U.S. to Weigh Military Responses to Syrian Chemical Attackbr that it would seem there would be no rolebr By MICHAEL R. GORDON and MICHAEL D. SHEARAPRIL 6, 2017br WASHINGTON — Senior Defense Department officials are developing options for a military strike in response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attackbr that killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday, officials said on Thursday.br Sarin said that According to the results of preliminary tests,br At the same time, the nation’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, said the devastating chemical weapons attack in Syria made it clearbr that there was "no role" for President Bashar al-Assad to continue governing his country, and he promised a "serious response" from the United States.br Mr. Tillerson, who was also in Florida, to greet President Xi Jinping of China before a summit meeting with Mr. Trump, said there was "no doubt in our minds"br that Mr. Assad’s government was responsible for the chemical attacks that killed scores, including children.br Nonetheless, foreign policy analysts said President Trump could risk looking weak and indecisive if he does not act after saying on Wednesdaybr that Syria had "crossed a lot of lines for me" with the chemical attack on civilians this week.