"Many
dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in
Syria," Trump tweeted. "Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by
Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world.
President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal
Assad. Big price..."
He
continued, "....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and
verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.
SICK!"
Trump's tweet naming Putin
marks a rare rebuke by the President against the Russian leader. Trump
also pinned blame for the situation on former US President Barack
Obama's Syria policies.
"If
President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian
disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been
history!" Trump tweeted.
Vice President Mike Pence
said in a tweet later Sunday morning that he and Trump were "monitoring
the likely chemical attack" and echoed Trump's language about potential
consequences.
".@POTUS & I
closely monitoring likely chemical attack in Syria. We condemn in the
strongest possible terms the assault on innocent lives, including
children. The Assad regime & its backers MUST END their barbaric
behavior. As POTUS said, big price to pay for those responsible!" Pence
tweeted.
Syrian activist groups on Saturday said toxic gas inside barrel bombs
dropped from helicopters over a rebel-held city in Syria killed dozens
of civilians and wounded scores more. Syrian state news said an
"official source" denied the allegations. In April of last year, the US launched tomahawk missiles at a Syrian air base as the US and others accused Assad's forces of perpetrating a deadly chemical weapons attack, which the Syrian military denied.
Speaking
on ABC's "This Week" in an interview taped prior to the President's
tweets, White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said he was
struck by the "timing" of the reported attack, around the anniversary of
last year's missile strike. He said the President and his advisers had
been discussing the strike and would not rule out another one.
"I wouldn't take anything off the table," he said.
Russia responds to attack
The
Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday calling the
reported chemical attack a "hoax" and an "information attack" aimed at
shielding "terrorists."
"Information
attacks about the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances by the
Syrian government troops are continuing. Another such hoax about the
chemical attack that supposedly took place in Douma emerged yesterday,"
the statement said.
"We have warned
of such dangerous provocations many times before. The purpose of these
false conjectures, which are without any basis, is to shield the
terrorists and the irreconcilable radical opposition, which reject a
political settlement while trying to justify possible military strikes
from outside," it added.
Trump's recent call for withdrawal from Syria
Stéphane
Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General António Guterres, said in a
statement Sunday that Guterres was "deeply concerned" about the
violence and called for "all parties to cease fighting."
"The
Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by allegations that chemical
weapons have been used against civilian populations in Douma," the
statement continued. "While the United Nations is not in a position to
verify these reports, the Secretary-General notes that any use of
chemical weapons, if confirmed, is abhorrent, and requires a thorough
investigation."
Trump's tweets on
Sunday against Assad and his key allies would mark another pivotal
moment in the United States' winding position regarding the Syrian civil
war. Trump has said
in recent weeks that he wants the US to leave Syria soon, despite the
ongoing missions to fight ISIS and support some rebel forces. A top
general nevertheless said on Thursday that Trump had not given a "specific timeline" for bringing troops home as the anti-ISIS campaign continues.
Maine
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in an interview Sunday on CNN's
"State of the Union" that Trump "is going to have to reconsider his plan
for an early withdrawal in light of what has happened." She also said the US should consider another strike on Syria and called for increased economic pressure on Russia.
"Last
time this happened, the President did a targeted attack to take out
some of the facilities," Collins said. "That may be an option that we
should consider now, but it is further reason why it is so important
that the President ramp up the pressure and the sanctions on the Russian
government, because without the support of Russia, I do not believe
that Assad would still be in office."
A 'red line' on chemical weapons
Obama famously warned in 2012 against the use of chemical weapons in Syria, calling that "a red line" that would lead to a US military response.
In
2013, the US and its allies accused Assad's forces of perpetrating a
chemical weapons attack. After the United Kingdom's Parliament voted not to join potential military action against Assad's forces, and as Obama deferred to Congress before ordering a US response, Russia and the United States announced a framework agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.
Trump
himself warned Obama against striking Syria in 2013, but later would
rail against Obama for his "red line" on Syria, as he did on Sunday.
Before the alleged chemical weapons attack last year, the Trump administration signaled an openness
to Assad staying in power as the protracted civil war raged on. But
last April, the US opted to strike a Syrian air field in response to the
attack. The US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria said in February it had carried out strikes against pro-Assad forces in "self-defense."
In March, the Syrian civil war entered its eighth year.
CNN
CNN's Steve Almasy, Nathan Hodge and Richard Roth.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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