US, Allies Agree to 'Stronger Response' if Syria Uses Chemical Weapons - Bolton

17:57 GMT, 10 September 2018

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States, Britain and France have agreed that any use of chemical weapons by the government of Syria would result in a much stronger response than in previous incidents, US National Security Adviser John Bolton stated in Washington, DC.

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"We've tried to convey the message in recent days that if there's a third use of chemical weapons, the response will be much stronger," US National Security Adviser John Bolton said while answering questions after a policy speech.

Bolton said an allegation that the United States is giving authorization for al-Qaeda to use chemical weapons in order to blame it on the Syria government is a very outrageous claim.

"I can say we've been in consultations with the British and the French who have joined us in the second strike and they also agree that another use of chemical weapons will result in a much stronger response," he noted.

On August 22 Bolton also stated that the US would respond "in a swift and appropriate manner to any verified chemical weapons use in Idlib or elsewhere in Syria."

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The US National Security Adviser's statement comes after several warnings from Syria and Russia about terrorists preparing a new alleged chemical attack against civilians in the Syrian province of Idlib in order to provoke western nations into retaliating against Damascus.

Though the Syrian forces regained control of the biggest part of the country, the Idlib province is in one of Syria's de-escalation zones and remains an important stronghold for terrorists.