Trump says Syria strike is coming, but he won't say when
- President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that the US will strike Syria.
- But he left the timing a mystery, saying it "could be very soon, or not so soon at all."
- Since Trump tweeted about striking Syria, Syrian forces have moved around assets to shield them from US missiles, possibly blunting the potential effect of the strike.
- Trump also said that the US deserve the world's thanks for its actions against ISIS, which has lost almost all its territory.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that the US will strike Syria, but kept the timing a mystery.
"Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!," Trump tweeted.
Trump's tweet follows a threat he issued on Wednesday for Russia to "get ready" because the US would soon strike Syria, regardless of Russian claims that such a strike would be met with a Russian counter-attack.
Since Trump's warning, the Syrian military has moved assets around in an attempt to shield them from US missiles, possibly by putting them under Russian protection.
But Trump reportedly also followed up the warning with communications to Russia to help avoid US missiles hitting Russian targets in Syria, despite the White House's statement that the US wasn't afraid to hit them.
Russian media reported on Wednesday that the US would provide Russia with a list of its targets for the Syria strike.
By avoiding hitting Russian forces in Syria, experts told Business Insider the US runs a much lower risk of a conflict escalating.
Trump's tweet also addressed US action against ISIS, who were until recently one of the biggest threats in Syria.
After mentioning the strike, Trump's tweet said: "In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our 'Thank you America?'"
The US has been in Syria fighting against ISIS since 2014 in a mission centered around providing air support, equipment, and training for local forces to defeat the terror army.
As of 2018, ISIS has lost about 98% of its territory within Iraq and Syria, and the terror group's foreign attacks have greatly decreased in number and scale.