After Russia issued warnings to the United States against military strikes in Syria, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that missiles “will be coming” in response to Syria’s suspected chemical attack that killed at least 40 people.
"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria,"" Mr. Trump tweeted. “Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”
Mr. Trump did not detail what a strike would look like, or whether these would be U.S. missiles. The tweet came as Trump administration officials have consulted with global allies on a possible joint military response to Syria's alleged poison gas attack. Mr. Trump canceled a foreign trip in order to manage a crisis that is testing his vow to stand up to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Russia will see it as a war crime
Russian lawmakers have warned the U.S. that Moscow will view an airstrike on Syria as a war crime, saying it could trigger a direct military clash between the two former Cold War adversaries. Russia's Ambassador to Lebanon said any missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launching sites targeted.
The U.S., France and Britain were in extensive consultations on launching a military strike as early as the end of this week, U.S. officials have said. None of the three countries' leaders had made a firm decision, according to the officials.
A joint military operation, possibly with France rather than the U.S. in the lead, could send a message of international unity about enforcing the prohibitions on chemical weapons and counter Syria's political and military support from Russia and Iran.
France, US and UK will decide: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron said France, the U.S. and Britain would decide how to respond in the coming days. He called for a "strong and joint response" to the attack in the Syrian town of Douma on Saturday, which Syrian activists and rescuers say killed 40 people. The Syrian government denies responsibility.
Mr. Macron does not need parliamentary permission to launch a military operation. France is already involved in the U.S.-led coalition created in 2014 to fight the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq. Multiple IS attacks have targeted French soil, including one last month.
Mr. Trump suggested on Monday that he had little doubt that Syrian government forces were to blame for what he said was a chemical attack, but neither he nor other administration officials have produced hard evidence.
Officials suggested such evidence was lacking, or at least not yet at hand. This is in contrast to an incident one year ago in which U.S. intelligence agencies had video and other evidence of certain aspects of the actual attack, which involved the use of Sarin gas. Mr. Trump responded by launching Navy cruise missiles on a Syrian airfield.
Will the strikes be more extensive?
One official said the U.S., France and Britain were considering military options that would be more extensive than the punitive, one-day strike last April. That strike did not appear to have had the desired effect of deterring Mr. Assad from further use of chemical agents. So the three countries are discussing a range of options, including preventing Mr. Assad from conducting future attacks by striking military capabilities involved in carrying out such attack, the official said.
Mr. Trump spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Theresa May. A British government statement said the two agreed the attack in Syria was "utterly reprehensible" and that the international community must respond "to uphold the worldwide prohibition on the use of chemical weapons."
Trump, Qatar Emir on the same page
Mr. Trump met at the White House with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who told reporters that he and Mr. Trump “see eye to eye” on the Syria problem.
"We cannot tolerate with a war criminal,” the Emir said, adding, “This matter should end immediately." Qatar hosts the United States’ main air operations center for the Middle East, which would coordinate any American air attack in Syria.
A watchdog agency, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, announced that it will send “shortly” a fact-finding mission to Douma, after receiving a request from the Syrian government and its Russian backers to investigate the allegations. It was not immediately clear whether that visit would delay or avert U.S. or allied military action.
The Russian military, which has troops in Syria, said on Monday that its officers had visited the site of the alleged attack and found no evidence to back up reports of use of poison gas.
Rather target terrorists: Moscow
In response to Mr. Trump's tweet, Moscow has said US missiles should target 'terrorists' and not the 'legitimate government' in Syria.
