US warns 'unwise' for Syria to use weaponized gas, slams Russia
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MUSCAT - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Syria on Sunday it would be "very unwise" for government forces to use weaponized gas, as he cited unconfirmed reports of chlorine attacks in eastern Ghouta and slammed Russian support for Damascus.
Mattis stopped short of threatening to retaliate against Syrian forces if a chlorine attack were confirmed.
But he noted America's cruise missile strike on April 6, 2017, on a Syrian air base over a sarin gas attack and said President Donald Trump had "full political maneuver room" to take whatever decision he believed was appropriate.
"It would be very unwise for them to use weaponized gas. And I think President Trump made that very clear early in his administration," Mattis said, speaking with a small group of reporters before landing in Oman.
