'Pay a heavy price' US threatens Assad after discovering suspected chemical attack plot
THE United States threatened Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will “pay a heavy price” should he decide to launch another chemical weapons attack after intelligence discovered potential plans to strike.
US military launch air strike against pro-Assad forces in Syria
The White House also said it had reason to believe such preparations were underway in the Middle Eastern country.
After the previous chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians on April 4 US President Donald Trump ordered a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said: "The United States has 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.
“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.”
The White House did not respond to requests for details about a possible US response, nor the intelligence that prompted the statement.
President Assad claimed in an interview earlier this year the attack was “100 per cent fabrication” and was simply used to carry out a US air strike.
f Mr Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price
Mr Trump carried out the strike on the Shayrat airfield in Syria after it claimed a sarin gas attack was launched on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing 87 people.
Russia, which backs Assad in the country’s ongoing civil war, has already reacted to the news saying the warning was an “unacceptable” threat.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Such threats to Syria’s legitimate leaders are unacceptable.”
The Kremlin spokesman also warned of potential provocations by terrorists.
Mr Peskov said: “You know that cases of the use of toxic chemical agents by militants of Islamic state and other criminal groups have been established on multiple occasions. There certainly is the potential danger of such provocations recurring.”
He also reiterated the call for an investigation to be held into the attack.
He said: “Without carrying out an investigation it is impossible, illegitimate and absolutely wrong, in regards to achieving the final goals on Syrian reconcilement, to put the blame on Assad. Of course, we consider unacceptable any such threats to the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
Several US news outlets quoted unnamed US military sources as saying they had been taken by surprise by the announcement and had no independent knowledge of chemical weapons preparations.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, tweeted: “Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia and Iran who support him killing his own people.”
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the US had not shared any evidence of a specific threat of a chemical weapons attack.
“We are very clear the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime is absolutely abhorrent and the last time the United States took action to deal with the aircraft and airbase from which these chemical weapons were used we fully supported their strike.”