Pentagon weighs military response after Syria 'chemical attack'

With global outrage mounting over an alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held town in Syria, the Pentagon today weighed its options for a retaliatory strike.

Military action against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad seemed likely, after President Donald Trump warned of a "big price to pay" and spoke of imminent "major decisions" within the next 48 hours.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said he won't rule anything out militarily.

But thanks to the Trump administration's whipsawing messaging over whether America will even stay in Syria, and the dangerous complexities of the multi-national conflict, the Pentagon's options appeared limited.

The attack on the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma killed at least 48 people Saturday after a "poisonous chlorine gas attack" in Eastern Ghouta, rescuers and medics said.

By Monday, the United States and France had promised a "strong, joint response" and Britain, too, joined a growing chorus demanding action.

Syria and its ally Russia have dismissed allegations that the attack was carried out by Syrian forces as "fabrications" and have warned against using them to justify military action.

Perhaps the biggest risk for Pentagon planners is Russia, and its large presence which since late 2015 has been deeply enmeshed with Assad's military.

"The US has to be very careful not to accidentally strike Russian targets or kill Russian advisors," Ben Connable, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, told AFP.

"That significantly limits the number of options available to the United States, because the Russians are embedded in many cases with the Syrians."
"He should do so again, and demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes."