Trump: Missiles ‘will be coming’ to Syria

President taunts Russia for vowing to block U.S. airstrikes

WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia escalated a war of words over Syria on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump warning that U.S. airstrikes “will be coming” despite Russia’s pledge to shoot down American missiles aimed at its ally.

The exchange raised the possibility of open military conflict between the old Cold War adversaries and marked a turnabout for a U.S. president who had ridiculed his predecessor for allegedly telegraphing military strategy.

“Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to missile strikes that have appeared likely since the deaths of more than 40 Syrian civilians, including children, in an apparent chemical attack over the weekend.

Trump’s tweet was the first explicit U.S. statement that a military response is in the offing, and it apparently took U.S. officials by surprise. The White House later said that a final decision had not yet been made and that all options remained open.

By addressing his warning to Russia, Trump effectively acknowledged that Syria could become a proxy battleground. Russia is Syrian President Bashar Assad’s strongest military defender. The U.S. conducts counterterrorism operations in Syria and backs some anti-Assad rebels. “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!” Trump wrote, in one of his most direct criticisms of Russia.

Several hours later at the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a gathering of new foreign ambassadors that “the state of things in the world cannot but provoke concern.”

“The situation in the world is increasingly chaotic,” Putin said. “Nevertheless, we hope that common sense will prevail in the end and that international relations will become more constructive — that the whole global system will become more stable and predictable.”

Trump’s description of “smart” weaponry appeared to flow at least partly from briefings Monday and Tuesday that included options involving guided missiles, a senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the U.S. plan is not final.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump’s words were not an announcement of any specific action. “We’re maintaining that we have a number of options, and all of those options are still on the table,” she said.

Earlier this week, Trump said his administration was working on a response to the suspected chemical attack, including military options. On Monday, he said a decision would come in 24 to 48 hours, a time frame that has now elapsed and been complicated by the advent of an international inspection of the attack area.

Trump’s tweets came after Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon was quoted by news outlets Tuesday as saying that Russia would confront a U.S. strike on Syria by shooting down missiles and striking their launchpads or points of origin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not plan to respond in kind to Trump’s tweeted taunt.

“We do not participate in Twitter diplomacy,” Peskov said, according to Russian news reports. “We are supporters of serious approaches. We continue to believe that it is important not to take steps that could harm an already fragile situation.”

Syria and Russia have insisted that no chemical attack occurred.