In retaliation for Syria’s suspected chemical attack, President Trump warns that U.S. airstrikes on Syria “will be coming”. Furthermore, he taunted Russia for vowing to shoot down American missiles.

President Trump’s Tweet

Trump’s tweet was the first U.S. statement that a military response is in the offing. A suggestion of US military confrontation with Russia is expected to raise tensions in an already volatile situation in the region.

Earlier this week, Trump mentioned that his administration was working on a response to the chemical attack, including military options.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not directly respond to Trump’s tweets but mentioned that “the state of things in the world cannot but provoke concern.” “The situation in the world is increasingly chaotic,” Putin said. “Nevertheless, we hope that common sense will prevail in the end and that international relations will become more constructive — that the whole global system will become more stable and predictable.”

“We do not participate in Twitter diplomacy,” Peskov said, according to Russian news reports. “We are supporters of serious approaches. We continue to believe that it is important not to take steps that could harm an already fragile situation.”

“Chemical Attack” Investigation

The United Nations was deadlocked as the US and Russia voted against each other over an investigation into the recent suspected chemical attack in Syria.

The US resolution had proposed an independent mechanism for investigating the 7 April attack in the rebel-held town of Douma, where 60 people were killed and at least 1,000 injured in what appeared to be a chlorine gas attack. It also called for an “attribution” clause that would identify the perpetrator of the attack.

Russia, meanwhile, proposed that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres choose the investigators but that the results be reviewed by Russia for “acceptance” prior to making them public. It also did not contain any clause to assign attribution of the suspected attack.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said Wednesday the US is “still assessing the intelligence” on whether the Assad regime is to blame for the recent suspected chemical attack but added that the US stands ready for military strikes in Syria.

Video showcasing aftermath of “chemical attack”

Dozens of people have been killed in a suspected chemical weapons attack on the besieged town of Douma near Damascus. Social media videos show the aftermath of the attack as rescuers rush to hose down victims, many of whom are children. The incident was the latest in a string of alleged chemical attacks on the enclave of eastern Ghouta
Dozens killed in suspected chemical attacks in Syrian rebel enclave.