US strike on Syria a ‘strategic mistake’, says Khamenei

Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said the recent US missile attack on a Syrian air base was a “strategic mistake”.

“The Americans’ action is a strategic mistake, as they are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors,” Khamenei’s official website quoted him as saying.

As Europe is now facing the threat of terrorists, the US will not stay away from this threat as well, he added.

The US fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat air base in central Syria at dawn on Friday, saying the strike was intended to deter the Syrian government from using chemical weapons.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Thursday said the recent Syrian air strike on a rebel-held town in Idlib Province in northwestern Syria struck a rebel depot containing chemical materials, and denied that the air force used toxic gas during the attack.

—IANS