WILKES-BARRE -- Our area has become home to some Syrian families escaping the civil war.
For one family now living in Wilkes-Barre, Thursday night's air strikes were a long time coming.
We first met the Allouz family in 2015 right after they moved to Wilkes-Barre. They come from central Syria and the chemical attack on civilians earlier this week hit especially close to home. They lost some friends in that attack.
President Trump's decision to bomb a Syrian airfield is something the Allouz family has been waiting a long time for.
We caught up with the Allouz family after a crowded afternoon prayer service at the Islamic Association of NEPA in Wilkes-Barre. The place has welcomed the Syrian refugees since they moved here in 2015.
This week they've been haunted by the images of a chemical attack in the central region of Syria where they once lived.
"It's very bad to see those pictures or those videos, you know? And when I saw the videos, I've been crying a lot, you know? Because all of them, it's like my family," said Anas Allouz.
Anas Allouz is studying English and business at Luzerne County Community College. The president of the mosque helped him understand our questions in his native Arabic. They explained that Tuesday's attack killed many of their old friends.
"He knew a family, 19 of them died, only the father and a nephew that survived, and he knew all of them. So, he's like watching the news, something happening to people that he lived with," said Ibrahim al Meky, Islamic Association of NEPA.
Syria's President Bashar al Assad is believed to be behind the attack. The Allouz family has been disappointed with U.S intervention in the civil war until this week.
"Only right now, I am really respect President Donald Trump," Allouz said.
But, this week's air strikes against President Assad aren't enough, they say.
"Yes, yes, not just America, the whole countries everywhere, they should help Syria because every single day we see a lot of people killed, a lot of people. And they don't say anything, no president did anything for them," Allouz added.
The Allouz family says they are grateful every day that they no longer live in Syria they are feeling especially grateful this week.