US warns Syria over plan for chemical attack

The US says it has identified "potential preparations" for another chemical attack in Syria, and issued a stark 
warning to the Syrian government.

The White House said the activities were similar 
to those made before a suspected chemical attack in April.

Dozens died in the attack which prompted President 
Trump to order a strike against a Syrian air base .

The US statement warned President Bashar 
al-Assad of "a heavy price" if another strike occurred.

It said "another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime" was likely to result "in the mass murder of civilians".

The statement added: "As we have previously stated, 
the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic 
State of Iraq and Syria.

If, however, Mr Assad conducts another mass 
murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his 
military will pay a heavy price."

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki 
Haley, said Russian and Iran - Mr Assad's key allies - 
would also be responsible if such an attack took place.

"Any further attacks done to the people of Syria will 
be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia & Iran who 
support him killing his own people," she tweeted.

President Assad has denied his forces were behind the suspected nerve gas attack in the rebel-held 
north-western town of Khan Sheikhoun in April.

Dozens of civilians, including many children, died.

In response, US Navy ships in the Mediterranean fired 59
Tomahawk cruise missiles at Shayrat airfield, in western Homs province, which it said was used to store chemical weapons.

The latest development comes amid increasing 
tension in the region between the US and President 
Assad's ally, Russia.

The Kremlin recently warned the US-led coalition that 
it would view its aircraft as targets after the US shot 
down a Syrian military plane.

Syria's six-year civil war has left more than 300,000 
people dead and created more than five million refugees.

Militant Islamist groups including so-called Islamic 
State (IS) have used the conflict to seize swathes of land.

Warplanes from a US-led coalition are supporting 
an alliance of Arab and Kurdish militias as they carry 
out an assault on the group's stronghold of Raqqa.