Secretary of Defense James Mattis said on Tuesday that there was no doubt that Syria's government was responsible for the chemical weapons attack on civilians on April 4. Mattis was speaking at the Pentagon during a press briefing with Gen. Joseph Votel, Commander of United States Central Command.
"Last Tuesday, on the fourth of April, the Syrian regime attacked its own people using chemical weapons," Mattis said. "I have personally reviewed the intelligence and there is no doubt the Syrian regime is responsible for the decision to attack and for the attack itself."
Mattis said that the international prohibition against chemical weapons and the "inexplicably ruthless murders" provided the reasoning for an American missile strike against the Assad regime. The secretary of defense added that avoiding civilian and Russian casualties was a key part of targeting in the missile strike.
"In closing, the Syrian regime should think long and hard before it again acts so recklessly in violation of international law," Mattis concluded.