U.S. says Syria planning chemical weapons attack

White House draws red line in sand, warns of retaliation.

WASHINGTON— The Trump administration said Tuesday it has detected “active preparations” by Syria for a chemical attack and threatened to retaliate— warning of action that could plunge America deeper into a civil war alongside the fight against Islamic State militants.

The chemical threat and sudden White House warning illustrate the challenging complexities of the fighting in Syria, a country whose territory the Islamic State-used as staging ground to seize territory in Iraq in 2014, prompting a U.S. return to the Middle East’s battle fields. Washington now has more than 5,000 troops in Iraq and about 1,000 in Syria.

President Donald Trump has said he won’t stand for Syria’s use of chemicalweapons, which are banned under international law andare particularly worrisome there because they could fall into extremists’ hands.

The Pentagon said the preparations detected by the U.S. occurred at the same air base where Syrian aircraft embarked on a sarin gas strike April 4, killing almost 90 people. Days later, Trump ordered a cruise missile attack against the base in retaliation.

The Syrian government has denied it ever used banned chemicals, and it rejected Washington’s latest allegation Tuesday.

Syria’s two main allies, Russia and Iran, joined in bashing Washington. Iran’s foreign minister called the U.S. threat a “dangerous escalation .” A senior Russian law- maker accused the U.S. of a “provocation.”

It was unclear if the U.S. sawa Syrian attack as imminent. A non-governmental source with close ties to the White House said the administration had received intelligence the Syrians were mixing precursor chemicals for a possible sarin gas attack in either the east or south of the country, where government troops and allied forces have faced recent setbacks.

Since Trump’s inauguration, U.S. involvement in Syria has deepened. Earlier this month, the U.S. shot down a Syrian fighter jet for the fifirst time. It has twice downed Iranian drones.

The White House issued a brief written statement Monday night saying it had detected potential preparations for another chemical attack and emphasizing the Syrian government would “pay a heavy price” if it proceeded. Hours later, the Pentagon elaborated without offering many specifics.

The White House threat essentially draws a “red line” on chemical weapons in much the same manner President Barack Obama did. There is one major difference: Where as Obama backed down from a threat to use force after a 2013 attack, opting instead for a diplomatic planto remove Syria’s chemicalweapons arsenal, Trump has proven his willingness to authorize military force.

U.S. officials say Assad never fulfilled Obama’s deal with Russia, keeping control of some stockpiles.

Underscoring the messiness of Syria’s crowded battle fifield, a Britain-based human rights group on Tuesday accused the U.S.-led coalition of striking an Islamic State-run jail in eastern Syria, killing more than 40 prisoners along with IS militants.