UK and America warn Assad over chemicals
Fallon offers support as White House releases intelligence in hope of preventing another attack
BRITAIN will support any fresh retaliation by the US for the use of chemical weapons by Syria, Sir Michael Fallon has said, after the White House revealed it had intelligence of the regime planning another attack.
The US said it had observed preparations at Shayrat air base, from which jets that carried out a deadly sarin gas strike in April took off.
It said Syria would pay a “heavy price” if it went ahead with such an assault.
The Defence Secretary said Britain backed the US when it mounted a Tomahawk missile strike against the regime following the attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in April, which left 74 people dead, and was prepared to do so again.
“As always in war, the military action you use must be justified, it must be legal, it must proportionate, it must be necessary. In the last case it was,” he said. “If the Americans take similar action again, I want to be very clear – we will support it.” Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman, said in a statement on Monday night: “The United States has 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.” Yesterday Capt Jeff Davis, Pentagon spokesman, said the US had seen “activity” at Shayrat airfield that “indicated active preparations for chemical weapons use”.
President Emmanuel Macron of France agreed during a telephone call with Donald Trump yesterday on the need for a “joint response” in the event of another chemical attack in Syria. Mr Macron invited Mr Trump to France for Bastille Day next month.
The Syrian regime denied the White House claims and Russia, President Bashar al-assad’s main ally, rebuked what it called US “threats”. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, a former Syrian chemical weapons chief claimed the regime failed to declare its entire stockpile to the UN’S watchdog and was likely still in possession of hundreds of tonnes. However, Assad insisted after April’s strike that the regime was not in possession of any chemical weapons.
While the motive of the White House in releasing the classified information is unclear, it may have been done with the hope such a public warning might deter the Syrian president from another chemical strike.
James Mattis, the US defence secretary, is in Europe for Nato meetings and yesterday said the Us-led coalition would not be pulled into a war against the Syrian regime, saying it would keep a strict focus on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
“We won’t fire unless they are the enemy, unless they are Isis,” he said, using another acronym for the jihadist organisation.
“We just refuse to get drawn into a fight there in the Syria civil war.”
The American military yesterday said it would assess allegations that a coalition air strike may have killed more than 40 prisoners held in an Isilrun jail in eastern Syria.
Central Command confirmed it struck jihadist facilities in the town of al-mayadeen, near Raqqa, on Monday.
Syrian activists reported a jail was struck in the area killing at least 42 prisoners, along with around 15 Isil fighters.