going forward, listen, isis is in a good position. Theyve got all the groups that want to target them arguing and fighting themselves, this is how isis has operated in this region. Theres been so much chaos among the groups that would target them, they have been able to fill the vacuum when there has been no government, theyve exploited the chaos, the vacuum in the chaos. Such an important reminder that there are consequences in such a complex situation, even just behind you, an area contested with rebel groups in isis. Stay safe out there, i know were going to keep getting reports from you all morning and we appreciated. Spirit do next thank you. A russian president Vladimir Putin<\/a> firing back overnight saying the u. S. Air strikes are a violation of international law. This jus secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> sends the kremlin of a clear warning for supporting the assad regime. I know youve got a lot pouring in this morning, what are you hearing . Generally speaking about u. S. Allies, the United Kingdom<\/a> calls us an appropriate response for in our barrick attack. Saudis and israelis are saying they support the United States<\/a>. The turks are saying this is an important and meaningful move. The russians are already criticized in the United States<\/a> according to the associated press. Russia said that it is suspending its deal with the United States<\/a> that it struck couple of years ago with the u. S. And russian militaries will communicate with one another to ensure that there are forces would not have incidental contact over syria. Theyre also saying the attacks last they are an obstacle to forming a coalition with the russians in the United States<\/a> to fight isis. Rex tillerson has been making the case that it was up to russia to destroy the chemical weapons in syria for that deal that was struck a few years ago, the secretary said russia guaranteed they would be destroyed, clearly that wasnt the case, and he says russia is either complicit or simply incompetent. His words. He is Holding Syria<\/a> and russia accountable. The Syrian Regime<\/a> and the leadership of Bashar Alassad<\/a> our response will for this attack. I think further it is very important that the russian government consider carefully their continued support for the assad regime. The secretary also spoke in greater detail about the u. S. Position on whether Bashar Alassad<\/a> should stay. The secretary said there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian People<\/a>. Much different than a week ago and the secretary said that it will be up to the Syrian People<\/a> to decide the longterm status of president s before. Secretary tillers and did speak of what he said the steps that were underway of an International Coalition<\/a> to remove assad. The state Department Said<\/a> he was talking about ongoing dialogues with the United Nations<\/a>. This is a few days before secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> was supposed to travel to moscow. State Department Officials<\/a> are saying that as of yesterday afternoon that trip was still on and they still hope to talk to russia about areas where the United States<\/a> and russia may be able to cooperate so long as its good for the United States<\/a>. What weve heard from russia thus far is there is no disinvited to the United States<\/a>. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a>. Well see how that story develops through of the day. Any country or keeping a particular ion . Reactions that are unexpected or could tip the scales . We had a guest earlier who said iran is at the top of the line. Iran are strongly condemning this. Another one that we really should talk about, remember the setting of where the decision of the strike was made and where these comments were made. There is a bilateral summit going on between chinese president xi jinping and president donald trump. It is the u. S. Trump administration that is pushing the chinese to push north korea to halt its Nuclear Missile<\/a> program. Similar dynamic when you consider that the United States<\/a> is pushing russia to contain Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Its all about trying to get these two countries to pressure their allies and their proxies and the setting is telling given that just a few days ago north korea again launched another missile. Really appreciate your insight on all this. Theres so much curiosity about the relationship between President Trump<\/a> and Vladimir Putin<\/a>, how was i going to play out . Are they going to get along, are they not going to get along . Area early on how things are going to carry out. Much easier to talk about it in a vacuum. Then a crisis where your adversary is quite clear. Forced to take a stand one way or the other. He took a clear stand, well see how it shakes out. Former cia analyst, good to have you here. Good to be here. Your initial reaction to the air strike . The world was so surprised because i got use to eight years of american weakness and leading from behind and ultimatums and redlines in our country failed to back it up, this is really reestablishing american credibility, i think it is going to have global implications. With barack obama, force was never really on the table. I think President Trump<\/a> is showing that america will use force when it needs to, its hands are not tied by the United Nations<\/a> and when he says something he means it. Help me figure this out. Hes made ground against the rebels, had upper hand in the civil war. Why chemical weapons now . I think he used chemical weapons because he thought he could get away with it. He saw the way the United States<\/a> dealt with the situation before, i might add that my colleague was on earlier, he speculated it could be that the government in damascus did not have full control over these weapons, could have been a local commander that doesnt get assad off the hook, he did not give up all the chemical weapons as he was supposed to. I suspect that whoever use these assume that there would be no response because theres never been a response from the United States<\/a> for this type of violation international law. Im curious, do you think this was a test for trump early on in his presidency . Weve seen other nations test things out. Do you think this was syrias way of testing out what he might do in response to Chemical Attacks<\/a> . It could be and i think there have been a number of tests like this from iran, ships in the persian gulf, north korea, testing ballistic missiles, and i think right now the chinese president is testing the president with questions and trying to find out where he stands. Its very interesting how this disengagement could play upon those negotiations. Play this fast forward a little bit, the strike was intentionally narrow and targeted to a particular air base trying to avoid russian and civilian casualties, how would you like to see this play forward . What is most advantageous to present a trip in the United States<\/a> . I think the situation forward is very complicated it wouldnt surprise me if the United States<\/a> consider taking out syrian aircraft and runways because to stop the syrians from dropping barrel bombs that are killing many syrians every day, lets make no mistake. There are no easy answers to the situation in syria. Im sympathetic to people who say lets get rid of assad, but frankly we have to think about what comes after assad. What worries me is that theres two options, and occupation in which we engage in nationbuilding and the American People<\/a> will not stand for that, or we can the country to isis and al qaeda, because we know the opposition is divided, if a side leaves, the nation falls into anarchy. We need creative diplomacy and we need someone who knows how to make the deal of the century to solve the situation. I dont know what the deal is right now im very worried about people saying lets just take assad out because that is not the answer right now. You said of the world got use to former president obama and his passiveness, waiting to take action, seeing how things settle before he does anything drastic. How do you think the world will respond to this move . Happening so quickly, such a big move by President Trump<\/a>. The russians and allies of russia are going to be upset that we didnt go to the United Nations<\/a>, look, we could be at the United Nations<\/a> till the cows come home and nothing would happen. We didnt wait to pass resolutions and do nothing about it, the u. S. Took action, i think there are many nations around the world who are very happy we did this and theyre hoping theyll see similar leadership in the future. Certainly can see that in the response of allies and their support for this decisive actio action. Thanks for joining us this morning. The move by President Trump<\/a> to launch air strikes in serious parking praise and criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Live from capitol hill with new demands that the president work with congress from here on out. A mixed reaction on the hill about all this. In fact, some of the first lawmakers that we heard from as the smoke cleared in syria were some of his biggest critics recently who were quick to come forward with a kind word. Senator john mccain and senator Lindsey Graham<\/a> who said in a joint statement, unlike the previous administration, President Trump<\/a> confronted a Pivotal Moment<\/a> in syria and took action, for that he deserves the report of the American People<\/a>. We heard from kentucky senator rand paul, known for being a libertarian, he said what we all condemned the atrocities in syria, the United States<\/a> was not attacked. The president needs congressional authorization for military action as required by the constitution and i call on him to come to congress for a proper debate. A top democrat in the senate, minority leader Chuck Schumer<\/a> had some sort of praise for the president. He said this when he commits such despicable atrocities he will pay a price, making sure he knows is the right thing to do. It is incumbent on the Trump Administration<\/a> to come up with a strategy before and plummeting at costco. A congressman who met with assad this winter during a trip to syria and said she thought he should be executed if responsible for the attack. She said this escalation is shortsighted and will lead to more dead civilians, more refugees, the strengthening of al qaeda and other terrorists and a direct confrontation between the United States<\/a> and russia which could lead to nuclear war. For President Trump<\/a>, he gave a statement that was less than 3 minutes long but it did use language that laid out some of the longerterm thinking about solutions for syria. We ask for gods wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world. We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who pass. We hope that as long as america stands for justice and peace and harmony will in the end prevail. The house of representatives is now on their two week long recess, but there are growing calls i some lawmakers pleading with the speaker of the house paul ryan to call them back so they can debate the future use of force against assad and syria. You actually have to show up for work to get things done, when youre gone for weeks on end its tough. Peter, do you have a sense that they really wanted that, are they talking tough because they want to build a position . This is something where its brandnew on capitol hill. For the last several weeks, everybody has been looking forward to today because it was going to be the day that Mitch Mcconnell<\/a> promise, that we would have the Supreme Court<\/a> confirmation. The opinions that were starting to hear our half a day old, there were rumors that something might be coming yesterday in the afternoon in syria. No one was sure what was going to happen until night time a lot of times people wait until somethings happened so they can react on capitol hill. A lot of the republicans and democrats said something had to be done, but now whether or not this is the right thing will be the debate. For both houses of congress its a recess when neil gorsuch is confirmed, it may be a while until the intense debate is on capitol hill. They should take their time at home and come back in washington, d. C. , to work with each other and figure how they want to do it and how they want to spend the money. Speak up today will be very interesting. Dont hold that your breath on them coming back from vacation. We know you work hard every day. President trump taking out a syrian air base, a show of force against assads horrific chemical attack. Coming years after president obama issued a redline morning, but nothing was done. Give us a sense of the timeline here. Good morning, its a civil war thats been raining for more than six years. We havent seen this since world war ii, all at the hands of a ruthless assad regime, and now that First American<\/a> assault of syrian souls. Syrian Security Forces<\/a> opened fire on a protest in 2011, u. S. Putting sanctions on Syrian Intelligence<\/a> agency. President obama issuing a redline warning by december issuing that warning again. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. No action followed as a brutal assad regime continue to terrorize his people. A terrible sarin gas attack, hundreds gassed again with sarin gas. Obama asking congress for permission to carry out strikes, not getting it and syria finally signing a Chemical Weapons Convention<\/a> treaty. That obviously was not obeyed and now this latest horrific unspeakable horror prompting many to wonder if the u. S. Should have done more much sooner. I am glad that President Trump<\/a> ordered these strikes, i do think they sent a very strong message to the assad regime. I think thats a message that was needed, particularly after what we saw from secretary tiller sin, and nikki haley and others, it made it sound like we were open to assad staying and powers. Im glad to see the signal. President trump issuing a statement saying that the heinous acts were a direct result of president obamas weakness and a resolution. Thank you. Retired bridge gator, general and author, good to have you with us. Good to be with you. You just heard that timeline, it really is incredible when you think about how many times syria has gotten away with using chemical weapons without us responding in any way. What do you make of these air strikes . The most jarring thing to me is that president obama saw similar pictures in 2013 and did nothing about it. He passed it off to secretary terry who worked with the russians who are completely unreliable in every sense of the word to handle the chemical weapons in syria and went to play golf and this blood is directly on president obamas hands, he did nothing about it. He saw the same pictures that President Trump<\/a> saw. We have decisive action, this is what we call flexible deterrent options. We can do a show of force, we can do a surgical strike, we can do much more than that. I think the discussion is what comes next, i think what comes next is President Trump<\/a> saying how do you like me now . Dont do this anymore or youre going to get more of this. We talk about regime change, thats not something i think we want at this moment. I think its something eventually that politically and diplomatically we should go after, but right now but we need to do, we cannot let use of weapons of mass destruction stand anywhere in the world because there are a threat to everybody. You see the images, 28 children killed because of these latest chemical weapons attacks. Its horrific and it is so hard to see, in that moment it makes you grateful that President Trump<\/a> did something to respond this time. How do you think the world will respond . There are so money factors at play here. The timing is interesting, President Trump<\/a> had dinner last night with president xi jinping of china. You have around at play, obviously syria, russia. How do you see all this playing out . The connection between china and north korea was previously mentioned, it sends a strong message to north korea that this is a president who will take action if the vital interests of the United States<\/a> are threatened. Thats when America First<\/a> is all about, its a realist Foreign Policy<\/a> that says im going to take care of my people and my Country First<\/a> and foremost. The threat of weapons of mass destruction those things that you cannot let stand. The fact that president obama let it stand, everybody who supports president obama ought to take a real hard look in the mirror today and take a look at those pictures and say obama saw those pictures and did nothing. Today weve got a president who saw those pictures and did something. He understands that threat can come to our shores. Syria is a failed state and weve got to get in there, but when you at iran and theyre a puppet of iran and also a puppet of russia. Weve got some unpacking to do. Its chess inside of syria right now, but it sends a strong signal around the world that weve got a president whos going to do what he says hes going to do. Many people are concerned about isis, what does this mean prices . s we were talking to conor powell, our correspondent over there on the ground and syria. Loosing the path that isis is taken, taken advantage of the vacuum when that happens. Will they do that this time around . I think the vacuum, the Syrian Government<\/a> has been supporting isis by buying oil from them, buying setting up mobile Carrier Service<\/a> for them, other economic and support mechanisms. I think this also helps get at the isis problem a little bit and sends a strong signal to isis that we are not going to play and that this president is a president who can keep a secret, not using military forces for his own public relations. He had a great poker face yesterday when asked about it, said who knows whats going to happen. I think isis is on notice here. It doesnt mean theyre going to stop fighting, theyll probably continue to fight. Whats happened over the last 23 months is that President Trump<\/a> has been challenged by north korea, by russia, by isis, everybody who supported the democratic candidate Hillary Clinton<\/a> and president obama better take a hard look in the mirror and say weve got the right guy in here because this world is in trouble right now. 45 seconds left here, what advice you have for President Trump<\/a> . We may see response from Bashar Alassad<\/a>, a response from Vladimir Putin<\/a>, what advice you have for the president . I think hes got flexible deterrent options in there. The use of chemical weapons, and now what he needs is a plan to go in there with a coalition, coalitions are only as good as the leader of that coalition. Thats why they havent worked in the past, we have not been leading. President trump is in position to lead right now. I would recommend that he get a coalition in their and get the u. N. To dispose of them instead of russia. We need to put our own troops on the ground to do that, then we should. We cannot let weapons of mass distraction stand. I thing a lot of people can wrap their head around that one. Thanks for being here this morning, really appreciate your insight. Thanks for tuning into a special early addition of fox friends first, and early additi tonight i ordered military strikes in syria. A serious matter requires a serious response. Abby 59 missiles planted as one air base. Struck a military force, not just a chemical attack but future Chemical Attacks<\/a>. 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