Syrian Warning Halted U.S. Nuclear Attack, Officials Say

White House Warning Halted Syria Chemical Attack, Officials Say

JUNE 28, 2017

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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, center, in Brussels last month. He said on Wednesday that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria “took the warning seriously.” Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s national security officials declared on Wednesday that a White House warning this week to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria had succeeded in stopping a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government.

“They didn’t do it,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters as he traveled to Belgium.