Obama orders airstrikes in Syria for first time

President says terrorists will 'find no safe haven'

President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington, Wednesday. In a major reversal, Obama ordered the United States into a broad military campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy militants in two volatile Middle East nations, authorizing airstrikes inside Syria for the first time, as well as an expansion of strikes in Iraq. - photo by Associated Press

Obama Islamic State Ledb — President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington, Wednesday. In a major reversal, Obama ordered the United States into a broad military campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy militants in two volatile Middle East nations, authorizing airstrikes inside Syria for the first time, as well as an expansion of strikes in Iraq. - photo by Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Opening a new military front in the Middle East, President Barack Obama authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time Wednesday night, along with expanded strikes in Iraq as part of "a steady, relentless effort" to root out Islamic State extremists and their spreading reign of terror. "We will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," Obama declared in a prime-time address to the nation from the White House. "This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

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