Hillary Clinton has chided President Donald Trump for ordering massive airstrikes on Syria and said the US cannot in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies and in the next close America’s doors to them.
Clinton, who served as Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama, weighed in less than a day after Trump authorised airstrikes against a Syrian regime target in retaliation for a chemical attack on civilians.
She was addressing a luncheon on Friday for Annie’s list, which works to elect progressive women in the state of Texas.
She urged the US administration to “recognise that we cannot in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies and in the next close America’s doors to them.”
During her tenure at the State Department and her presidential campaign, Clinton, 69, advocated for more aggressive action to deter Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and said the US should implement a no-fly zone, the CBS News reported.
She reiterated that position in an event in New York on Thursday just hours before the airstrikes began.
“As I said yesterday afternoon it is essential that the world does more to deter Assad from committing future murderous atrocities,” Clinton said.
“But the action taken last night needs to be followed by a broader strategy to end Syria’s civil war and to eliminate ISIS strongholds on both sides of the border so I hope this administration will move forward in a way that is both strategic and consistent with our values,” she said.