Had President Donald Trump ordered it, the United States military could have struck hard at targets in Syria almost instantly after news emerged of a suspected use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
But preparations for the punitive military operation have taken almost a week, partly because Washington was keen to forge a broader coalition for such action.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you