International

Putin: Further attacks on Syria would lead to ‘chaos’

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly said on Sunday that further western attacks on Syria would cause more chaos.

Putin made the comments during a telephone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Reuters reported, after the U.S., the U.K. and France launched missile strikes on chemical weapons facilities in Syria on Friday.

“Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that if such actions committed in violation of the [United Nations] Charter continue, then it will inevitably lead to chaos in international relations,” the Kremlin said in a statement obtained by the news service.

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The statement also noted that the strikes hurt the chances of a political resolution to the Syrian civil war.

The missiles struck three chemical weapons facilities. The Defense Department said the strikes will set back Syria’s chemical weapons program for years and make Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government think twice about using them again.

The strikes were in retaliation for an apparent chemical weapons attack on a rebel-controlled Damascus suburb. It is widely believed that the Syrian government was behind the attack, which left more than 40 people dead.

The Syrian government and its allies have called the missile strikes an act of aggression.