Trump weighs acTion over syria gas aTTack

washington — President Donald Trump said on Monday he will decide on a US response to the apparent chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians “probably by the end of today”.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump condemned the “heinous attack” on Saturday that killed at least 40 people, including children. “It was an atrocious attack,” he said. “It was horrible.” He said he will be huddling with military advisers to consider US options and “nothing’s off the table”.

Trump said the US is still investigating the possible involvement of the Iranian and Russian governments in the strike. “If it’s Russia, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran, if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out,” he said. He added of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “everybody’s going to pay a price — he will, everybody will”.

Trump planned two meetings with senior national security aides on Monday on Syria, in addition to a previously scheduled late-afternoon White House conference with leaders of US military commands around the world.

The White House deliberations came as Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a predawn missile attack on a major air base in central Syria, saying Israeli fighter jets launched missiles from Lebanon’s air space. A group that monitors Syria’s civil war said the airstrikes killed 14 people, including Iranians active in Syria. —

If it’s Russia, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran, if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out. Everybody’s going to pay a price — he (Putin) will, everybody will Donald Trump, US President