White House press secretary Sean Spicer issued a clarification Monday after saying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of barrel bombs could prompt a second U.S. strike, NBC News reported.
"If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb into innocent people, I think you will see a response from this president," Spicer said during his daily press briefing, the news outlet reported.
"The sight of people being gassed and blown away by barrel bombs ensures that if we see this kind of action again, we hold open the possibility of future action."
Barrel bombs – improvised, unguided containers packed with explosives and sometimes shrapnel – have been frequently used by the Syrian Army.
But several hours later, Spicer issued a statement declaring, "Nothing has changed in our posture."
"The president retains the option to act in Syria against the Assad regime whenever it is in the national interest, as was determined following that government's use of chemical weapons against its own citizens," the statement said, NBC News reported. "And as the president has repeatedly made clear, he will not be telegraphing his military responses."
Trump said during the campaign he would not telegraph U.S. military movements or strikes to keep the enemy off balance.
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