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White House warning meant to deter Syria chemical attack

The Donald Trump administration made it clear to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces that it will not allow another gas attack.
U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) conducts strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea which U.S. Defense Department said was a part of cruise missile strike against Syria  on April 7, 2017.  Ford Williams/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX34HHI

WASHINGTON — A late-night White House warning on June 26 that the United States had detected potential preparations for a chemical weapons attack in Syria was meant as a deterrent, the Donald Trump administration said today.

The White House defended the unusual statement — and the sparsity of evidence it has provided for making it — by saying it was meant to save lives.

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