US weighs more robust military strike against Syria

US President Donald Trump and his advisers weighed a more robust retaliatory strike against Syria than last year’s missile attack, reasoning that only an escalation of force would look credible and possibly serve as a deterrent against further use of chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, The New York Times reports citing the White House sources.

"Administration officials said they expected any new strike to be more expansive than last year’s, but the question was how much more," the newspaper writes, adding that possible options included hitting more than a single target and extending strikes beyond a single day.

Trump and his team enlisted support for action against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. American officials expressed confidence that they would have the backing of France, which has been vocal about the need for a strong response, as well as Britain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all of which called for Syria to be held accountable for the suspected chemical attack. It remained unclear, however, whether any of the allies would participate.