Michael Wolgelenter | NYT News Service | Updated: Apr 14, 2018, 23:13 IST

The United States, in coordination with France and Britain, carried out a series of predawn airstrikes on Saturday in Syria in response to what it said was a chemical weapons attack this month in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma.

周六黎明前，美国联合英法两国对叙利亚进行了空袭，以回应本月在叛军控制的大马士革郊区杜马发生的化学武器袭击事件。

The strikes were the latest development in a long-running and complex conflict with consequences far beyond Syria itself — including in the United States, Iran, Russia and other parts of Europe.

此次空袭是叙利亚地区持久且复杂冲突的最新情况，不仅影响叙利亚本身，还影响了美国、伊朗、俄罗斯和其他欧洲国家。

Here are seven takeaways from the airstrikes and their aftermath:

以下是对空袭及其后果所做的7点总结:

The strikes were intense but restrained

空袭很激烈也很克制

The United States and its allies tried to walk a fine line with the airstrikes, sending a strong message to President Bashar Assad of Syria without provoking a military response from Russia and Iran, Assad’s two strongest allies.

美国及其盟国试图通过空袭，向叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德发出强烈信息，而不激怒俄罗斯和伊朗——阿萨德的两个最强大盟友——的军事反应。

The operation on Saturday was more powerful than an airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump last year — this time there were three targets, rather than one, employing twice as many weapons. But it was limited to one night, at least for the moment; was specifically aimed at chemical weapons facilities’ and steered clear of Russian soldiers and bases.

周六的行动比去年唐纳德•特朗普总统下令发动的空袭更猛烈——这次有三个目标，而不是一个，动用了两倍的武器。但行动只持续了一个晚上；空袭主要针对化学武器设施，避开了俄罗斯士兵和基地。

“Right now this is a one-time shot, and I believe it has sent a very strong message to dissuade him, to deter him from doing it again,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said of Assad, although Trump suggested there might be more to come. “We are prepared to sustain this response,” he said, until Syria abandons its use of chemical weapons.

美国国防部长吉姆·马蒂斯在谈到阿萨德时说，“这是一次尝试，我相信它发出了非常强烈的信息。”尽管特朗普暗示可能会发动更多空袭。

The US chose not to wait

美国迫不及待

The United States and its allies went ahead with the airstrikes in the face of several developments that suggested they could be delayed.

尽管事态发展表明可以延迟行动，但美国及其盟友仍然发动空袭。

Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were expected to arrive in Douma, Syria, on Saturday to investigate the attack last weekend.

禁止化学武器组织的检查员将于周六抵达叙利亚杜马，调查上周末的袭击事件。

Mattis was working to slow the move toward a military response, concerned that a missile strike could spark a wider conflict between Russia, Iran and the West.

马蒂斯正在努力减缓军事行动，担心导弹袭击可能引发俄罗斯、伊朗和西方之间更广泛的冲突。

And Trump sent mixed signals about timing. On Wednesday, he warned Russia on Twitter that missiles “will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!'” But the next day, he added: “Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!”

特朗普发出了关于时机的复杂信号。周三，他在推特上警告俄罗斯，导弹“快来了”但第二天，他又补充道:“从来没有说过何时会袭击叙利亚。可能很快，也可能不会这么快!”

At a news conference on Saturday morning, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain said that the strikes had been “the right thing to do,” in part for the “operational security” of those carrying them out.

在周六上午的新闻发布会上，英国首相特蕾莎•梅表示，空袭是“正确的做法”，部分原因是参与空袭人员的“安全作业”。