Military officials reportedly caught off guard by White House's warning to Syria
REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah
The statement issued by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer warned Syria's military would "pay a heavy price" if it launched a new chemical attack.
The reported lack of communication between military channels also appeared to be corroborated by a BuzzFeed News report that cited five defense officials who said they did not know of the details regarding a potential chemical attack, and were not aware of the White House's plans to release a statement.
"We are letting the statement speak for itself," said National Security Council spokesman Marc Raimondi, according to BuzzFeed.
Shortly after the White House statement was released, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Twitter: "Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia & Iran who support him killing his own people."
In April, President Donald Trump authorized the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles on Syria's Shayrat airfield, in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed scores of civilians.
The chemical weapons attack was alleged to have been orchestrated from the airfield. Although the US strike temporarily disabled several air assets in the area, Syrian forces began redistributing jets back to the airfield.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- Vodafone Idea FPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP and more
- India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
- New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
- Gold plunges ₹1,450 to ₹72,200, silver prices dive by ₹2,300
- Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley
- Global NCAP accords low safety rating to Bolero Neo, Amaze