US Vows to Respond to 'Swiftly and Appropriately' if Assad Uses Chemical Weapons

18:03 GMT, 4 September 2018

The White House stated Tuesday that Washington, together with its allies, was ready to respond to a possible chemical attack carried out by the Syrian government forces. Prior to that, the Russian Defense Ministry warned that Syrian militants were preparing to stage fake attacks to blame them on the Syrian army.

Sputnik

"Let us be clear, it remains our firm stance that if President Bashar al-Assad chooses to again use chemical weapons, the United States and its Allies will respond swiftly and appropriately," the White House said in a press release on Tuesday.

The White House called the current situation in the Idlib province "reckless escalation".

In addition, the White House said that it would continue to collaborate with its allies in order to come up with a diplomatic solution to resolve the situation in Syria.

Syria's Idlib Liberation More Likely By Military Op Than Ceasefire - Minister

4 September 2018, 13:28 GMT

Recently, Russian authorities warned that a chemical assault was being masterminded, aimed at making the Western side take retaliatory measures against the Syrian government, which has resulted in growing speculations about the possibility of a chemical attack in Syria.

On August 25, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov stated that the Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (affiliated with the Jabhat Nusra* terror organization, which is banned in Russia) had plans to stage a provocation in the province of Idlib in Syria aiming to condemn Syrian state forces for allegedly using chemical weapons.

*Jabhat Nusra, also known as Al-Nusra Front is a terrorist group banned in Russia