NBC News, 04 Oct. 2016- President Obama faces an increasingly stark choice in Syria — he can order American military action or watch thousands of women and children die as the rebel stronghold of Aleppo falls.
So far, he has shown no willingness to launch a U.S. military response, but White House officials told NBC News Monday they are now considering escalating the U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil war, including unspecified “actions…that would further underscore the consequences of not coming back to the negotiating table.”
Until now, Obama could point to the possibility of a diplomatic solution, as Secretary of State John Kerry won Russia’s agreement on a ceasefire.
But the ceasefire never happened, and the diplomatic effort has now collapsed, with the U.S. suspending talks with Russia.
And as the civilian death toll rises, Obama may come under increasing pressure to act, though there is no sign yet that a strike is imminent.
“As we have always said — and as Moscow has also noted — there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria,” an administration official told NBC News. “While we have not and will not detail all of our tactics, there are a number of actions the U.S. and our partners are considering that would further underscore the consequences of not coming back to the negotiating table. In the meantime, we will continue to provide humanitarian relief to the millions of suffering Syrians just as we persist in our efforts to degrade and eliminate ISIL and al Qaeda.”
At issue is the center of the Syrian resistance, Aleppo — a city now teetering on the brink, surrounded by thousands of ground troops supporting the Bashar Assad regime.