President Trump warned there would be a “big price to pay” for a deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria, and called out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name Sunday for backing the leadership believed to have been behind the atrocious assault.
Trump, in a foreign policy Twitter tirade, also took swipes at Iran and former President Barack Obama for allowing the lengthy civil war to take a such gruesome turn, as the administration mulls a slew of responses.
“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning.
“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.”
Since 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government has been locked in a lengthy and deadly conflict with resistance fighters.
Opposition activists and rescuers said Sunday that a poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma near the capital of Damascus killed at least 40 people.
Government officials in Syria and Russia denied any involvement in the attack.
That did not stop Trump from casting Assad as an “animal,” and criticizing Putin in his harshest language to date.
The full-throated rebuke of Putin is a major move for Trump, who has caught flak for wanting to have a better relationship with the Russian president.
Trump came under fire last month for calling Putin to congratulate him on his election win without mentioning Russia’s proven role in a hacking scandal that unfolded during the 2016 election that put Trump in the White House.
Syria’s state news agency reported missiles struck an air base in the central part of the country early Monday.
The agency said it was likely “an American aggression,” but U.S. officials say the United States had not launched air strikes on Syria.
The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting Monday to address the reported chemical attack, officials said.
“This is becoming all too common,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley tweeted Sunday. “Strong action is needed.”
Trump warned that Assad had a “Big price to pay” and needed to let medics into the area.
“Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”
Trump also discussed the issue with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi during a wide-ranging phone call Sunday afternoon.
The alleged attack, in the last remaining foothold for the Syrian opposition, came as the President suggested U.S. troops won’t remain in Syria much longer — leaving it for other nations to deal with the crisis.
Trump also blamed his predecessor for not taking a tough enough stance when Assad used chemical weapons in 2013. Trump himself had warned Obama against striking Syria in 2013, but later changed his tune.
“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.
The chemical offensive came almost a year after a similar attack in the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people.
That attack prompted the U.S. to launch several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base.
White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert declined to say how the U.S. might respond to the latest horror.
“I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” Bossert said on ABC News’ “This Week.” “These are horrible photos. We’re looking into the attack at this point.”
But he backed up Trump’s stance that sorting out the situation might fall to other countries.
“American troops aren’t going to fix the six or seven different ongoing conflicts and wars going on in the Middle East or in Syria at this stage,” he said. “We need regional partnership increased and we need U.S. presence decreased.”
First responders in Douma said they found bodies scattered across floors, some foaming at the mouth. Rescue workers said the victims appeared to have suffocated.
Survivors treated at local clinics smelled strongly of chlorine, medical workers said.
More than 500 people, mostly women and children, were brought to medical centers complaining of difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth and burning sensations in the eyes. Some had bluish skin, a sign of oxygen deprivation.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also blamed the Kremlin for the chemical attack because it supported the Assad regime.
“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,” she said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the President needs to back up the tough talk with action.
“If he doesn’t follow through and live up to that tweet, he’s going to look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran, so this is a defining moment, Mr. President,” Graham said on “This Week.”
With News Wire Services
