DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the U.S. attack on Syria failed to achieve its goal in supporting the rebel groups, according to state news agency SANA.
The U.S. has failed to achieve the goal behind the aggression, which was lifting the morale of the U.S.-backed terrorist groups after the victories made by the Syrian army recently, Assad said during a phone call he received from his Iranian counterpart, Hasan Rohani.
Assad said the Syrian army is determined to crush terrorism on each spot of the Syrian territories.
For his part, Rohani, whose country is a main backer of the Assad government, expressed his country's vehement condemnation to the U.S. strike, stressing his Tehran's ongoing support to the Syrian government.
Earlier on Friday, the United States targeted the Shayrat air base in Homs with nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles, killing six Syrian soldiers and nine civilians, including four children, and destroying nine Syrian warplanes.
The U.S. government said the attack on the air base came in retaliation for the strikes by the Syrian air force on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday.
Activists accused the Syrian army of firing toxic gas on the town, killing 70 people, while the Syrian army said the strike targeted an arm depot containing toxic gas, blaming the rebels for stockpiling such materials.
