After Syria Attack: U.S. And Russia Tensions Rise

Late Friday, the U.S. government, along with British and French allies, launched over 100 missile strikes in Syria. The strikes—in response to alleged chemical weapons attacks that took place in Eastern Ghouta last Saturday—targeted three sites at the "heart" of Syria's chemical weapons network. The western leaders warned that they were prepared to launch further attacks if chemical weapons were used again.

The strikes raise concerns about a potential confrontation between the U.S. and Syria's backer, Russia. While the strikes had apparently caused no Russian casualties, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes would have "a destructive effect on the entire system of international relations". Putin has called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, which will convene on Saturday.

"The assault came despite the lack of a definitive independent finding that chemical weapons were used or who had deployed them. An initial team of inspectors had only arrived in Syria on Friday."

London, Washington, and Paris have indicated that they have proof that chlorine gas was used in Syria, but they have not disclosed it. Numerous chemical attacks have been reported in opposition areas, the Washington Post reports, but most of the weapons involved chlorine, not the nerve agent sarin, which was used in 2017. This shift suggests "the government may have adjusted its tactics".

If the western leaders choose to launch further attacks, risks include a possible escalation with Russia, whose military said it would shoot down any U.S. missiles that risk harming Russians. Since Russia sent its military to Syria in 2015, the war has shifted in scale to Assad's favor. Russia has used Syria as a testing ground for some of its most sophisticated weaponry.

Meanwhile, Russian media has been reporting that U.S. airstrikes against Assad could lead to World War III.