Does the US have evidence that Russia knew in advance about the gas attack in Syria?

However, there is still no final conclusion from the US confirming that Russia knew in advance that chemical weapons would be used in Syria.

Evidence is unclear.

APOn April 10, a senior US official said that Washington believes Russia knew in advance about the chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhun, Idlib province, Syria on April 4.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley released photos of the gas attack in Syria on April 4. (Photo: AFP)

A Russian-controlled drone flew over the hospital where the victims of the attack were being treated, the official said. Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what U.S. officials said was part of an effort to cover up the use of chemical weapons.

The senior official said the US had no evidence of actual Russian involvement in the chemical attack in northern Syria. However, the presence of the spy plane in the hospital area was not a coincidence and it was likely that Russia knew a chemical attack was coming and that victims would seek help at the hospital.

The unnamed US official did not say exactly when the drone was in the area where the attack that killed more than 80 people took place. He also did not provide detailed military information or intelligence information that the Pentagon based on the above assessments.

Another US official warned that there has been no final US conclusion confirming that Russia knew in advance that chemical weapons would be used in Syria. If there is an official US statement that Russia knew in advance about the attack using toxic gas, it would be very serious and affect the current relationship between the two countries.

Although Russia has consistently supported the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and they have coordinated military operations together, the US has never accused Russia of complicity in attacks on civilian targets in Syria.

The two former Cold War enemies even worked together in 2013 on an agreement to remove and destroy more than 1,300 tons of Syria's chemical weapons.

Until April 10, US officials said they were not sure whether Russia or Syria was operating the drone that appeared in the area of ​​the chemical weapons attack, but yesterday (April 10), an unnamed US official said the US had convincing evidence that Russia was operating the drone.

However, the US still does not know who flew the fighter jet that bombed the hospital because Syria also has Russian-made aircraft.

US officials have previously said that the Russians often worked with their Syrian counterparts at the Shayrat air base, where the gas attacks were believed to have been launched. The US believes that it is a chemical weapons storage facility and that the information could be one of the pieces of evidence that Russia was complicit in the attack.

Attacking Syria, the US is "nervous" about retaliation

On April 6, the US suddenly attacked Syria, against President Assad's forces with a series of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two destroyers present in the Mediterranean.

Smoke rises after an airstrike in Syria. Photo: AP

“Tonight, I call on all civilized nations to join us in ending the carnage and bloodshed in Syria, and in ending all forms of terrorism and extremism… We pray for the souls of those who have died, for those who have been wounded. And we hope that when America stands for justice, peace, and harmony, we will ultimately prevail,” US President Donald Trump said of the decision to attack Syria.

Amid concerns that a joint command center bringing together Russian, Iranian and pro-Assad forces said the US airstrikes on a Syrian air base crossed a “red line” and that they would respond to any US aggression, on April 10, Colonel John J. Thomas, a US military spokesman, said that the US had taken special precautions in Syria in case US forces were retaliated against for attacking the Shayrat military base.

According to Mr. Thomas, strengthening defense measures to protect US soldiers present in Syria will temporarily reduce the intensity of US airstrikes against IS in Syria.

There has been no retaliatory attack by Syria in response to the US cruise missile attack on Shayrat air base. Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas said that the US intends to resume full offensive operations against IS as soon as possible./.

According to VOV