[Raellus]

And don't forget that a couple of weeks ago, somewhere close to 100 Russian mercs were killed by U.S. airstrikes after aggressively approaching U.S.-occupied positions.

That said, I don't think this is apt to spill over anytime soon. The U.S. has already proven that it will not react proportionately to Syrian regime chemical weapons use. The worst that the Assad regime can expect is a dozen TLAMs hitting strategically insignificant targets. Target selection is very limited because of Russian presence in or near the Assad regime's most important bases. Neither the U.S. nor the Russians want war with the other- at least not right now.

The international community is really in a pickle. Assad is a war criminal, no doubt about it, but with Russia backing him to the hilt, he is essentially untouchable.

What this latest atrocity could do, though, is increase tension between the U.S./Israel and Iran, another ally of Assad. With Iran and Saudi Arabia already fighting a proxy war in Yemen, the possibility of any of the above conflicts metastasizing into a wider regional war is growing.

Although I don't see it happening in the near future (i.e. days, weeks, or even months), Syria and most of the rest of the Middle East are definitely flashs point for a potential Twilight 2030 scenario.