©
AP Photo / Hassan Ammar
08:24
16.04.2018(updated 09:27 16.04.2018)Get short URL
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump was considering an option of a more
robust attack on Syria, including targeting some of Russian and Iranian
facilities, however, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis dissuaded the president, The
Wall Street Journal reported citing sources familiar with the decision making
process.
According to the outlet, Mattis presented the
White House with three military options. The first scenario prescribed
missile strikes on Syria’s chemical-weapons capabilities. The second
option proposed a wider set of targets, including suspected
chemical-weapons research facilities and military command centers.
The most robust attack might have reportedly
included strikes on Russian air defense in Syria and some Iranian
facilities with the aim to curb the capabilities of the Syrian
government army, without touching the "political machinery"
of President Bashar Assad.
Informed sources told the media outlet that Trump
had pressed his team to consider the third scenario, however, Mattis
dissuaded the US leader, who finally approved a hybrid strike comprising the
first and the second options.
On April 13, the United States, France, and the
United Kingdom launched
strikes on a number of targets in Syria
in response to the alleged chemical attack in the Damascus'
suburb of Douma.
The attack came the same day, the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission
was supposed to start
the probe into the alleged chemical weapons' use in Douma,
which the West has immediately blamed on Damascus. In its turn, the Syrian
government has strongly denied being behind the alleged chemical attack
and stated that the missile strike was "brutal aggression."
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the
three countries fired over 100 cruise and air-to-surface missiles, most
of which were shot down by the Syrian air defense. According
to Damascus, which has repeatedly said it had eliminated its chemical
weapons stockpiles, the attack damaged Syrian infrastructure and left three
civilians injured.
Following the incident, Russian President Vladimir
Putin stated on Saturday that the strikes had been carried out in
violation of norms and principles of the international law.
© PHOTO : YOUTUBE/SYRIANA
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