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How did the international agreement on Syria's chemical weapons avert a U.S. military strike in 2013?

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American soldiers in World War I uniforms, some wearing gas masks, advance with rifles during a simulated gas attack exercise on a rocky battlefield. — chemical weapon American soldiers participating in a simulated gas attack exercise, World War I.

Following the suspected chemical weapons attacks in Damascus on August 21, 2013, the United States, Britain, and France considered retaliatory military strikes against the Syrian regime. However, the prospect of intervention faded due to significant domestic opposition in the U.S. and the U.K., including a failed vote in the British Parliament and the postponement of a similar vote in the U.S. Congress.12

Diplomacy subsequently took center stage, leading to an agreement on September 14, 2013, between Russia, Syria, and the United States. Under this framework, Syria agreed to place its entire declared chemical weapons stockpile under international control for destruction. This process was implemented and verified by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), effectively averting the immediate threat of U.S. military action.123