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VOA慢速英语--美国盟友支持空袭叙利亚政府军事目标

时间:2017-04-09 23:30:10

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US Allies Support Airstrikes on Syrian Military Targets

American allies have praised the United States for launching airstrikes on Syrian military targets to answer a chemical weapons attack in Syria.

U.S. Navy destroyers fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles early Friday at an air base in western Syria.

The airstrikes came days after a chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town in the Syrian province of Idlib. The attack killed about 100 civilians1, including many children.

Western officials have accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using the chemical weapons. The Syrian government blames rebel fighters.

The raid [on Friday] was the first time U.S. forces have directly attacked Syrian government positions. U.S. officials said the air base targeted was most likely the one used to launch the chemical attack.

U.S. President Donald Trump2 condemned3 the “horrible” chemical attack earlier this week. He said it had crossed “many, many lines” and changed his mind about Assad and Syria.

On Thursday, Trump talked about the U.S. airstrikes from Florida, where he has been meeting with China’s president. Trump said he ordered the strikes to answer attacks against innocent civilians with “a deadly nerve agent.”

"It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter4 the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."

Trump added that all “civilized nations” should join the United States "in seeking an end to the slaughter5 and bloodshed in Syria."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the goal of the U.S. military action was to “make clear that these chemical weapons continue to be a violation6 of international norms.”

Many American allies voiced support for the airstrikes. They included Germany, France, Britain, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others.

European Union Council President Donald Tusk7 said on Twitter, the “U.S. strikes show needed resolve against barbaric chemical attacks.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the airstrikes, a “concrete step against the Assad regime's war crimes using chemical and conventional weapons.”

The airstrikes received support from a number of U.S. congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

However, some lawmakers expressed concern that Trump did not first seek Congressional approval before ordering the military action.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump must officially seek congressional approval if he “intends to escalate8 the U.S. military’s involvement in Syria.” She also warned against the U.S. getting involved in “another open-ended war in the Middle East.”

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons against civilians during the country’s six-year civil war.

On Friday, Assad’s office described the U.S. action as, ”reckless,” “irresponsible,” and not based on true facts. Syria’s Foreign Ministry9 said the airstrikes were designed to “weaken the strength of the Syrian army in confronting terrorist groups.”

Both Russia and Iran have been strong supporters of Assad’s government and aided his forces in the conflict against rebel fighters.

In Russia, the government condemned the U.S. military action as “aggression against a sovereign state.” A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said the attack would result in "major damage on U.S.-Russia ties."

The U.S. military said the Russian government was warned of the airstrikes before the raid.

Russia has denied any part in the chemical weapons attack. A Russian spokesman blamed the incident on Syrian warplanes striking a supply of chemical weapons belonging to rebel forces.

U.S. military officials said they are investigating possible Russian involvement. The officials said drone aircraft belonging to either to Russia or Syria was seen flying over the area where the chemical attack took place soon after it happened.

Iran also condemned the U.S. action. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said such “unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law.” Iran's official news agency for parliament said “Russia and Iran won't be quiet against such acts which violate interests of the region.”

The American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the U.S. government holds Syria responsible for the chemical attack. However, she told the Security Council on Friday that Russia and Iran both bear a "heavy responsibility" for supporting and protecting Assad.

Haley noted10 that Russia is supposed to be a guarantor that all chemical weapons were removed from Syria under a 2013 agreement. She added that further action against Syria is possible.

“The United States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary.”

The airstrikes came after conflicting statements from the Trump administration on Syria. Just last week, U.S. officials said removing Assad from power was not a “priority.” During a recent visit to Turkey, Secretary Tillerson said he thought the future of Assad would "be decided11 by the Syrian people.”

But speaking to reporters Thursday, Tillerson left the door open for U.S. support for new leadership in Syria. He said he thinks this policy should focus on a political solution involving international partners to get Assad to leave power.

“Assad’s role in the future is uncertain, clearly, and with the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people.”

Several members of Congress have said the focus should now move to additional policy steps in Syria.

One proposal is for the United States to act quickly to set up “safe zones” and take steps to deal with the humanitarian12 crisis.

Another, proposed by Senator Marco Rubio, is for the U.S. to cooperate with Sunni Arab governments to discuss an "alternative" government in Syria.

Rubio told the "Today Show" that Trump should seek the help of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey – all of which supported the U.S. airstrikes. He said these countries can be important in getting Assad to step down and helping13 create a new government.

I'm Alice Bryant.

And I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

deter – v. prevent from happening

slaughter – v. to kill a lot of people in a violent way

conventional - adj. of a kind that has been around for a long time and is considered to be usual or typical?

escalate - v. to become worse or to make (something) worse or more severe?

concrete – adj. relating to something real, rather than general ideas or qualities

reckless – adj. doing something dangerous or carelessly

unilateral – adj. involving only one group or country

alternative – adj. a different choice or available option


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
参考例句:
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
2 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
3 condemned condemned     
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
  • The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。
4 deter DmZzU     
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住
参考例句:
  • Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
  • Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。
5 slaughter 8Tpz1     
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀
参考例句:
  • I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
  • Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。
6 violation lLBzJ     
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯
参考例句:
  • He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说,那是违反规则的。
  • He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。
7 tusk KlRww     
n.獠牙,长牙,象牙
参考例句:
  • The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里,绝望地嗥叫着。
  • A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。
8 escalate biszi     
v.(使)逐步增长(或发展),(使)逐步升级
参考例句:
  • It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
  • Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。
9 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
10 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
11 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
12 humanitarian kcoxQ     
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
参考例句:
  • She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业,并作了很大的贡献。
  • The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
13 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

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