By Michael Hill
Correspondent
The aftermath of U.S. and Mideast allies’ missiles that bombed sites in Syria known as strongholds of terrorists with the Islamic State.
“Once again it must be clear to anyone who would plot against America and try to do Americans harm that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people,” said President Obama.
“This was happening because I believe the whole world should be united in defeating ISIS and other terrorist organizations that are targeting not only Christians but Christians, Muslims and everyone else. Actually, they are targeting humanity at large,” said Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II.
Aphrem is going home to Damascus this week as the supreme head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church.
He says he has mixed feelings about the airstrikes.
“I hope and pray that innocent people will not be caught in the middle and will not be targeted. That was my fear,” he said.
A year ago, the patriarch told NJTV News he opposed airstrikes or war in Syria as the world debated whether Syria’s leader had used chemical weapons on his own people.
Twelve days ago, the patriarch — and other religious leaders from the Middle East — met with President Obama at the White House.
“I told him there is a great need for a peaceful solution for the crisis in Syria. People are fed up with death, destruction and killing. They want peace,” he said.
The mayor of Prospect Park is a Syrian native who delivers humanitarian relief to his homeland. He supports the airstrikes with cautious optimism and wants the coalition to go beyond the terrorists.
“ISIS needs to, obviously, be dealt with once and for all, but again the instability in the region and the crackdown of the Assad regime on the Syrian people is what caused this instability,” said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah.
Overnight, U.S. F-18 Hornets took off from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier and missiles took out terrorists who’ve used their religious beliefs to justify the killings of innocents.
“I don’t believe any religion calls for violence against people. True religion is religion that promotes the well-being of human beings,” Aphrem said.
As his high holiness plans to return home to Damascus, he says the campaign against the terrorists does not need to be long and drawn out, so long as countries in the region unite and cut off all supplies and support to the terrorists.