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US warns Syria over 'potential' plan for chemical attack US warns Syria over 'potential' plan for chemical attack
(about 3 hours later)
The US says it has identified "potential preparations" for another chemical attack in Syria, and issued a stark warning to the Syrian government. The US says Syria's government appears to be preparing for a chemical weapons attack and has warned that it will "pay a very heavy price" if one takes place.
The White House said the activities were similar to those made before a suspected chemical attack in April. The White House said similar activities had been seen before bombs containing the nerve agent Sarin were allegedly dropped on a rebel-held town in April.
Dozens died in the attack which prompted President Trump to order a strike against a Syrian air base. Dozens of people were killed, prompting President Donald Trump to order a missile strike on a Syrian airbase.
The US statement warned President Bashar al-Assad of "a heavy price" if another strike occurred. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the incident was fabricated.
It said "another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime" was likely to result "in the mass murder of civilians". His close ally, Russia, meanwhile said an air strike had hit a rebel depot full of chemical munitions and released toxic agents into the air - a claim that rebel factions and the Western powers which back them have dismissed.
The statement added: "As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. If, however, Mr Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price." In a statement, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the US had "identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children".
Officials at the state department and the Department of Defense were caught off guard by the White House announcement, suggesting it was not discussed in advance with other national security agencies, US media report. "The activities are similar to preparations the regime made before its 4 April 2017 chemical weapons attack," he added, referring to the incident in Khan Sheikhoun.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Russia and Iran - Mr Assad's key allies - would also be responsible if such an attack took place. "As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. If, however, Mr Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price."
"Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia & Iran who support him killing his own people," she tweeted. The White House provided no supporting evidence or further explanation.
However, the Associated Press cited a non-governmental source with close ties to the White House as saying that the US had received intelligence that Syrian government forces were mixing precursor chemicals for a possible Sarin attack in either the east or south of the country.
'Crystal clear' warning - Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent'Crystal clear' warning - Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent
The very public warning to the Syrian government against using chemical weapons is highly unusual. Such a step , which must surely be based upon detailed intelligence, might usually be delivered behind the scenes through diplomatic channels.The very public warning to the Syrian government against using chemical weapons is highly unusual. Such a step , which must surely be based upon detailed intelligence, might usually be delivered behind the scenes through diplomatic channels.
The use of chemical weapons requires tell-tale preparations such as the movement of particular units, the distribution of weapons to a base from which they can be delivered and so on, all capable of being picked up by US satellites or drones.The use of chemical weapons requires tell-tale preparations such as the movement of particular units, the distribution of weapons to a base from which they can be delivered and so on, all capable of being picked up by US satellites or drones.
The warning is clearly intended to forestall such an attack and to make it clear that if the Syrian regime again crosses this line - just as it did last April - the US will respond with force.The warning is clearly intended to forestall such an attack and to make it clear that if the Syrian regime again crosses this line - just as it did last April - the US will respond with force.
This time though the context is very different. There is growing friction between the US and pro-Assad forces. A US strike now would risk Washington being drawn further into the conflict. But the warning from the White House is crystal clear.This time though the context is very different. There is growing friction between the US and pro-Assad forces. A US strike now would risk Washington being drawn further into the conflict. But the warning from the White House is crystal clear.
The Syrian government has not responded to the US statements. US permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley, also said Russia and Iran - another Assad ally - would be held responsible if there was an attack.
President Assad denied his forces were behind the suspected nerve gas attack in the rebel-held north-western town of Khan Sheikhoun in April. "Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia & Iran who support him killing his own people," she tweeted.
Dozens of civilians, including many children, died. But officials at the state department and Pentagon were caught off guard by the White House statement, according to US media reports, suggesting that their departments were not consulted in advance.
In response, US Navy ships in the Mediterranean fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Shayrat airfield, in western Homs province, which it said was used to store chemical weapons. There was no immediate response from Syria's government, but Russia said it considered "such threats against the Syrian leadership to be unacceptable".
The latest development comes amid increasing tension in the region between the US and Russia. President Assad has denied ever using chemical weapons and maintains that its entire arsenal was destroyed as part of a deal brokered by the US and Russia after a deadly Sarin attack on rebel-held suburbs of Damascus in 2013.
Russia has supported Mr Assad's forces since 2015 with air strikes against what it terms Islamist extremists. More than 80 people were killed in Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April, according to the local opposition-run health directorate.
It accused the US of breaking international law with its cruise missile strike, and more recently warned the US-led coalition that it would view its aircraft as targets after the US shot down a Syrian military plane. Video posted following the alleged air strike showed people struggling to breathe and foaming at the mouth - symptoms consistent with nerve agent poisoning.
Syria's six-year civil war has left more than 300,000 people dead and created more than five million refugees. The Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said tests on samples collected from victims indicated that they were exposed to Sarin or a Sarin-like substance.
Militant Islamist groups including so-called Islamic State (IS) have used the conflict to seize swathes of land. President Trump cited the pictures of children in distress as one of the reasons he decided to reverse previous US policy on Syria and launch a direct attack on the Syrian government days later.
Warplanes from a US-led coalition are supporting an alliance of Arab and Kurdish militias as they carry out an assault on the group's stronghold of Raqqa. He ordered a missile strike on the Syrian Air Force base at Shayrat, where the US says Sarin-filled bombs were loaded on to the jet that bombed Khan Sheikhoun.
The latest development comes amid increasing tension between the US and Russia, which recently warned the US-led coalition fighting so-called Islamic State that it would view its aircraft as targets after a Syrian military jet was shot down.