Syria attack: Latest news, what you need to know

The events have angered Russia, are praised by most local lawmakers and already impacting gas prices here in the United States.

LATEST NEWS FROM AP

The United States attacked a Syrian air base with roughly 60 cruise missiles in response to a chemical weapons attack it blames on President Bashar Assad Thursday evening.

A Syrian opposition monitor said the attack killed four soldiers, including a general. The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than a dozen hangars, a fuel depot and an air defense base were damaged.

President Donald Trump said the attack on a Syrian air base was in the nation's "vital national security interest."

"Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children," Trump said.

RELATED: Latest news as it happens

GAS PRICES RISE

Oil prices were trading sharply higher after the United States launched a missile attack on Syria Thursday night. Oil rose in usually quiet after-hours trade by a dollar per barrel to $52.70 after news spread of roughly 50 Tomahawk missiles being launched from two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea.

RELATED: Get more on this developing story on impact of attack

WHAT IS THE DAMAGE?

A Syrian opposition monitor said the attack killed four soldiers, including a general. The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than a dozen hangars, a fuel depot and an air defense base were damaged.

RELATED: Here’s the latest on what we know

RELATED: What did President Trump have to say about the attack?

OHIO LEADERS REACT

Here’s what Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio said:

“Our men and women in uniform carried out this military strike with precision and skill, and I applaud their courage and bravery. It was appropriate to hold Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad accountable for his cruel and illegal use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, including women and children. The Assad regime clearly violated the 2013 Russian-led agreement at the United Nations requiring Syria to turn over all its chemical weapons.”

Here’s what Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio said:

“Last night’s missile strike appears to be a proportional response for Assad’s brutal killing of innocent civilians, but there are still unanswered questions, including how the strike will impact American forces on the ground fighting ISIS and what this means for long-term military engagement in Syria," said the Ohio Democrat. "President Trump needs to come up with a strategy to resolve the Syrian conflict, share his plans with the American people and win their support before taking further action."

RUSSIA REACTS

Russia reacted to U.S. military strikes on its ally Syria Friday by cutting a hotline intended to prevent midair incidents, a response that demonstrates Moscow's readiness to defy Washington and could even put the two nuclear superpowers on a course toward military confrontation.

President Vladimir Putin signaled he was ready to risk a clash with the U.S. and abandon hopes for mending ties with the U.S. under President Donald Trump, rather than accept the humiliation of standing by while his ally is bombed.

RELATED: What does Russia’s action mean for the U.S.?