--- description: The U.S. missile strike on Syria's Sharyat airfield took out 20% of President Bashar Assad's working warplane fleet, the Pentagon said title: U.S. Strike Destroyed 20% of Syria's Working Jets: Pentagon image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39ec0303067e3874/6988c23e0a4a22da589cda2a/gettyimages-665506436.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Syria](/tag/syria/) ## Syria Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. Missile Strike Destroyed a Fifth of Syria's Warplane Fleet, Pentagon Says by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2017 3:02 AM CUT  USS Ross fires a tomahawk land attack missile April 7, 2017. USS Ross fires a tomahawk land attack missile April 7, 2017.Robert S. Price—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2017 3:02 AM CUT The U.S. missile [strike on Syria’s Sharyat airfield](http://time.com/4730231/us-missile-airstrike-attack-syria-donald-trump-bashar-assad/ "undefined") Thursday took out 20% of President Bashar Assad’s operational warplane fleet, [according to a statement](https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1146758/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-jim-mattis-on-the-us-military-response-to-the "undefined") issued by Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Monday. In the statement, Mattis described the volley of 59 Tomahawk missiles as a “measured response” to Assad’s “use of chemical weapons.” He also said that the [Syrian government ](http://time.com/4732046/us-syria-strikes-pressure/ "undefined")would be “ill-advised ever again to use chemical weapons. “The assessment of the Department of Defense is that the strike resulted in the damage or destruction of fuel and ammunition sites, air defense capabilities, and 20% of Syria’s operational aircraft,” Mattis said in the statement. “The Syrian government has lost the ability to refuel or re-arm aircraft at Shayrat airfield and at this point, use of the runway is of idle military interest,” he added. The release follows earlier comments issued by the U.S. military’s Central Command spokesperson Colonel John Thomas, who said that more than 20 Syrian jets had been destroyed at Sharyat airfield, near the city of Homs, Agence France Presse [reports](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-strike-destroyed-20-percent-syrias-working-jets-190034806.html "undefined"). According to Thomas, the U.S. had tried to avoid hitting runways in order to convey that the military action was a reaction to the [suspected chemical attack](http://time.com/4728155/nerve-gas-sarin-chlorine-syria-chemica-attack/ "undefined") rather than indicative of future involvement in Syria’s civil war. The Syrian military had reported significant damage but Russian defense said only six Syrian warplanes were destroyed, [according](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39561102 "undefined") to the BBC. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4734059/syria-missile-strike-warplanes-destoryed/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4734059/syria-missile-strike-warplanes-destoryed/"},"headline":"U.S. Missile Strike Destroyed a Fifth of Syria's Warplane Fleet, Pentagon Says","datePublished":"2017-04-11T03:02:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:19:52.016Z","description":"Jim Mattis said the strike was a \"measured response\" to Assad's \"use of chemical weapons\"","url":"https://time.com/4734059/syria-missile-strike-warplanes-destoryed/","keywords":["Syria","Pentagon"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39ec0303067e3874/6988c23e0a4a22da589cda2a/gettyimages-665506436.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Hincks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39ec0303067e3874/6988c23e0a4a22da589cda2a/gettyimages-665506436.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US strikes Syria after chemical attack","caption":"US strikes Syria after chemical attack","creditText":"Robert S. 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