White house says Trump holds Syria, Russia responsible for chemical attack

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slapped aside Russian suggestions that the attack in Douma could have been faked and said Trump was still weighing military options in response.

US White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US April 11, 2018.
Reuters

US White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US April 11, 2018.

US President Donald Trump holds Russia and Syria responsible for a suspected chemical attack that killed more than 40 people, the White House said Wednesday, refusing to rule out direct military engagement with Russia.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slapped aside Russian suggestions that Saturday's attack in Douma could have been faked and said Trump was still weighing military options in response.

"The intelligence provided certainly paints a different picture," she said of the Kremlin's theory. "The president holds Syria and Russia responsible for this chemical weapons attack."

Trump is believed to be considering standoff missile strikes against facilities related to the production and delivery of chlorine and sarin or sarin-like agents.

But many of Syria's most sensitive military facilities are protected by Russian missile defence systems or are located at bases where Russian, Iranian and Syrian personnel cohabit.

Sanders pointedly refused to rule out the possibility of direct military engagement with Russia -- not shying away from the spectre of clashes between two nuclear superpowers.

"Once again, all options are on the table," she said.

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Still, despite Trump's tweets, early Wednesday that promised "nice and new and 'smart!'" missiles were headed for Syria, Sanders said no "final decisions have not been made on that front."

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, as well as CIA director Mike Pompeo, huddled at the White House on Wednesday to discuss options and game out the situation.

"The president's national security Team met today. That meeting was chaired by the Vice President to discuss a number of options," Sanders said.

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'Can't be allowed'

Since the attack in Douma on Saturday, Trump showed a visceral reaction to graphic images of pallid children struggling for breath and frantically being doused with water by first responders.

"As bad as the news is around the world, you just don't see those images," Trump said Monday, in one of a series of tweets and public remarks that appeared to telegraph the strikes.

"This is about humanity. We're talking about humanity. And it can't be allowed to happen," he said, surrounded by generals.

In April last year, Trump ordered limited missile strikes on the Shayrat Airbase in response to a similar chemical weapons attack on rebel-held Khan Shaykhun.

An official said at the time he was moved by images brought to him by his daughter Ivanka and other White House officials.

But the pinpoint strike did not deter Assad. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have since reported around 10 suspected chemical attacks of varying scale and certainty.

The same officials say Syria has continued to produce or procure chlorine, which also has industrial and agricultural uses.

This latest chemical attack in Douma came days after Trump indicated a quick US withdrawal from Syria after defeating the Daesh terror group.

Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had brokered a deal with Syria's ally Russia to remove chemical stockpiles from the country, a strategy that also failed.

Ned Price, a former CIA and National Security Council official during Obama's tenure told AFP the agreement led to the destruction of 1,300 tons of chemical weapons, but, he admitted, it was not enough.

"Even though the deal improved the situation considerably, we suspected the Syrians had failed to declare elements of their stockpile," he said.

"We worked assiduously through the final days of the administration to galvanise our allies and other international partners to help us address these omissions."

Erdogan, Trump discuss Syria in phone call

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US counterpart Donald Trump discussed the crisis in Syria during a telephone conversation late on Wednesday, a Turkish presidential source said.

Erdogan and Trump "exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria," the source added, without providing further details.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier in the day told Russia and the United States to end their "street fighting" over Syria, saying it was time to put aside a rivalry that risked harming civilians.

Turkey and the United States are key NATO allies, but their relations have been strained over a number of issues including Washington's support for PYD/YPG in Syria, deemed as a terrorist outfit by Ankara.

And in recent months, Turkey has worked closely with Russia despite their differences.

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