Syrians are seen through a burned vehicle at a site after an airstrike on the south of Idlib province on Sept. 8, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday that the United States will take swift and decisive action against any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Pence said that "what's different with President Trump from President Obama is this president drew a redline and enforced it on chemical weapons."
"The United States of America and our allies will take swift and decisive action against any use of chemical weapons in Idlib province," he said. "Beyond that, I will tell you that we are watching very carefully as resources are being marshaled along the border of the Idlib province ...I'm confident that we will be monitoring that very, very carefully to ensure that we don't see another humanitarian catastrophe like we did before."
However, the U.S. senior official refused to tell whether the United States will intervene militarily if the Syrian government forces use conventional weapons in its battle.
Since earlier this year, the Syrian rebels were driven out of key areas in the capital Damascus, the central province of Homs and the southern region. The government's army has been amassing forces and military gear around Idlib in recent weeks, as a major battle against the rebels in Syria looms.
The White House said on Tuesday that it would "respond swiftly and appropriately" if Syria uses chemical weapons in Idlib province.
For his part, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that a change in the U.S. role toward achieving peace instead of continuing to inflame wars would be more beneficial for the United States and its people.
The West has recently said the Syrian government forces were possibly planning a chemical attack in Idlib, a claim that has been completely slammed by Syria, Russia and Iran.
The officials in Syria and its allies said the provocations of the chemical weapons use are being planned by the rebels to justify a U.S. strike on Syria, accusing the Western countries of plotting to strike Syria under false claims.
