Germany silent on support for US-led strike on Syria following Ghouta chemical attack

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday refused to comment on whether or not her country would support a possible airstrike into Syria, led by the United States, following the recent chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta.

Reports emerged over the weekend of a suspected gas attack in one of the last remaining rebel-held regions of Syria that killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds more.

Addressing reporters after a cabinet meeting in Meseberg, the German Chancellor expressed her disappointment after the United Nations Security Council failed to reach an agreement on a probe into Syria’s use of poison gas in a Tuesday vote.

“We deeply regret that the UN Security Council members could not reach an agreement yesterday on a US-drafted resolution,” Merkel said, adding she did not “want to speculate now” on Germany’s backing of a possible military response by its allies in the US and France.

The poison gas attack, blamed on the Syrian regime—who Russia backs in the ongoing civil war in the country—sparked an aggressive response from the US, the United Kingdom, and France who are all opposed to President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow’s support for him.

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump warned he would fire missiles at the Syrian base where the chemical weapons were launched while Russia said they would intercept any such attack.

In a press conference on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the decision to launch strikes in Syria would “not target allies of the regime or attack anyone but rather attack the regime’s chemical capabilities.”