HOUSTON – Houstonians are responding after president trump ordered missile strikes in Syria.
Many are supporting the president citing the graphic images of adults and children who were exposed to deadly nerve gas that shocked and outraged the world.
US officials say almost 60 tomahawk cruise missiles hit a Syrian air base. That base was apparently used to launch the chemical attack this week that killed at least 100 people.
The president said there was no dispute that Syria used chemical weapons, breaking international agreements.
"Assad choked out the helpless," the President said. "There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons ... and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council," he said during short remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago. "The refugee crisis continues to deepen and the region continues to destabilize."
Here in Houston, locals have mixed responses to President Trump’s first major known mission as commander in chief.
"Now we're basically involved in the war. Where does that leave us? They're going to come back and bomb us?" one Houstonian said.
"It's nice to have some leadership that's actually going to support free peoples and make sure that there's impact for using chemical weapons on the citizenry," said another Houstonian.
In a statement, U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady said "like so many across the country and the world, I was sickened by the pictures of the Syrian chemical weapons victims. Too many have died or fled their homeland due to this relentless civil war. At what point is enough enough?"
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said, "no amount of missile strikes are going to end the terror in Syria without an established strategy, something the trump administration does not have. If we are to stop the killing and solve the problem, Trump must immediately confront Vladimir Putin who is propping up Assad."
Senator Ted Cruz says he’s looking forward to president Trump Making his case to congress,
"Our prayers are with Assad's victims, and with the victims of the ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists ripping Syria apart," said Cruz. And, as always, our support and prayers are with the brave Americans in uniform who carried out the military strike tonight.
A White House official says more than two dozen members of congress were briefed by administration officials on the missile strike.