Trump clears schedule to plan assault on Syria
DONALD Trump could launch a military assault on Syria as soon as this week, after cancelling plans to travel overseas and deploying an aircraft carrier to the Gulf.
The president was due to travel to South America on Friday but will now stay in the US to ‘oversee the American response to Syria’.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis also cleared his diary in a strong indication the country was preparing for an imminent strike on President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Kay Hutchison, US permanent representative to Nato, last night said: ‘[Russia] should do something to stop this kind of genocide. I think a military response is appropriate.’
Asked how to stop it, she told Sky News: ‘I think we do everything we can with the tools we have. I believe a military response, taking out perhaps some of the places where these Innocent: One of the children suffering the brunt of the Syrian attacks missions are taking place, with the bases from which they are flying to drop chemical weapons, I think that is an appropriate response.’ Officials noted the concerns that any military action carried out by the US could have complicated repercussions – given the Russian and Iranian involvement in the region.
Amid the tough talk from the White House, the US military appeared to be in position to carry out any attack order.
A Navy destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, was in the eastern Mediterranean on Monday after just completing a port call in Cyprus.
Also, the Navy said the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its strike group would depart from Norfolk, Virginia, today for a regularly scheduled deployment to Europe.
Mr Trump had been due to attend the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, and travel to Bogota, Colombia.
White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders said: ‘The president will remain in the United States to oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world.’ Vice-president Mike Pence will make the trip in Mr Trump’s place.
Moscow has cautioned the US not to launch an attack.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has reportedly begun jamming some smaller US drones operating in the skies over Syria. According to four US officials speaking to NBC news, this has affected American military operations.
The moves come as President Trump’s homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, announced his resignation from the administration.
Meanwhile, last night Russia vetoed a US-drafted UN resolution that would have condemned last weekend’s suspected gas attack near Damascus and established a new body to determine responsibility for Syrian chemical weapons attacks. The vote yesterday afternoon in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, Bolivia joining Russia in voting no, and China abstaining.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US ‘went the extra mile’ to get Russian support for the resolution to ensure that a new investigative body would be impartial, independent and professional – things she said that would not be guaranteed by a rival Russian resolution.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of wanting the resolution to fail ‘to justify the use of force against Syria’.
He said the resolution was trying to recreate the old expert body, whose extension Moscow blocked in November. He called that body ‘a puppet in the hands of anti-Damascus forces’. A Russian resolution that would have created a new expert body to determine responsibility for the chemical weapons attacks was also rejected.
The resolution needed at least nine yes votes in the ‘council for approval but only six countries voted in favour. Seven council members, including the US, Britain and France, voted against the proposal and two abstained.
Ms Haley said the draft resolution was not impartial or independent since it would allow Russia to veto investigators and staff for the new body – and block its findings.
She accused Russia of repeatedly shielding president Bashar Assad instead of working for Security Council unity.
Russia warned US not to attack