Top aides to President Donald Trump appear at odds over where US policy on Syria is headed after last week's retaliatory missile strike, leaving open questions about whether removing Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad from power is now one of Trump's goals.
After the US launched missiles on a Syrian air base where a deadly poison gas attack on Syrian civilians was allegedly launched from, Trump administration officials said they would take further action if necessary.
Trump's United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, says the US has "multiple priorities" in Syria and that stability is impossible with Assad as president.
"In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government," Haley told NBC's "Meet the Press".
"And we have to make sure that we're pushing that process. The political solution has to come together for the good of the people of Syria.
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Her comments appeared at odds with those of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the US missile strike was aimed solely at deterring the use of chemical weapons by Assad.
"There is no change to our military posture" in Syria, Tillerson told the ABC's 'This Week' program.
Tillerson said the US priority in Syria was defeating Islamic State, the militant group also known as ISIS. Once ISIS is defeated, the United States could turn its attention to trying to help bring about a "political process" that could bring about stability in Syria, he said.
"It is through that political process that we believe the Syrian people will ... be able to decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad," Tillerson said.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any difference in nuance was inadvertent and unintentional, and declined to comment further.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said defeating Islamic State was a higher priority than persuading Assad to step down. The Republican criticised calls by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, for the establishment of a no-fly zone and "safe zones" to protect noncombatants.
"What we should do is focus on ISIS. We should not be focusing on Syria," Trump told Reuters in an interview last October.
On Sunday Tillerson blamed Russia for enabling the poison gas attack by failing to follow through on a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria.
"The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russia's part to achieve its commitment to the international community," he added.
Russia swiftly condemned last week's attack. On Sunday, a joint command centre comprised of Russian, Iranian and militia forces supporting Assad said it would respond to any new aggression and increase its support for its ally.
