President Trump will decide in the next two days how to respond to a chemical weapons attack in Syria that the U.S. believes was conducted by the Syrian government, after meeting with his top military officials.
“This is about humanity and it can’t be allowed to happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that he plans to determine how to respond in the next 24 to 48 hours.
“If it’s the Russians, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran, if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out,” he said, calling the attack “atrocious.”
Trump: Reported chemical attack in Syria was “atrocious,” “some major decisions” will be made “over the next 24 to 48 hours” pic.twitter.com/jyIyhHKIsi
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 9, 2018
The president’s comments came hours before he was set to be briefed by national security aides about potential U.S. responses to the poison gas attack, which occurred near Damascus and reportedly claimed nearly 70 lives. Trump is also scheduled to host a dinner with senior military officials Monday evening.
Both meetings coincide with John Bolton’s first day as the president’s new national security adviser. The Bush administration veteran has recently advocated for increased military strikes against the Syrian regime, something Trump is said to be considering in response to the latest attack.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Trump said whoever the U.S. determines to be responsible for the attack would have a “big price to pay” in the coming days.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said during a Pentagon meeting on Monday that he wouldn’t “rule anything out right now” when it comes to actions the Trump administration could take in Syria. Mattis also said the U.S. is reviewing Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s possession of chemical weapons, which Russia was supposed to destroy by 2014.
