Both Trump and his defence secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday abruptly cancelled upcoming travel plans, as the USS Donald Cook - a guided-missile destroyer - moved to within easy striking range of Syria.

DMASCUS: The global chemical watchdog said on Tuesday (Apr 10) it will deploy a team to the site of an alleged toxic attack in Syria, as US President Donald Trump weighed military action with Damascus on high alert.

Warnings from the US leader there would be a "big price to pay" for the alleged attack have raised the spectre of an American strike on Syria, setting up a potential confrontation with regime backer Russia.

Moscow, which has troops on the ground in Syria, has already warned that US military action would be "very, very dangerous".

Both Trump and his defence secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday abruptly cancelled upcoming travel plans, as the USS Donald Cook - a guided-missile destroyer - moved to within easy striking range of Syria.

French President Emmanuel Macron - who has been coordinating closely with Washington - said he would decide on a response "in the coming days" and target the Syrian regime if Paris strikes.

"Our decision will not target allies of the regime or attack anyone but rather attack the regime's chemical capabilities," he said, insisting he did "not want an escalation".

As it looked to head off the threat of Western strikes, Syria said it had invited the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to visit the site of the alleged attack.

"Syria is ready to provide all necessary assistance to the mission," it said.

Several hours later, the OPCW said it will "shortly" deploy a fact-finding team to the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma for an investigation.

In anticipation of a potential strike, Syria's military forces were simultaneously mobilising.

"At midnight, the army command put all military positions on alert, including airports and all bases, for a period of 72 hours," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday.

A source from a pro-regime unit told AFP on Tuesday there were "precautionary measures being taken by the Syrian army, especially the airports and military bases."

Even residents of the capital were bracing themselves.

"I have lived through seven American presidents, but Trump is the craziest and his administration is unbalanced," said Abu Fadi, 70. "I think his threats are to be feared, and we should take them seriously."

In 2017, Trump launched a cruise missile strike against a Syrian air base in retaliation for a sarin attack the UN later pinned on President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's government has denied accusations of using toxic weapons including chlorine and sarin throughout the country's seven-year war.

First responders in rebel-held Douma say more than 40 people died on Saturday after the suspected gas attack, which left victims wheezing, with discoloured skin, and foaming at the mouth.

The town has been heavily bombed by Syria and Russia and cut off by the regime, making it extremely difficult for media including AFP to independently verify the claims.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday the OPCW should be granted unfettered access to investigate the reports.

The OPCW does not have the mandate to establish who is responsible for attacks, and the joint OPCW-UN taskforce that once did was shut down by Russia last year after it blamed the Syria regime.

The UN Security Council will vote on Tuesday on rival US and Russian draft resolutions as diplomats from both nations clash.

The council will first vote on a US proposal to investigate chemical weapons attacks in Syria and identify their perpetrators, but the measure is likely to face a veto from Russia.

Russia has put forward two of its own proposals: one from January calling for an inquiry and a second backing the OPCW's deployment to Syria that would not see perpetrators named.

Moscow said its own investigators have already entered Douma and found no trace of chemical use.

"Fabrications and false stories are being used to find some pretext for the use of military force," deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

At a fiery Security Council meeting on Monday, Syria's UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari accused Western powers of staging attacks to justify military action against Damascus.

Jaafari said Washington, Paris, and others were falsely accusing his government of chemical use "in order to pave the way for an attack on Syria like the US and Britain's criminal aggression against Iraq in 2003."

Damascus narrowly avoided American and French air strikes in 2013 in retaliation for a suspected sarin attack by agreeing to hand over its chemical arsenal.

That incident, which killed hundreds in the deadliest use of toxic gas, also took place in Eastern Ghouta, the suburb outside the Syrian capital where Douma is located.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to respond "forcefully" to the most recent allegations in Douma, saying the US had "a lot of options militarily" and would decide in the coming days.

Washington has been coordinating closely with London and Paris, which has said it would retaliate against Assad if it was proved he had crossed a "red line" by gassing Douma.

The White House said Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May in a phone call "agreed not to allow the use of chemical weapons to continue."

Douma is the last rebel-controlled area in Ghouta, the opposition's former stronghold on the edges of Damascus.

Since Feb 18, Assad has captured most of Ghouta with a ferocious military assault and two negotiated rebel withdrawals.

A third deal was reached for Douma just hours after the reported chemical attack, and a 65-bus convoy of rebels and civilians was evacuated from the town overnight.

Evacuations are expected to continue, with many residents - including a medic who treated victims of the reported attack - waiting to leave.

"It's good that the OPCW will come," Mohammad told AFP, but adding that those who could provide eyewitness accounts feared retaliation by the regime and would choose to be bussed out.

"I won't wait for them. I have to leave before they come, because if I give my account, maybe revenge will be taken out on my loved ones."</s>U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration will likely say "after the fact" how it decided to respond to a suspected chemical attack on the outskirts of Syria's capital.

"It will be met, and it will be met forcefully," Trump said before meeting with senior military leaders late Monday.

He highlighted what he said was the power of the United States to stop atrocities like the attack Saturday in rebel-held eastern Ghouta that killed at least 40 people.

"We have a lot of options, militarily," he said, without giving specifics. Last year, he ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airfield believed by the U.S. to have been used for the launch of another chemical attack.

Trump was critical of former president Barack Obama for what he said was a failing strategy of publicizing planned military maneuvers ahead of time.

Syria's denial 

 

 Syria has denied using chemical weapons throughout the conflict that began in 2011, including the most recent suspected chemical attack. Russia said there is no evidence Syria carried out such an attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday the United States has taken an unconstructive position and is refusing to face reality.

Trump said Monday, "We are getting some very good clarity," regarding who was responsible, a task that has been difficult throughout the Syrian war and the source of conflict among the many international players involved.

Assigning responsibility

 

 Earlier he told his Cabinet at a White House meeting that the U.S. would figure out who was responsible for the attack, whether it was Syria, Russia, Iran or "all of them together."

Assigning responsibility was the domain of investigators from the Joint Investigative Mechanism between the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was dissolved after Russia vetoed a renewal of its mandate in November. The United States put forward a new proposal Monday to Security Council members for a new attribution mechanism, but it was not immediately clear whether it would win the necessary Russian support.

U.N. diplomats said the United States was pushing for a vote on the resolution on Tuesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the council in a statement Tuesday to "redouble its efforts to agree upon a dedicated mechanism for accountability."

He said he is outraged by continued reports of chemical weapon attacks in Syria and called for a thorough, impartial investigation with the OPCW given full access to do its work.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said later Tuesday that Russia would submit a Security Council resolution proposing OPCW investigators be sent to probe the attack in Syria.

That followed comments from Moscow's envoy Vassily Nebenzia, who said Russian experts have already visited the site, collected soil samples, interviewed witnesses and medical personnel, and that no chemical weapons attack had taken place.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council on Monday that both Russia and Iran could stop the Syrian government's "murderous destruction," adding that Moscow's hands are "covered in the blood of Syrian children."

Britain says Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson spoke to Acting U.S. Secretary of State John Sullivan by phone and the two "agreed that, based on current media reports and reports from those on the ground, this attack bore hallmarks of previous chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime."

French President Emmanuel Macron has also spoken by telephone with Trump several times to coordinate their response to Saturday's attack.

Cecile Shea, a non-resident fellow in global security and diplomacy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, also said Syria is likely responsible, citing a lack of other forces capable of manufacturing and deploying such chemical weapons.

"But I think we really need to find out as quickly as we can what the hallmarks of this attack were, and I do believe that we will be able to figure out if it was an attack by the Assad regime," Shea told VOA. "And if it was, then that is an example of a nation violating a treaty that has been in force for 95 years, a general rule of law and just fundamental strictures of humanity. And then I think the president and our allies should take action together to punish whoever did this.

The United Nations refugee agency expressed alarm Tuesday at the continuing violence in Syria, particularly in eastern Ghouta, that is causing deaths and forcing people to leave their homes.

The UNHCR said of thousands of civilians remain trapped in eastern Ghouta after an estimated 133,000 left the enclave during the past four weeks.

The agency reiterated calls for all sides in the conflict to protect civilians and allow them to move freely.</s>With war 'fanatic' John Bolton in the White House for the first time as his new national security advisor on Monday night, President Donald Trump gathered his military advisors together as lawmakers and anti-war policy experts raised warnings that any move by the president to attack Syria in the wake of a suspected chemical attack over the weekend would not only be extremely "dangerous" but also "illegal."

"If we want to end the war and hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable, than yet another US military intervention into Syria is not the way to do that. It may make people feel good temporarily, but it won't bring justice or peace to Syria." —Stephen Miles, Win Without War"President Trump's threat to attack Syrian forces in response to a chemical weapons attack is a reckless, knee jerk reaction to a complex and dangerous situation," Martin said. "There hasn't been an independent investigation into the chemical weapons attack, Congress still hasn't debated or authorized the use of force in Syria, and there is still no international legal basis for U.S. military action in Syria."

Before closing the doors for Monday night's White House strategy sessions, Trump told reporters, "We have a lot of options militarily, and we'll be letting you know pretty soon. Probably after the fact."

But the stakes of such an attack, warned Martin, are extremely high.

"Trump's 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach to foreign policy is the opposite of what's needed in Syria," he warned. "Escalation begets escalation, and with both Iran and Russia deeply involved in the Syrian conflict, there's no telling where escalation might lead us."

Democratic lawmakers also raised objections to a unilateral military action and warned the president against ordering any attacks without the explicit authorization of Congress.

"Before President Trump even considers taking the United States down a path of unilateral military action, the American people need answers. What does this administration hope to accomplish? What's the end game?" asked Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) on Monday. "Are we moving from fighting ISIS to fighting Assad outright? Or are we withdrawing our troops and airpower from the region? In the space of a few days, the president has said both."

Even with congressional approval, however, others issued reminders that a military attack on the Syrian government would by the U.S. would be a violation of international law.

Despite claims by Trump, administration officials, and other lawmakers that U.S. military action is necessary to protect the lives of Syrians, informed critics warn that nothing is more tired and hypocritical than the declarations of "humanitarian interventionists" who—after more than 16 years fighting wars in the Middle East and South Asia—still think that bombings and weapons shipments from outside forces will result in peace and security for people in the region:

"At the end of the day," wrote Win Without War's Stephen Miles as part of a Twitter thread Monday evening, "there are no easy answers for Syria. I can sympathize with those members of Congress and others who are disgusted not just by this latest attack but by our collective failure to stop the war."

He added, "But if we want to end the war and hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable, than yet another US military intervention into Syria is not the way to do that. It may make people feel good temporarily, but it won't bring justice or peace to Syria."

According to the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the pro-peace Quaker lobby group, it should be clear to all by now—after nearly seven years of war, slaughter, and displacement—that "no military solution exists to the crisis" in Syria. As such, the FCNL urges that instead of war and deeper entrenchment, the U.S. should adopt the following set of policies to help foment a peaceful solution in Syria and curb the suffering of its people:

● The U.S. should fully support the ongoing investigation of the chemical weapon attacks by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and work with the international community to bring the perpetrators to justice. ● Congress should take back its constitutional authority to decide if, when, and for how long the U.S. goes to war. Congress should demand that the administration seek an Authorization for the Use of Military Force before pursuing any military action. We urge members of Congress to vote against any further military action in Syria. ● The Trump administration should immediately meet with Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the Gulf States to revive international negotiations that will lead to a diplomatic solution. ● The U.S. should promptly increase resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U.S. and send more humanitarian aid to the region. Years of direct U.S. military intervention, support of extremist armed groups, and weapons shipments to anti-government rebels in Syria have only added fuel to the fire and put Syrian civilians in greater danger. This militarized approach cannot stop the Assad regime’s systematic atrocities.

And as Peace Action's Martin advised: "Instead of escalating our involvement in Syria by responding to an unlawful chemical attack with unlawful strikes, the president should support an independent investigation into the chemical attack and pursue diplomatic and humanitarian strategies for addressing individual war crimes as well as the conflict as a whole. Trump should also act on his stated desire to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria without delay, which would help de-escalate the conflict and give the U.S. more credibility in the diplomatic push to end the war."</s>Turkish media is reporting the British military bases have seen a “remarkable” increase in activity following the horrific chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma. Military action is understood to be on the table for the US, and there are now questions as to whether Britain would follow US President Donald Trump. Reports form Turkey linked activity in the bases on the island in preparation for an attack on the Syrian regime headed by dictator Bashar Al Assad. Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials dismissed these Turkish reports as “speculation” when speaking to Daily Star Online. However, they did not deny a “possible” uptick in activity at the bases – which the MoD made clear have Royal Air Force warplanes flying sorties from the base to strike terrorist targets in Syria.

RAF Typhoons and Tornados are stationed on the Mediterranean island as part of Operation Shader – the UK’s battle against ISIS. Pressure is mounting for Britain to join action against Syria – with Israel reportedly striking back with missiles launched from F-15s. MPs warned against Britain “standing by” as Syria plunges into a “descent into hell”. Britain was not involved in last year’s strikes on the Assad regime spearheaded by the US – when USS Ross fired 59 cruise missiles at the Sharat Airbase.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told Daily Star Online: “[Cyprus] is our main base for Operation Shader – which is US striking [ISIS] in Iraq and Syria. “So it may be that [Turkish media] are seeing activity due to that – at the moment it is all speculation as to the UK’s response. “It could be activity as part of Operation Shader, in which we have Typhoons, Tornadoes and Voyagers all flying out to target Daesh.” Trump is expected to make his decision within the next 36 hours, amid reports destroyer USS Donald Cook is lurking near Syria.

Downing Street can take military action without a parliamentary vote – but in the past such decisions have usually been passed to the House of Commons. Last year, the UK government said it “fully supported” the US’attack in Syria. Russia blasted the attack as an “act of aggression under a completely invented pretext”. Former defence secretary Michael Fallon confirmed last year Britain had not been asked by the US to take part in the attack on Syria.

Douma has become the centre of condemnation of the Syrian regime – and their Russian allies since the latest chemical attack. US ambassador Nikki Haley said Vladimir Putin has “blood on his hands” and warned the US would not stand by while atrocities are committed in Syria. Russia has denied the chemical attack ever happened, calling it “fake news” and warned the West of “grave repercussions” if they attack Assad. Tensions between the West and Russia over Syria come amid fears the world is plunging towards a new Cold War.</s>GENEVA (Reuters) - A suspected chemical attack on civilians in Syria is a war crime that bears the hallmarks of Bashar al-Assad’s government, but its ally Russia shares potential criminal responsibility for its use, the head of Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of the activist group, said countries should consider putting pressure on President Vladimir Putin ahead of Russia hosting the World Cup in June, as Assad was already “a man who has no reputation left”.

The alleged poison gas attacks on rebel-held Douma over the weekend killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 1,000, a Syria medical relief group said on Monday.

Damascus denied its forces had launched any chemical assault and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such allegations were false.

“The use of chemical weapons is inherently a war crime. Add on top of that the people here who seem to have been targeted - which is typical for the Assad government - have been civilians,” Roth said in an interview with Reuters in his Geneva office.

“This use of chemical weapons against civilians sheltering in their basements is part of a broad pattern, not simply a pattern of chemical weapons use but a pattern of targeting civilians who happen to live in areas held by the opposition.”

These constituted grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions which should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) or by a future special court on Syria, said Roth, an American lawyer who has headed the group since 1993.

Russia has been the main ally of Assad providing men and military equipment in his seven-year fight against rebels.

Human Rights Watch has not been able to investigate on the ground. But some witnesses have reported that a Syrian government helicopter dropped a chemical cylinder that was later found, Roth said.

U.N. war crimes investigators have documented more than two dozen uses of deadly chemical weapons by Syrian government forces since the war began in March 2011.

“In the past he (Assad) has used chemical weapons, not so much for the large number of people they kill, but because they are terrifying weapons. They demoralise the enemy,” Roth said.

“There is no question that the Assad government is criminally liable for the war crime strategy of targeting civilians,” Roth said.

“I think a strong case can be made that Russia shares criminal responsibility for the war crime strategy pursued by the Assad government in targeting civilians.”

Allegations that Moscow poisoned a Russian ex-spy living in Britain last month led to diplomats being expelled and tough financial and travel sanctions against Putin-allied oligarchs, Roth said.

“I hope that people are thinking about what can be done with the World Cup approaching to put similar pressure on Putin to rein in Assad and his atrocities,” he added.</s>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States plans to call for a U.N. Security Council vote on Tuesday on a proposal for a new inquiry into responsibility for use of chemical weapons in Syria after reports of a poison gas attack on a rebel-held town, diplomats said.

 After President Donald Trump warned on Monday that there would be a "big price to pay" for the suspected attack over the weekend, the United States circulated to the 15-member council a revised draft resolution to establish an international inquiry, which it initially suggested on March 1.

 If the U.S. text, which was seen by Reuters, is put to a vote, diplomats said it would likely be vetoed by Syrian ally Russia. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States to pass. 

 The council met publicly on Monday over the latest suspected chemical weapons attack. In closed-door discussions that followed, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said she planned to put the draft resolution to a vote on Tuesday, said diplomats, who requested anonymity.

 At the public meeting, Haley said, "The world must see justice done," adding that the United States would respond to the chemical weapons attack in Syria regardless of whether the Security Council acted or not. 

 "This is basically a diplomatic set-up," said Richard Gowan, the U.N. expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

 "Russia will inevitably veto the U.S. resolution criticizing Assad, and Washington will use this to justify military strikes," he said. "A breakdown at the U.N. will also make it easier for France to justify strikes."

 Washington bombed a Syrian government air base last year over a toxic gas attack.

 A Syria medical relief group said that at least 60 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured at several sites in the attack on Douma on Saturday. Russia and Syria said there was no evidence that a gas attack had taken place.

 Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States, France and Britain of stoking international tensions by engaging in a "confrontational policy against Russia and Syria."

 He told the council, "A broad arsenal of methods is being leveraged - slander, insults, hawkish rhetoric, blackmail, sanctions and threats - to use force against a sovereign state.

 "Russia is being unpardonably threatened. The tone with which this is being done has gone beyond the threshold of what is acceptable, even during the Cold War." 

 A previous joint inquiry of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had found the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in an April, 2017 attack and has also several times used chlorine as a weapon. It blamed Islamic State militants for mustard gas use.

 That inquiry ended in November after Russia blocked for the third time in a month attempts by the U.N. Security Council to renew its mandate for another year. Moscow slammed the joint U.N. and OPCW inquiry as flawed. 

 Russia proposed its own draft resolution in January to create a new investigation.

 In response to Haley's push for a vote on Tuesday, Nebenzia told the council behind closed doors that he, too, could put his draft to a vote. 

 

 (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Alistair Bell)</s>Kenneth Roth said the use of chemical weapons is inherently a war crime. (Reuters)</s>The UN Security Council will vote Tuesday on rival US and Russian draft resolutions in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, setting up a clash as the threat of US military action loomed large.

The council will meet at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) for a first vote on a US proposal to set up an inquiry to investigate chemical weapons attacks in Syria, but the measure is likely to face a veto from Russia, diplomats said.

Russia has also asked for a vote on a separate draft text presented in January that calls for an inquiry, but Western powers have already dismissed that measure as biased in favor of Damascus.

In a surprise move, Russia put forward a second draft resolution backing the deployment of investigators from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to Syria, according to the text seen by AFP.

Russia and Syria have called for the OPCW to send its experts to the rebel-held town of Douma, where toxic gas was allegedly used in an attack on Saturday that killed dozens.

Diplomats said allowing OPCW experts to carry out a fact-finding mission could be aimed at heading off Western military strikes.

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.

The US-Russia showdown at the Security Council comes amid warnings from President Donald Trump that there will be a "big price to pay" for the alleged attack in Douma.

During a stormy council meeting on Monday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley called for action to address chemical weapons use in Syria and warned that the United States was ready to respond, with or without the United Nations.

"We have reached the moment when the world must see justice done," Haley said.

"History will record this as the moment when the Security Council either discharged its duty or demonstrated its utter and complete failure to protect the people of Syria," she added.

"Either way, the United States will respond."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia warned that US military action in Syria could lead to "grave repercussions."

"From what we hear now, I am afraid they are looking for a military option, which is very, very dangerous," Nebenzia said.

A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no vetoes from the five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Russia has used its veto power 11 times at the council to block action targeting its Syrian ally.

The United States is proposing to establish the new panel for one year to work with the OPCW to identify perpetrators, reviving the work of a previous panel that ended in November when Russia vetoed the renewal of its mandate.

That panel, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), had found that the Syrian air force had dropped sarin on the village of Khan Sheikhun in April of last year.</s>His comments came after the council failed to approve a third draft resolution

Mr Nebenzia told US Ambassador Nikki Haley: “The threats you are proffering that you're stating vis-a-vis Syria should make us seriously worried, all of us, because we could find ourselves on the threshold of some very sad and serious events.

"I would once again ask you, once again beseech you, to refrain from the plans that you're currently developing for Syria.”

His comments came after the council failed to approve a third draft resolution on chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Fox News' Senior National Security Analyst, Walid Phares, has warned Russia will respond if the US hits back at Syria, but Washington should not get to a “point of direct confrontation”.

Mr Phares told Fox News: “The Russians are today stronger in Syria than they were a year ago and certainly six years ago.

"So they are trying to say to us and our partners that there will be a response maybe directly by the Russians or as they do usually, task the Iranians to do it.”

Russia vetoed a proposal to set up an investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria.

The US-drafted UN resolution would have established a new body to determine whether Syria was responsible for an alleged chemical attack in Douma which killed 70 people.

It is the 12th time Russia has used its veto power at the council to block action targeting Syria.

A draft resolution required nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members, which are the UK, China, France, Russia and the US.

US ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States "went the extra mile" to try and get Russian support.

But Mr Nebenzia accused the US of wanting the resolution to fail to “justify the use of force against Syria”.</s>A senior Russian lawmaker says that a U.S. strike on Syria could trigger a direct military clash between Russia and the United States.

Vladimir Shamanov, a retired general who heads the defense affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, said in televised remarks Tuesday that a U.S. strike in Syria could hurt Russian servicemen and trigger Russian retaliation.

He said that Russia has 'the necessary means for that and the Americans and their allies know that quite well.'

Shamanov emphasized that a retaliatory Russian strike could target U.S. navy ships and aircraft. He added that the use of nuclear weapons is 'unlikely.'

Earlier the president's new national security adviser, John Bolton, urged President Donald Trump to skip his trip to South America this week because of the ongoing crisis in Syria. The White House announced Tuesday that he would do so.

This reflects a view in the White House that deeper Russian and Iranian involvement in Syria have complicated calculations about a response to any U.S. military attack. That's according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
Human Rights Watch calls the attack a war crime and says both Russia and Syria may bear criminal responsibility.