The recent airstrikes against the Syrian regime, in response to a suspected poison gas attack, underscore the West's shift from pursuing a diplomatic solution to a militaristic one. Will this approach work? WSJ's Niki Blasina explains the complicated history of chemical-weapons use in Syria and the international community's response. The Syrian regime, unfazed by international outrage over a suspected chemical-weapons attack, has shifted its attention to small opposition-held pockets in its relentless pursuit to consolidate control over the country. Government forces on Thursday continued to pound besieged opposition-controlled neighborhoods in southern Damascus and also hit towns in central Homs province, according to activists.

Source: Wall Street Journal April 26, 2018 16:41 UTC