Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Syrian President Bashar Assad Friday that the U.S. is ready to carry out additional military action against Syria if he fails to heed the message of last week’s allied cruise missile strike.
“He would be ill-advised to ignore the international community’s statement, and we stand ready to address anything in the future,” Mattis said during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart at the Pentagon.
Mattis said he has seen universal support for what he called the “regrettable but necessary attack” on three suspected chemical weapons sites. The strikes were carried out by U.S., Britain, and France early Saturday local time.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said he believed the strike showed the resolve of the international community in dealing with weapons of mass destruction.
“I think this gave a certain message towards North Korea as well,” Onodera said.
