Trump dials back message on Syria as British PM eyes response

April 12 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Thursday said an attack on Syria may not happen anytime soon — in a tweet with a much different message than one a day earlier to “get ready” for U.S. missile strike.

“Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!” his tweet Thursday said. “In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our ‘Thank you America?’”

After a Russian diplomat warned that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be shot down and their launch sites targeted, Trump told Russia Wednesday to “get ready.”

“Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’,” Trump said in his Wednesday tweet. “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

Possible strikes in Syria have been the forefront of discussion since an attack last weekend that killed dozens and injured up to 500 people in Douma, a town in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta.

Officials said at least one helicopter dropped a bomb of chemicals that suffocated a number of civilians, including children. Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis said this week they’re not ruling out the possibility of military action against President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will hold a cabinet meeting Thursday to will discuss possibly joining the United States and its allies in military action, saying the weekend chemical attack on Douma “cannot go unchallenged.”

May and Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday, in which they discussed last weekend’s attack.

May has said “all the indications” are that the chemical attack was from the Syrian regime of president Bashar al-Assad, who has denied responsibility.

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will not join the United States in conducting any future airstrikes on Syria. Trudeau said Canada is already conducting military operations in Latvia and Iraq and has plans to deploy to Mali.