US assessments following the US, British and French missile strikes on Syria show they had only a limited impact on President Bashar al-Assad’s ability to carry out chemical weapons attacks, US officials told Reuters.
The conclusion contrasts with the Trump administration’s assertion that the strikes on Saturday hit at the heart of Assad’s chemical weapons program, language suggesting that Assad’s ability to stage more attacks had been dealt a devastating blow.
The United States, France and Britain destroyed three targets tied to Syria’s weapons program. The most important of them was the Barzah Research and Development Center, which US intelligence concluded was involved in the production and testing of chemical and biological warfare technology.
But the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the available intelligence indicated that Assad’s stock of chemicals and precursors was believed to be scattered far beyond the three targets.
Some of it, US and allied intelligence suggests, is stored in schools and civilian apartment buildings, which one of the officials referred to as “human shields”.
“They do retain a residual capability. They probably will have the ability to conduct limited attacks in the future,” Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said.
Syria and Russia deny unleashing poison gas on April 7 during their offensive on Douma, which ended with the recapture of the town that had been the last rebel stronghold near the capital, Damascus. The suspected chemical attack triggered the US response.
