Dozens killed in a suspected chemical attack in the Douma district in Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, Syria on April 7. US President Trump said on social media that the Syrian government would have a "big price to pay".
叙利亚首都大马士革以东正在发生激战的东古塔地区，7日据称发生“化学武器袭击”，造成平民死伤。美国总统特朗普8日在社交媒体“推特”上发文警告，叙利亚政府要为此“付出大代价”。
On April 4, 2017, a chemical attack took place at the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. Two days later, a total of 59 Tomahawk missiles were launched by American forces targeting an air base in Syria. Trump said that the assault was retaliation for the chemical attack by the Syrian government troops.
去年4月4日，叙利亚西北部伊德利卜省一座小镇发生化武袭击事件。两天后，美军向叙利亚境内一座军用机场发射59枚巡航导弹，特朗普称这次袭击是对叙政府军发动化武袭击的报复。
Will the US attack Syria again this time?
那么，美国还会如法炮制，再次袭击叙利亚吗？
The US reacted strongly to the chemical attack in Syria. Although the authenticity of the incident has not yet been confirmed by the authorities, the US has taken the lead in targeting the Syrian government.
有关东古塔地区再次发生“化武袭击”的消息经媒体广泛报道后，美国反应强烈，在该起事件真实性尚未得到权威方面证实情况下，先声夺人把矛头指向叙利亚政府。
Trump not only condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran must assume responsibility as they support the Assad regime.
特朗普不仅谴责叙利亚总统巴沙尔，还宣称俄罗斯总统普京和伊朗要为支持巴沙尔政权承担责任。
White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said on Sunday that nothing should be taken off the table after reports of the chemical attack in Syria. Sen. Lindsey Graham warned that the international image of the US will be undermined if Trump takes no actions against Syria.
美国总统国土安全与反恐助理博塞特就上述“化武袭击”事件对媒体表示，美国可能采取任何一个选项。共和党资深联邦参议员格拉汉姆警告说，如果特朗普不立即对叙利亚采取行动，那么其国际形象将受影响。
The EU also issued a statement on the same day saying that there was evidence that this chemical attack was conducted by the Syrian government, but the EU did not disclose any details of the so-called evidence.
欧盟同一天也发表声明称，有“证据”显示这次“化武袭击”是叙利亚政府军所为，但欧盟没有透露所谓“证据”的任何细节。
According to reports, the UN Security Council held a meeting at the request of the US, UK, France and other countries on Apr. 9 to discuss the Syrian chemical attack. The UN Security Council voted on Apr. 10 on a draft resolution requesting authorization to investigate the party responsible. Russia voted against the draft resolution. Finally, the draft proposed by the US did not pass the UN Security Council.
据报道，联合国安理会应美、英、法等国要求，将在9日举行会议，讨论叙利亚“化武袭击”问题。但联合国安理会10日就一份要求授权就谁是叙利亚化武袭击责任方展开调查的决议草案进行投票表决，俄罗斯投下反对票。最终联合国安理会未能通过这份由美方起草的草案。
Will the US eventually use this chemical attack as an excuse to take military actions against Syria?
那么，美国最终会利用这起“化武袭击”对叙利亚采取军事行动吗？
Analysts believe that if the attack were an incident the Syrian anti-government forces scripted and directed to dispose of their own chemical weapons, their purpose has already been fulfilled. The US and other Western countries have used this incident to launch a public opinion war against Syria, Russia and Iran, and they may not be able to do anything beyond that.
分析人士认为，如果此次袭击是叙反政府武装为“就地处理”其拥有的化武而自编自导的事件，那么其目的已经达到。美国等西方国家在利用这起事件对叙利亚、俄罗斯和伊朗发动一场舆论战后，则有可能不了了之。
On the other hand, Trump has once again demonstrated his "tough" image and may once again order a limited-scale attack against Syria. However, given that it is very difficult to find the responsible party, it is unlikely that the US will resort to large-scale military operations to try to destroy the Assad regime once and for all.
另一方面，特朗普为再次展现其“强人”形象，也有可能再次下令对叙利亚采取一次规模有限的袭击行动。但是，鉴于这次“真凶”很难坐实，美国不大可能对叙采取大规模军事行动以达到一举摧毁叙政权的目的。
Disclaimer: The author is Shao Jie, reporter with the Xinhua News Agency. The article is translated from Chinese into English by the China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author from the Xinhua News Agency and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
声明:本文作者为新华社记者邵洁。本文由中国军网编译，文中出现的信息、观点均出自原作者，并不代表中国军网观点。中国军网不承担任何责任。
