Israel Strikes Syria After Chemical Attack, Trump Threatens 'Animal' Assad

President Donald Trump says he'll "forcefully" respond to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria.

 

Trump made the remark to reporters Monday evening during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House with his top military leaders, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford.

 

The president said earlier that he would soon make a decision on how to respond militarily. 

 

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told an emergency Monday meeting of the Security Council of the suspected poison gas attack in a rebel-held town near the Syrian capital. She told the council President Trump is weighing "important decisions."
  
"We are on the edge of a dangerous precipice," she said. 

Syria and Russia blamed Israel for airstrikes on a Syrian air base earlier Monday.

 

Russia says two Israeli F-15 warplanes flew through Lebanese airspace to carry out the strike on an airbase in central Syria. The strike reportedly killed at least 14 people, including Iranians active in Syria.

 

Syrian state media first blamed the United States for the attack but now says Israel did it, and NBC News is reporting that US officials have confirmed to them that Israel did carry out the airstrike.

 

The Pentagon said it wasn't the US. Israel's foreign ministry had no comment.

 

Today's strike came after another chemical weapons attack Saturday against Syrian civilians, and after President Trump had tweeted, "Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria...President Putin, Russia, and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price..."

 

 

The video showed men, women, and children in a Syrian hospital, victims of the gas attack, gasping for air.

 

That chemical attack came just after dusk on Saturday near the capital of Damascus. More than 40 people have died.

 

The regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, backed by the Russians, denies using chemical weapons and claims video of victims was fabricated.

 

While the US said it did not attack the Syrian airbase today, the White House is not ruling out a future military response.

 

White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Thomas Bossert said, "I wouldn't take anything off the table. These are horrible photos from the alleged attack. We're looking into the attack at this point."

 

And Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham appearing on ABC urged President Trump to take strong action, calling on him to show a resolve some say President Obama never did, in order to get the situation in Syria right.

 

"Well, it's the defining moment in his presidency because he has challenged (Syrian President Bashar) Assad in the past not to use chemical weapons. We had a one-and-done missile attack. So Assad is at it again. They see our resolve breaking, they see our determination to stay in Syria waning and it's no accident they used chemical weapons. But President Trump can reset the table, here. To me, I would destroy Assad's air force, I would create safe zones in Syria," Graham said.

 

Monday was also the first day on the job for new national security adviser, John Bolton, who in the past has advocated strong military action against Syria.