As far as Pentagon is concerned, there have been "active preparations" for yet another Chemical Attack by Syrian Government forces. Having said that, it seems as though Pentagon's previous statement about "paying a heavy price" if the attack is realized now carries a lot of weight.
What is really going on in Pentagon?
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said on Tuesday that there have been some indications that Syrian government is preparing their chemical weapons. And that such an activity has been spotted at Shayrat airfield - the exact same place where such an attack had been launched in April.
These charges certainly bring the tensions between the U.S. and the Syrian government supporters to a whole new level. There is no doubt that both the statements from Pentagon are serving as a warning, not just directly for Syrian government forces, but for the supporters of Bashar al-Asad's regime as well, mainly Russia and Iran.
This is further supported by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley as she claims that the real purpose behind these warnings is to send a message to the Assad's supporters Russia and Iran. And she continued by saying that if these preparations are to take place again that the U.S. will be putting them on notice.
Ambassador Haley concludes that her hope is that "the president's warning will get Iran and Russia to take a second look," and she hopes that this will caution Bashar al-Asad as well.
Syrian government and Russia denied the Pentagon's claims
The Syrian government and Russia harshly denied any claims for preparation for another chemical attack. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian President Vladimir Putin said that these charges are simply unacceptable. Of course, Assad denied the first chemical attack as well and Russia was the first to back him up in denying the claims that his forces had any involvement in an attack that killed dozens of people in rebel-held town Khan Sheikhoun back in April.
White House supports the claims
Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary confirmed that the U.S. spotted preparations for another chemical attack by the Syrian government and that the purpose of these warnings is to prevent the massacre of innocent people.
Spicer also added that the performed preparations bear a resemblance to the attack that took place on April. However, he didn't provide any evidence whatsoever that would support this claim.
