Hasty response will aggravate Syria crisis

The shadow of war that has fallen over Syria is darkening with US President Donald Trump raising his pitch with each passing day and threatening "missiles will be coming" in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on Saturday.

At least 60 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the suspected chemical weapons attack on Syria's last rebel-controlled area on Saturday, but before there is even an international investigation into the attack to determine what happened and who is to blame, a knee-jerk reaction like the one Trump is threatening will only further complicate the situation and create a greater humanitarian disaster in the war-torn country.

That the United Nations Security Council failed to approve three draft resolutions on setting up an international investigation into the attack on Tuesday shows Washington and Moscow, the two belligerent parties over the issue, need to narrow their differences.