US to ‘respond’ to Syria attack; Russia warns of ‘repercussions’

An escalating difference has damaged out between Moscow and Washington over a suspected chemical attack in a Syrian riot-held town, raising world tensions amid calls for motion at an pressing UN Security Council assembly.

The US, Britain, France and 6 other countries requested Monday’s emergency session after rescue groups and medics said a « toxic chlorine gasoline attack » in Douma on Saturday killed dozens of of us, including many children and girls folk.

The Syrian authorities of President Bashar al-Assad and its ally Russia contain known as the allegations « fabrications ». 

Because the fallout persisted on Monday, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, instructed the Security Council that Washington was ready to « respond » to the attack without reference to anyone else.

« Now we contain reached the second when the sector must perceive justice accomplished, » Haley said, hanging a sombre and threatening tone.

« History will story this as the second when the Security Council both discharged its accountability or demonstrated its direct and total failure to present protection to the of us of Syria, » she added. « Either technique, the United States will respond. »

Moments earlier, Vassily Nebenzia, Haley’s counterpart, had known as the chemical attack allegations « spurious news » and said Russia was ready to fly weapons’ inspectors to the positioning to search out for themselves.

Warning that any armed forces motion against Syria’s authorities would possibly maybe contain « grave repercussions », the Russian ambassador moreover accused US, France and Britain of « hawkish rhetoric » and « boorishness against my country », adding that their lack of a obvious approach for Syria was « appalling ». 

‘Abrasive rhetoric’

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in Current York, said the he diverse narratives and the « escalation in rhetoric » laid bare the divide for the interval of the Security Council.

« The inform from the Russian ambassador was as abrasive as has been heard for the interval of the Security Council for a prolonged time frame, » he said.

« The responses from the US and its allies had been equally stern and unfortunate, so indubitably there would possibly maybe be a diploma of debate for the interval of the council that is maybe more abrasive, more confrontational and never more constructive than we have heard earlier than. »

Meanwhile, Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy to Syria, issued an pressing call for solidarity and motion at the emergency assembly.

« I jog the Security Council, basically based by itself mandate, to preserve world peace and security and uphold world guidelines to, for God’s sake, develop sure a mechanism is stumbled on to analyze this allegation and attribute tasks. »

Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump pledged to rapidly enlighten « indispensable choices » over the attack, while his  Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warned against « provocation ».

In a inform, the Kremlin said Putin had held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for the interval of which the two « leaders exchanged opinions on the bother in Syria, including the accusations against Damascus by a bunch of Western countries of the usage of chemical weapons. 

« The Russian facet wired the unacceptability of provocation and hypothesis on this topic, » the Kremlin added.

For his piece, Trump condemned what he known as a « notorious attack on harmless » Syrians in Douma, as he opened a cabinet assembly at the White Condo, adding that choices would come in the « subsequent 24-48 hours ».

Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron contain moreover vowed a « solid, joint response », while Jim Mattis, the US defence secretary, said nothing was off the desk by strategy of armed forces motion.

In April most attention-grabbing year, Trump ordered air raids on Syrian authorities facilities in the wake of a chemical attack in  Khan Sheikhoun , a riot-held town, which killed no longer less than eighty of us.

« The seek recordsdata from now is whether the president will contain a same response after seeing same photos popping out of Douma, » Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said, adding that plenty of emergency conferences with armed forces and political advisers had been occurring in and around the White Condo on the topic.

On Sunday, Trump warned Iran and Russia that there will most likely be a « gargantuan imprint to pay » for backing the « animal Assad ».

Meanwhile Theresa Could just, the British prime minister, said on Monday that the Syrian authorities « and its backers, including Russia, must be held to story » if it is stumbled on to be responsible for shedding chemical weapons on Douma residents.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that « making any deductions is unfriendly and dangerous », suggesting that rebels would possibly maybe contain staged the attack themselves to pin the blame on Damascus.

Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said Russian specialists had stumbled on no label of a chemical attack on Douma.

The heated alternate of remarks moreover came after missiles struck a Syrian airbase  in Homs province earlier on Monday, insist media reported, with Russia and Syria blaming Israel for conducting the attack.

Two Israeli fighter jets, the usage of Lebanese airspace, fired eight missiles at the T-4 armed forces airbase, the Russian armed forces said, nonetheless provided no extra recordsdata.

The attack at the airbase, located 40km west of Palmyra, killed and wounded plenty of of us, Syrian insist news company SANA reported, citing an unnamed armed forces offer.

Israel has no longer answered to the accusations.