Stoltenberg: Air strikes reduce the ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons

The head of NATO expressed his support for Western strikes in Syria on Saturday after missiles targeted Bashar al-Assad’s regime in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack.

“I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France… This will reduce the regime’s ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Stoltenberg said the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons was “a clear breach of international norms and agreements.”

“NATO considers the use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security, and believes that it is essential to protect the Chemical Weapons Convention,” the statement added.