The Office of the White House Press Secretary released a blunt statement Monday night about Syria, claiming the United States has "identified potential preparations for another chemical attack by the [Bashar al-] Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children." The White House says it saw activities "similar to preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017, chemical weapons attack." The United States is in Syria to "eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria," the statement continued.