Tensions have reached new heights in Syria following a series of tweets between President Trump and Russian personnel, with Trump originally tweeting in response to an alleged chemical attack on the eastern Syrian city of Douma. Since early February, clashes between the Syrian government and Syrian rebel forces have killed more than 1,700 civilians in Eastern Ghouta, located near the capital city of Damascus.
This past Saturday, the Syrian Air Force reportedly dropped bombs containing toxic substances in direct violation of international law, killing 70 citizens. According to the Syrian Civil Defense and the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), local hospitals admitted more than 500 people,the majority of whom were women and children, with signs of respiratory distress, central cyanosis, oral foaming, and other symptoms relating to being exposed to toxins.
President Trump took to Twitter to voice his opposition to the alleged chemical attacks, threatening Russia’s ally with direct action. “Get ready Russia, because they [missiles] will be coming, nice and new and smart!” Moscow’s ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypin, promised the United States that any missile strike will be shot down and launch sites would be targeted.
Russia has deemed the reports of the most recent chemical attack as justification for Washington intervention in Syria. A U.S. naval group containing guided-missile destroyers, the U.S.S. Donald Cook and U.S.S. Georgia, has mobilized in the eastern Mediterranean.
However, some experts are wary of an American military strike on the Assad regime. “It is hard to think of a more risky situation,” said Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, in an interview with The Guardian. Cirincione believes there is a strong likelihood that a U.S. military strike could kill Russians or Iranians in Syria.
Following a chemical attack in April 2017, Trump ordered a military strike against the Syrian government, killing six people and receiving large criticism from Russia. This was the first time the American military took direct action against Assad’s regime.
On Tuesday, Trump exclaimed in a tweet that the United States’ relationship with Russia has never been worse, “and that includes the Cold War.”
It is believed that the United Kingdom and France have partnered with the United States in preparation for a military strike sometime this week.