Pentagon chief Jim Mattis

The United States has "no doubt" that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for last week's chemical attack on a rebel-held town that left dozens dead, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Tuesday.

Mattis told reporters that Washington's military strategy in Syria had not changed even after its retaliatory missile strikes on a Syrian air base, noting "our priority remains the defeat" of the Islamic State group.