As President Donald Trump warned on Twitter that US missiles "will be coming" in the wake of a suspected chemical attack in the town of Douma, Syria, Russian officials warned that any military action by the USA and its allies would be met with an aggressive response-targeting any USA missiles as well as their launch sites.
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.
Russian Federation said Wednesday it would deploy troops near the rebel-held town of Douma, where the regime allegedly carried out a suspected chemical weapons attack that left dozens dead.
Moscow's threat to shoot down USA missiles came from the Russian ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin, who said he was referring to a statement by President Vladimir Putin and the Russian armed forces chief of staff.
The tweet comes as Trump weighs how to punish Damascus after President Bashar al-Assad's forces carried out an April 7 chemical attack on civilians, killing at least 40 people.
Yet Trump broke his own rule with this tweet, letting Russia, Syria, and the rest of the world know that a missile strike is on the way. "Russian Federation needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together", he said Monday on Twitter. "We need to hold Russian Federation accountable for the crimes being committed by Assad, and actively engage in a diplomatic strategy, which includes being willing to commit to helping rebuild Syria if there is a future transition in government post Assad".
In Mauro's opinion, it would be beneficial for the U.S.to "double-down" on its relationship with Kurdish fighters.
The Syrian regime and the Kremlin both deny responsibility of the chemical attack and have questioned whether the attack even happened, despite footage from Douma with strong evidence suggesting a chemical attack.
The US military has been using so many precision-guided munitions in the fight against Isis in recent years that the Pentagon had to work with defence contractors to step up the weapons' production and introduce new types of missiles to the fight.
The Syrian government and its ally Russian Federation have denied that such an attack ever happened.
"Whatever happens next has to abide by worldwide law", Swedish U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters on Wednesday, referring to USA plans for military action. "Stop the arms race?" he wrote. In the past Trump has vowed to stand up to President Assad.
The 2,000 USA troops in Syria advising local forces on defeating Islamic State militants would be vulnerable to missiles, artillery and other attacks, the former official said.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph has reported that British submarines are being moved within "missile range" of Syria - and that military action could start on Thursday night.
12 April 2018
11 April 2018
13 April 2018
12 April 2018
11 April 2018
12 April 2018
12 April 2018
12 April 2018
13 April 2018
12 April 2018
12 April 2018