BREAKING NEWS – Washington, D.C. – The United States would retaliate against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air defenses if he were to go after American planes launching airstrikes in his country, a senior Obama administration official said Monday. President Obama has authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria as part of a broad campaign to root out the Islamic State militant group, though no strikes have yet been launched in the country. The unnamed senior official, also said it would be “foolhardy” for President Assad to assume that this is “just another one of President Obama’s laughable empty threats”, because of the significance of appearing to be strong as we’re approaching November’s elections.