MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has claimed to have never said when an attack on Syria would be carried out.
Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 12 April 2018
"Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our ‘Thank you America’?" Trump wrote on Twitter.
Washington’s threats
On Monday, Trump said that Washington had "a lot of options militarily" on Syria following an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma. He added that a decision would be made in 24 to 48 hours.
Moscow warned Washington about serious consequences that an attack on Syria could have in case it affected the Russians.
Alleged chemical weapons attack
A number of non-government organizations, including the White Helmets, allege that a chemical weapons attack took place in Eastern Ghouta’s town of Douma on April 7. In their April 8 statement, the White Helmets claimed that the attack had particularly involved chlorine-filled bombs. According to the White Helmets, dozens died in the attack, while 500 people "reached the medical centers with symptoms of exposure to chemicals."
The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the statement as a bogus story, while Russia’s Defense Ministry pointed out that the White Helmets were not a reliable source of information as they were known for spreading fabricated news.
On April 9, officers from the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the opposing sides in Syria visited Douma but did not find any traces of chemical weapons.
Russian officials many times warned about impending provocations and staged chemical weapons attacks in Syria.