US solons jolted by Syria briefing

WASHINGTON — The US military's hands-off approach on the ground in Syria is ceding influence to Russia and Iran, a top lawmaker warned yesterday, as the Pentagon said it has seen the Islamic State "resurge" in parts of the country.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker said Moscow and Tehran have "significant influence" in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern nation due to their yearslong commitment, while President Donald Trump signals the US could be headed for the exits there.

When asked whether he wanted a greater US troop presence to shape events in Syria, Corker was somber.

"I think the administration's plans are to complete the efforts against ISIS and to not be involved," he said, using another acronym for the jihadist group.

A frustrated Corker spoke after exiting a classified briefing by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and top generals, who explained the Pentagon's strategy to lawmakers following last weekend's missile strikes on Syria.

"Syria is Russia and Iran's now. They will be determining the future," he said.

"We may be at the table, but when you're just talking and have nothing to do with shaping what's happening on the ground, you're just talking."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, expressed alarm about a lack of US engagement in the country where insurgents have waged a brutal civil war against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"Everything in that briefing made me more worried, not less," he said. "There is no military strategy on the table to deal with the malign influence of Iran and Russia," Graham said.

After the pinpoint air strikes that Trump telegraphed on social media, "I think Assad... believes we're all tweet, no action," he added.