'Either You Make a Decision or the Rest of Us Will': US Targets Russia With New Sanctions over Syria

The Trump administration plans to bring new economic sanctions against Russia over its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday.

"We're letting Russia know this is not something that we want to be a part of," Haley said on "Fox News Sunday."

 "It's not something we're going to tolerate and they've got to make a decision," she added. "Right now, they don't have very good friends, and right now, the friends that they do have are causing them harm."

A source familiar with the matter told CBN News more than a dozen entities, including banks and equipment suppliers, are being looked at and at least several are expected to be sanctioned.

Also under consideration are companies that sell helicopters to Russia, sources familiar with the matter said.

"The international community is telling Russia that either you make a decision on how you act and when you act, or the rest of us will make a decision in isolating you," Haley added.

Meanwhile, new satellite images show the ruins of the latest US-led airstrikes.

Pentagon top brass told CBN News three specific targets were hit: A scientific research center north of Damascus, which was used for development, production, and testing of chemical weapons, was destroyed along with two other storage facilities.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, said, "I think the words crippled and degraded are good words."

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White noted, "We are confident that we have significantly degraded his ability to ever use chemical weapons again."

Over the weekend, Haley had a strong message for Assad.

"If the Syrian regime used this poisonous gas again, the United States is locked and loaded," she warned.

"The United States won't be pulling troops out of Syria right away," she said, adding the US involvement there "is not done."

Haley said the three US goals for accomplishing its mission are making sure chemical weapons are not used in a way that could harm America's national interests, defeating ISIS and having a good vantage point to watch what Iran is doing.

"We're not going to leave until we know we've accomplished those things," she said.