Syria air strike: Twitter user Abdulkader Hariri live tweets US Islamic State attack 'before Pentagon breaks news'
Hariri speculates 'huge explosions' might be 'beginning of US air strikes on Isis'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Syrian twitter user is believed to have broken news of US air strikes in Syria 30 minutes before the Pentagon confirmed the military had launched attacks on the Isis stronghold of Raqqa alongside other countries.
The Twitter user, named Abdulkader Hariri, said “huge explosions” had shook Raqqa at just after 2am local time. He speculated the explosions “might be the beginning of US air strikes on Isis HQs in Raqqa”.
The Pentagon made the announcement at about 9.30pm EST, according to Vox. Mr Hariri’s first tweet came half an hour before this, it reports.
At 2.35 am he said the sky was “full of drones” and the sound of warplanes could be heard. At about the same time, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby confirmed air strikes had targeted Isis targets in Syria using fighter jets, bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The air strikes are a major escalation of the US military response to Isis and come after President Barack Obama stressed it would not coordinate with the government of President Bashar al-Assad in any way in its fight against the group.
Syrian state television reported on Tuesday that Washington informed Syria's United Nations envoy before the attacks began, quoting Syria's Foreign Ministry as the source. However, Syria did not formally consent to them taking place in its territory.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments