Lull in airstrikes since Trump tweeted threats to Assad regime

‘The threat of action has already been enough to save lives on the ground’

SYRIAN regime warplanes have carried out barely any raids since Donald Trump threatened missile strikes, as Bashar al-assad’s forces scramble to move weapons and equipment away from sites they fear will be hit by the US. Civilians in rebel-held areas and monitoring groups said that the skies had been quiet since Sunday, when Mr Trump warned the regime would pay “a big price” for a chemical weapons attack that killed 70 people in Douma.

Analysts believe the lull in the bombing is a result of Assad’s forces rushing to move their aircraft to Russian bases in Syria, which are less likely to be targeted by American missiles.

“Since Trump tweeted its initial threats the regime has completely changed its military deployments, particularly its air force, which in turn disrupted its air campaign,” said Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at the Le Beck geopolitical consultancy. “In a way, the mere threat of action has already been enough to save lives on the ground,” he added.

Airstrikes by Russian and regime aircraft are normally a daily occurrence in Idlib, a rebel-held province in northwest Syria. But residents there said they had enjoyed several days of quiet since Mr Trump first issued his threats.