A possibility of US-led strike on Syria appeared to gain traction Wednesday with President Donald Trump warning that ‘missiles will be coming’ in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, and the White House confirming that ‘a number of options’ were being discussed.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted ballistic missiles and shot down drones sent from Yemen, in the latest attack by pro-Iranian rebels that showed improved military capabilities more than three years into the conflict.
The Russian military said on Wednesday it was closely watching the situation around Syria and was aware of the movements of a U.S. naval strike force headed for the Gulf.
Russia’s navy appears to have responded to President Donald Trump’s warning that US missiles are headed to Syria after he accused the Syrian government of again conducting chemical warfare against its people.
A day after Russia accused Israel of attacking the T4 airbase in Syria, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov summoned Israel’s Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren to the Foreign Minister to discuss the matter, TASS reported on Tuesday.
In recent months, Israel-Iran tensions have evolved from covert and proxy battles to direct confrontations. Early Monday, Israel targeted the Syrian regime’s T-4 military air base in Homs, killing at least seven Iranian personnel. One of the fatalities was a colonel with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), responsible for overseeing Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit. The IRGC ordered Iranian state-affiliated media outlets to retract articles describing the incident.
Trump administration officials have consulted with global allies on a possible joint military response to Syria’s alleged poison gas attack, as US President Donald Trump canceled a foreign trip in order to manage a crisis that is testing his vow to stand up to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
President Trump canceled plans Tuesday for his first trip to South America, in another sign that he is preparing to order an imminent military strike against Syria over its deadly chemical weapons attack against civilians in a rebel-held suburb of Damascus.
The Russian military has been jamming some U.S. military drones operating in the skies over Syria, seriously affecting American military operations, according to four U.S. officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin should authorize ‘military measures’ in response to any strike by western powers on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, according to a senior Russian lawmaker.
Russia on Tuesday vetoed a U.S.-led resolution to establish a process for investigating the apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria, during the second consecutive day of debate on the incident at the United Nations Security Council.
President Donald Trump is threatening an imminent military strike against Syria, vowing to respond ‘forcefully’ to Saturday’s apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians and warning that Russia or any other nation found to share responsibility will ‘pay a price.’
Israel gave the United States advance warning of its early Monday morning strike on a military base in Syria, according to initial reports, while the Kremlin charged that it failed to inform Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Israel of bombing an air base in Syria overnight, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday.
President Trump on Sunday condemned a Saturday chemical attack in Syria and criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for backing Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who Mr. Trump called an ‘animal.’
The Bashar Assad regime is preparing an offensive to retake southern Syria and the Syrian Golan Heights from rebel groups and has reportedly placed tanks and heavy artillery inside the demilitarized buffer zone on the country’s border with Israel.
Amid uncertainty over the future direction of US policy in Syria, Nikki Haley — the US Ambassador to the UN — issued a stinging rebuke on Wednesday to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime over its continued use of chemical weapons.
US President Donald Trump spoke early Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed ‘recent developments in the Middle East,’ amid Israel’s fears that the US plans to withdraw its military presence from Syria.
Leaders from Russia, Turkey and Iran will meet on Wednesday to plan the future of Syria and how to end the bloody civil war that has dragged on for seven years. But the U.S. and other Western countries are conspicuously absent from the meeting.
President Trump said Tuesday that he wants to ‘get out’ of Syria and ‘bring our troops back home,’ saying that the administration is ‘very seriously’ considering doing just that.