A purported chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1,000, including many children, has elicited the ire of the West.
The USS Barry and three other warships promptly took up positions off the coast of Syria, poised to unleash a storm of Tactical Tomahawk missiles.
While Syrian and Iranian officials have said they will defend themselves against any Western strike, their best defense seems to be appealing to the U.N. for time.
Nevertheless, it seems their time is quickly running out.
Having seen 30 years of continuous service, Tomahawk missiles are one of the most reliable weapons on the battlefield.
More than 2,000 have been fired in combat — and they've become so much more lethal since the first.
With advanced contour mapping, they fly low to the ground to avoid radar. Assad has better air defenses than Libya did in 2011, however, thus the need for maximum redundancy.
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