Donald Trump talks with British PM Theresa May on Syria

The Pentagon is likely planning a larger strike than what US warships launched on April 7, 2017, in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons, said a former senior Defense official familiar with planning for that attack.

“We do not participate in Twitter diplomacy”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement. “We continue to believe that it is important not to take steps that could harm an already fragile situation”.

Sanders to oppose Pompeo for State Russia vetoes new panel to probe Syrian chemical weapons use Trump vows swift response on Syria MORE, the USA ambassador to the United Nations, rebuked Russia over the veto on Tuesday.

The Russian military, which has a presence in Syria as a key Assad ally, said its officers had visited the weekend site in a suburb of Damascus, the Syrian capital, and found no evidence to back up reports of poison gas being used.

The statement comes one day after the US and Syria’s key ally Russian Federation blocked each other’s proposals for an independent investigation during a heated UN Security Council meeting.

Trump’s new national security adviser, John Bolton, advocated that Trump stay in Washington in the aftermath of the attack, said one of the officials.

“In case of American aggression, the missiles will be downed”, Zasypkin told the Lebanese media.

“We’re making a decision as to what we do with respect to the terrible attack that was made near Damascus”, Trump said during a meeting with senior USA military leaders on April 9.

Trump further chided Russian Federation for its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Wednesday’s tweet, saying it “shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

“This time around, I do think it has to be different. Well, you have to deal with them with strength and resolve”. Vice-President Mike Pence will travel in Mr. Trump’s place.

“We’re still assessing the intelligence, ourselves and our allies”, Mattis said.

While Putin has zero presence on Twitter, other branches of the government have dabbled in social media diplomacy.

Last year, the US launched 59 tomahawk missiles on a Syrian base that was believed to have launched a chemical attack.

He said any action would “target chemical weapons” stocks.

The two state news agencies reported said the Russian delegation includes the governor of an oil-rich Siberian region and several lawmakers arrived earlier on Wednesday. The politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about secret military movements, said the atmosphere and USA statements hint at a possible strike, “but there are no indications on the ground so far”.

The White House announced that Trump canceled what was to be his first-ever trip to Latin America as US president to focus on Syria instead.

The remarks were made in response to reports that Russian Federation has been actively jamming the GPS systems of US drones flying over Syria.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russian Federation hopes all parties involved in Syria will avoid any steps that could “significantly destabilize” an already “fragile situation”. About 500 people showing signs of chemical exposure requested medical assistance in the Syrian town of Douma after April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

The OPCW, however, does not have a mandate to identify those responsible for chemical attacks, a task that the United States wants to confer to its proposed panel.

U.N. Security Council members meet about the suspected chemical attacks in Douma, Syria, at United Nations Headquarters in NY on Tuesday.

China abstained in that vote, the first time it did not veto a Syria draft resolution alongside Russian Federation.

With tensions mounting, pan-European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol warned airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria over the next 72 hours.