U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisers saw the chemical attack in Syria as a test of his mettle as adversaries around the globe size up the new administration.
Trump, in public comments, highlighted the horrific images of Syrian children gassed to death by their own government. But internal White House deliberations focused on projecting an image of U.S. strength, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
It didn't take long. The U.S. early Friday morning local time launched about 60 cruise missiles against the Syrian air base from which the U.S. believes the sarin gas attack originated days ago.