US claims Syria preparing to use chemical weapons

White House press secretary offers no evidence

The US has seen chemical weapons activity at a Syrian air base used for a sarin gas attack in April, the Pentagon said.

Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the activity at the Shayrat air base indicates “active preparations for chemical weapons use”.

The US accused Syrian forces of launching a chemical attack from the base in April that killed dozens of civilians.

In response, President Donald Trump ordered the military to fire about 60 cruise missiles at the base.

The White House warned that Syrian President Bashar Assad and his military would pay a “heavy price” for another chemical weapons attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “such threats to Syria’s legitimate leaders are unacceptable”.

A statement by White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday evening said the US had “identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children”.

He said the activities were similar to preparations taken before the attack in April, but provided no evidence or further explanation.

Meanwhile, an air strike targeting an Islamic State-run jail in eastern Syria has killed at least 42 prisoners.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 15 IS jailers and fighters were also killed in the strike in the Deir El-Zour province on Monday.