Syrian Chemical Attack: Trump’s Quick Response

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President Trump speaking with media before meeting with his cabinet to discuss a ‘major decision’ coming soon. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo – Getty Images)

Georgia Sullivan, Reporter

A deadly chemical attack in Syria over the weekend sparked an upset with leaders around the world. President Trump quickly condemned the attack in a series of tweets, claiming there will be a “big price to pay.” France called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which eight nations responded to, including the United States, Russia, and Britain. Many countries are still weighing their options, both militarily and diplomatically, in response to Syria’s actions, but most are promising action.

Injured Syrian children being treated at a makeshift hospital in Douma. (Photo: Getty Images)

More than 40 people were killed in an alleged chemical attack on Saturday, 4.7.18, while survivors were ravaged by chemical burns. Two bombs filled with chemical substances were dropped on the city of Douma by Syrian government forces. The last time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime initiated such a ‘heinous’ attack on civilians, President Trump immediately sent an air strike on a Syrian airfield, warning Assad to stop the use of chemical weapons immediately or face the military power of the United States. Now that the warning has seemingly been ignored, the world is waiting to see what President Trump will do and what this “big price to pay” will be. Both President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron of France agreed after the U.N. meeting that they desire a “firm response.”

Relations between the United States and Russia are more tense than ever due to the U.N. meeting. Harsh words were supposedly traded between the two countries throughout the discussion. Russia has persistently backed President Assad and are requiring hard proof by independent experts of the chemical attack before they can support any type of response by the U.N. The United States already drafted a U.N. resolution that would have condemned the chemical attack and established a new independent body to determine responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but Russia vetoed it. President Trump made a direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he shares the blame for the attack, in a tweet, “President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay.” He later tweeted, “Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

President Trump’s handling of the chemical attack is being watched closely as images of women and children with burns, oral foaming, and lips turned blue continue to spread over the internet. It is unclear on what the ‘price’ will be, but it seems that France, Britain, and the United States will be making a strong and united response in the days to come.