Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday praised the U.S.-led strikes on Syrian targets and warned that Iran's presence there further endangers Syria's future.
U.S., British and French forces hit Syrian targets in response to a chemical attack that killed dozens of people on April 7. Following the strike, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!"
A statement released by Netanyahu's office said, "A year ago, I declared Israel's full support for President Trump's decision to take a stand against the use and spread of chemical weapons. President Trump's resolve and Israel's support remain unchanged.
"Early this morning, under American leadership, the United States, France and the United Kingdom demonstrated that their commitment is not limited to proclamations of principle.
"It should be clear to [Syrian] President [Bashar] Assad that his reckless efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his wanton disregard for international law and his provision of a forward base for Iran and its proxies endanger Syria."
An Israeli official said Israel was notified of the strikes ahead of time. Asked how much warning Israel had received, the official said, "Between 12 and 24 hours, I believe."
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman confirmed that Israel had been notified before the strikes, but provided no further details.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday Syria would have a "price to pay" if its military conducts another chemical weapons attacks.
Pence said Trump "made clear that the United States of America is prepared to sustain this effort to reestablish the deterrent framework that exists in order that the Syrian regime and its patrons know there will be a price to pay if chemicals weapons are used again against men, women and children."
He added that the strike "degraded and crippled chemical weapons capabilities of Syria."
"I think the President's expressions this morning were a strong affirmation that the mission that he gave our military to go in and destroy key elements of the chemical weapons infrastructure in Syria was completely, professionally and swiftly accomplished," Pence said.
Israeli officials heaped praise on Trump for his decision to strike Assad's chemical arsenals.
Construction Minister Yoav Gallant lauded the strike, saying it sent an "important signal" to Iran, Syria and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
"The use of chemical weapons crosses a red line that humanity can no longer tolerate," he tweeted.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid tweeted, "I commend Presidents Trump and Macron and PM May who led the attack on Assad's chemical weapons facilities. Despite the limited nature of the strike, after a period of silence, the civilized world sent a clear message to Assad that it won't remain silent while he murders children.
"The real test now is the coalition's ability to maintain the military and diplomatic pressure on the dictator from Damascus. Israel will continue to act against the Iranian presence in Syria and won't take orders from any regional actor when it comes to our vital security interests."
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, who now serves as deputy public diplomacy minister, said the strike "proved that President Trump is willing to enforce the red line he set over the dictator Assad's use of chemical weapons against his own people. This was a clear message – the United States will not allow Assad to keep doing that."
Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay tweeted, "The U.S. drove ISIS out of Syria and that gives it the moral right to prevent chemical weapons' attacks. We will keep insisting on our interests, to prevent Syria from turning into a forward base for Iran on our border."
He later told Channel 10 News, "The American did not attack [Syria] with full force. This was not an unequivocal American statement that they won't allow Iran to have bases in Syria."
Some in Israel, however, denounced the move.
Joint Arab List Chairman Ayman Odeh condemned the U.S.-led strike in Syria, saying, "The United States has a long history of aggression and bullying in the region, which it pushes under the pretexts of weapons of mass destruction. That has turned out to be false. We call for the demilitarization of the entire Middle East, including Israel from weapons of mass destruction."
The Hadash party, which is part of the Joint Arab List faction, also criticized the strike, warning that "the alliance between the Trump administration, Netanyahu's government and the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, is dragging the region into a destructive and bloody war."
Also on Saturday, the Pentagon reported a significant increase in Russian trolls and social media propaganda following the U.S.-led missile strike on Syria.
"The Russian disinformation campaign has already begun. There has been a 2,000% increase in Russian trolls in the last 24 hours," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
