敘利亞若發生化武襲擊 美國將考慮軍事選項

America's top general said he was involved in "routine dialogue" with President Donald Trump about military options should Syria ignore US warnings against using chemical weapons in an expected assault on the enclave of Idlib.

美國一位高級將領近日表示，他正與唐納德·特朗普總統就軍事選項進行“例行對話”，以防敘利亞無視美國先前的警告，對伊德利卜省飛地“使用化學武器”。

Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said no decision had been made by the United States to employ military force in response to a future chemical attack in Syria.

參謀長聯席會議主席、海軍陸戰隊上將約瑟夫·鄧福德表示，美國尚未做出動用軍事力量應對敘利亞未來化學武器襲擊的決定。

"But we are in a dialogue, a routine dialogue, with the president to make sure he knows where we are with regard to planning in the event that chemical weapons are used," he told reporters during a trip to India.

他在一次印度之行中向記者透露：“但我們正在與總統進行對話，這是一次例行對話，目的是確保他知道我們在發生使用化學武器的情況下的計劃。”

Dunford later added: "He expects us to have military options and we have provided updates to him on the development of those military options."

鄧福德隨後補充道：“他希望我們有軍事選擇，我們已經向他提供了關於這些軍事選擇的發展的最新情況。”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has massed his army and allied forces on the front lines in the northwest, and Russian planes have joined his bombardment of rebels there, in a prelude to a widely expected assault.

敘利亞總統巴沙爾·阿爾-阿薩德已經將他的軍隊和盟軍集結在西北部的前線，俄羅斯軍機也加入對當地恐怖分子的轟炸行動，這是人們普遍預期的攻擊的前奏。

A top US envoy said there was "lots of evidence" that chemical weapons were being prepared by Syrian government forces in Idlib.

一位美國高級特使表示，有“大量證據”表明，敘利亞政府軍正在伊德利卜準備化學武器。

The White House has warned that the United States and its allies would respond "swiftly and vigorously" if government forces used chemical weapons in Idlib.

白宮此前警告，敘利亞政府軍若對伊德利卜使用化學武器，美國和盟軍將會“迅速且強烈”迴應。

President Donald Trump has twice bombed Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons, in April 2017 and April 2018.

敘利亞政府軍曾遭控使用化學武器，因此特朗普在2017年4月和2018年4月兩度轟炸了敘利亞。