Trump Threatens Missile Strike to Answer Attack in Syria

 

United States President Donald Trump¹ has tweeted that Russia should be ready for a missile strike in Syria.

In the message on the social media service Twitter, Trump said, “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing² Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

He said the missiles would be “new and ‘smart!’”

The comments come after Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon said on Tuesday that Russian forces would shoot down any missile fired at Syria.

A spokesman for the Russian government, Dmitry Peskof, said U.S. missiles should target “terrorists” and not the “legitimate³ government” in Syria.

Peskov also said that all parties involved in Syria should refrain from actions that could destabilize the area.

The Syrian state news agency called the threat of a missile strike “reckless escalation⁴.”

Suspected chemical attack and heightened tensions

Tensions rose in Syria after reports of a suspected chemical attack in the town of Douma on Saturday. At least 40 people are said to have died.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it had received reports from its partners about the victims. The WHO said 500 people who sought treatment Saturday showed signs and symptoms of coming in contact with toxic⁵ chemicals. A WHO spokesman said, however, the agency cannot say the deadly incident was a chemical attack because it cannot get into the area.

The WHO said it had reports that as many as 70 people may have died.

The U.N. agency demanded that it be given the “immediate, unhindered” ability to meet with people injured in the attack.

The United States and several allies have centered blame on military forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. But Syria and Russia have denied that charge.

Trump also has blamed supporters of Assad in Iran and Russia for the attack.

Soon after the suspected gas attack, Trump said those responsible would pay a “big price.” The U.S. president has spoken with the leaders of Britain and France about a possible answer.

French President Emmanuel Macron said a decision on a possible strike would be made “in the coming days.”

The United Nations Security Council met on Tuesday for an urgent discussion on Syria. Russia vetoed a U.S.-proposed measure to create a commission to investigate the attack.

The Associated Press reports that the Organization for the Prohibition⁶ of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will send a fact-finding group to Douma “shortly.” The OPCW is based in The Hague.

The AP says the Syrian government and Russian supporters requested the mission. However, it is unclear if such a mission might affect U.S. or allied⁷ military action in the area.

The U.S. has more than 2,000 troops in Syria, and the U.S.-led coalition⁸ has launched thousands of airstrikes against the country. Most have been against the Islamic State terror group.

President Trump has cancelled a planned trip to Latin America, which was to begin Friday. The administration said that Trump would “oversee the American response to Syria.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

legitimate –adj. permitted or recognized by rule or law

refrain –v. to keep from doing something

destabilize –v. to cause to change in an unorderly or unplanned way

escalation –n. to take to a higher level, to become more severe

unhindered –adj. to restricted in any way

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

5 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

6 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

7 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。