IRAN/RUSSIA/STATE/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “US President Donald Trump has warned the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies against ‘recklessly’ attacking rebel-held Idlib province. In a tweet he warned of “a grave humanitarian mistake” in which hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Syrian government forces are said to be preparing a huge offensive on the last major rebel stronghold in the country. The UN says such a campaign could have disastrous consequences for the almost three million civilians living there. The US state department also warned on Monday [9-3-18] that Washington would respond to any chemical attacks by the Syrian government or its allies. US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley tweeted: ‘All eyes on the actions of Assad, Russia, and Iran in Idlib. #NoChemicalWeapons.’ The government has repeatedly denied ever using chemical weapons. However, experts from the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have said they are confident government forces were behind an attack involving the nerve agent Sarin on a rebel-held town in southern Idlib in April 2017 that killed more than 80 people.”
–BBC Staff, “Syria Idlib: Trump warns of ‘grave humanitarian mistake’,” BBC.com, September 4, 2018