Senior US officials have warned the Russian and Syrian governments against chemical weapons use in Syria as forces allied with President Bashar Al Assad prepare for an offensive on the rebel stronghold of Idlib.
The United States "will respond to any verified chemical weapons use in Idlib or elsewhere in Syria ... in a swift and appropriate manner," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington on Tuesday.
Ms Nauert said senior American officials engaged with their Russian counterparts to "to make this point very clear to Damascus", noting that the use of chemical weapons "will not be tolerated".
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week that Moscow – a military ally of Mr Al Assad – would be held responsible.
The Syrian government is gearing up for an expected offensive in Idlib province, which is home to nearly three million people and has a large Al Qaeda presence in addition to Syrian rebel groups.
US President Donald Trump has twice carried out air strikes in Syria in response to apparent chemical weapons attacks there. Mr Trump said the strikes were intended to deter the Syrian regime from launching chemical weapons attacks again.
At the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis referred to those two air strikes but offered no further information on how the US was responding to the situation, other than to cite the State Department's "recent active communication with Russia to enlist them in preventing this".
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Read more:
Russia readies for Idlib campaign with fake news and major naval build-up
How Putin is engineering a politically palatable way out of Syria
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In April, the US, France and Britain launched military strikes in Syria in a bid to punish Mr Al Assad for an apparent attack using chlorine against civilians in the Damascus suburb of Douma. And in 2017 Mr Trump authorised a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles to hit a single Syrian airfield in retaliation for what the US said was the Syrian president's use of sarin gas against civilians.
Mr Al Assad has repeatedly denied his government has used chemical weapons.
Russia has accused Syrian rebels of preparing chemical attacks, which Moscow says the West will use to justify a strike against Syrian government forces.
The%20Specs
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.