Trump says missiles ‘will be coming’ to Syria
President taunts Russia for vowing to block them
WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia escalated a war of words over Syria on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump warning that U.S. airstrikes “will be coming” despite Russia’s pledge to shoot down American missiles aimed at its ally.
The exchange raised the possibility of open military conflict between the old Cold War adversaries and marked a turnabout for a U.S. president who had ridiculed his predecessor for allegedly telegraphing military strategy.
“Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ “Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to missile strikes that have appeared likely since the deaths of more than 40 Syrian civilians, including children, over the weekend.
Trump’s tweet was the first explicit U.S. statement that a military response is in the offing, and it apparently took U.S. officials by surprise. The White House later said that a final decision had not yet been made and that all options remained open.
By addressing his warning to Russia, Trump effectively acknowledged that Syria could become a proxy battleground. Russia is Syrian President Bashar Assad’s strongest military defender. The United States conducts counterterrorism operations in Syria and backs some anti-Assad rebels.
“You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!” Trump wrote, in one of his most direct criticisms of Russia.
Several hours later at the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a gathering of new foreign ambassadors 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.”
U.S. officials stressed that planning for airstrikes has been careful and orderly, and has involved diplomatic and intelligence agencies as well as the Pentagon, but said Trump’s direct threat Wednesday was unexpected.
Trump’s description of “smart” weaponry appeared to flow at least partly from briefings Monday and Tuesday that included options involving guided missiles, a senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the U.S. plan is not final.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump’s words were not an announcement of any specific action.
“We’re maintaining that we have a number of options, and all of those options are still on the table,” Sanders said.
As for Trump’s tweet, Sanders told reporters, “There’s a lot there that you can read from it, but at the same time, the president has a number of options on the table at this moment.”
Asked whether emoting on Twitter as he did Wednesday complicated the war strategy or posed a national security risk, Sanders said, “Not at all.”
Earlier this week, Trump said his administration was working on a response to the suspected chemical attack, including military options.
On Monday, he said a decision would come in 24 to 48 hours, a time frame that has now elapsed and been complicated by the advent of an international inspection of the attack area.