Rubio hopes Trump reconsiders ISIS focus in Syria strategy

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday said he is concerned about the White House’s current Syria strategy in the wake of recent U.S. military strikes against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

“I’m a bit concerned about the outlines of the strategy as I understand it. I think it’s based on assumptions that, quite frankly, are not the right ones,” Rubio told ABC’s “This Week.” 

“I hope they’ll reconsider this idea that we’re going to get rid of ISIS and then we’ll hopefully use Assad and others to come up with a solution.”

{mosads}President Trump last week ordered the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes on the Syrian airfield believed to have launched a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 70 civilians.

The United States has blamed the chemical attack on the Assad regime, which has been embroiled in a civil war against various opposition groups, including moderate rebels and U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, since 2011.

Rubio has long argued that Assad needs to be removed from power in Syria.

“As long as Assad is there, you’re going to have a radical jihadi Sunni element. Even if you destroy ISIS, it’ll be al Nusrah and that new coalition,” Rubio added on Sunday, referencing the al Qaeda affiliate currently fighting in Syria.

“These people who have been killed and gassed and human rights violations against them will never accept Assad as their rightful ruler and they will join or become radicalized in order to fight him,” he added.