{"id":11663,"date":"2018-04-12T15:28:48","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T15:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/12\/trump-syria-attack-very-soon-or-not-so-soon-at-all\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:00:11","slug":"trump-syria-attack-very-soon-or-not-so-soon-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/12\/trump-syria-attack-very-soon-or-not-so-soon-at-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump: Syria attack \u2018very soon or not so soon at all!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump said Thursday that an attack on Syria could take place \u201cvery soon or not so soon at all,\u201d arguing he had never signaled the timing of retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack that he had suggested was imminent a day earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president made his latest statement in a tweet Thursday morning. Trump on Wednesday had warned Russia to \u201cget ready\u201d for a missile attack on its ally Syria<\/a>. But on Thursday, Trump tweeted: \u201cNever said when an attack on Syria would take place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At stake in Syria is the potential for confrontation, if not outright conflict, between the U.S. and Russia, former Cold War foes whose relations have deteriorated in recent years over Moscow\u2019s intervention in Ukraine, its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and, most recently, its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian lawmakers have warned the United States that Moscow would view an airstrike on Syria as a war crime and that it could trigger a direct U.S-Russian military clash. Russia\u2019s ambassador to Lebanon said any missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launching sites targeted \u2014 a stark warning of a potential major confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump, who has often said a commander in chief should never telegraph his military intentions, apparently did so himself, tweeting that missiles \u201cwill be coming\u201d in response to the suspected chemical attack that killed at least 40 people near Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cGet ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and \u2018smart!\u2019 You shouldn\u2019t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, however, indicated that evidence of what happened was still being studied. At a photo-taking session during a Pentagon meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Mattis was asked by a reporter whether he had seen enough evidence to blame the Syrian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still assessing the intelligence, ourselves and our allies,\u201d Mattis said. \u201cWe\u2019re still working on this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t