WASHINGTON, April 11, 2018 (News agencies) - US President Donald Trump flexed his military muscle Tuesday by tweeting an Oval Office image of 19 of his most senior military commanders, as a guided missile destroyer moved inside strike range of Syria. The USS Donald Cook, loaded with 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles, is now stationed in the eastern Mediterranean close to territory held by Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the Daily Mail reported. And on Wednesday the USS Harry Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier embarked with F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike planes, and escorted by four more guided-missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser, will set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, for the Mediterranean. That would put it in strike range of the Assad regime within days - significantly increasing the options open to Trump. He used Twitter to boast of the military might at his disposal saying: "Last night it was my great honour to host America's senior defence and military leaders for dinner at the White House." Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to Lebanon said any US missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launch sites targeted, a step that could trigger a major escalation in the Syrian war. Russian Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin, in comments broadcast on Tuesday evening, said he was referring to a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian armed forces chief of staff.
