The alleged chemical attack in Syria “will be met and it will be met forcefully,” Trump told reporters on Monday evening. “We can’t let atrocities like we all witnessed… we can’t let that happen in our world,” Trump said, “especially if because of the power of the US, we are able to stop it.”

“We’re getting some very good clarity” on who is responsible for the attack, the president added.

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“We have a lot of options militarily, and we’ll be letting you know pretty soon.”

Earlier in the day, US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley spoke of the alleged chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma on Saturday as a proven fact, and blamed Russia and the “monster” Bashar Assad for it.

On Monday, however, Russian and Syrian troops inspected the area, which had been cleared of Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) militants, and found no traces of any chemical agents. There were no patients at the local hospital with any signs of chemical poisoning, either.

“All these facts show… that no chemical weapons were used in the town of Douma, as it was claimed by the White Helmets,” the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria said in a statement, referring to the controversial group that was among the first to report about the alleged attack.

The center called White Helmets-circulated photos of the alleged chemical attack “yet another piece of fake news.”

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