The U.S. attack on a Syrian air base came after years of heated debate and deliberation in Washington over intervention in the bloody civil war.

Chemical weapons have killed hundreds of people since the start of the conflict, with the U.N. blaming three attacks on the Syrian government and a fourth on the Islamic State group. One of the worst yet came Tuesday in rebel-held northern Idlib and killed dozens, including women and children.

That attack prompted President Donald Trump, on day 77 of his presidency, to dramatically shift U.S. policy, with the first direct U.S. attack on the Syrian government.

Trump blamed Syrian President Bashar Assad for the attack and called on the international community to join him in trying to end the bloodshed.

A timeline of events in Syria leading up to Tuesday’s attack:

March 2011: Protests erupt in the city of Daraa over security forces’ detention of a group of boys accused of painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of their school. On March 15, a protest is held in Damascus’ Old City. On March 18, security forces open fire on a protest in Daraa, killing four people in what activists regard as the first deaths of the uprising. Demonstrations spread, as does the crackdown by President Bashar Assad’s forces.

April 2011: Security forces raid a sit-in in Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, where thousands of people tried to create the mood of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests against Egypt’s autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Aug. 18, 2011: President Barack Obama calls on Assad to resign and orders Syrian government assets frozen.

Summer 2012: Fighting spreads to Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and its former commercial capital.

Aug. 20, 2012: Obama says the use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” that would change his calculus on intervening in the civil war and have “enormous consequences.”

March 19, 2013: The Syrian government and opposition trade accusations over a gas attack that killed some 26 people, including more than a dozen government soldiers, in the town of Khan al-Assal in northern Syria. A U.N. investigation later finds that sarin nerve gas was used, but does not identify a culprit.

Aug. 21, 2013: Hundreds of people suffocate in rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital, with many suffering from convulsions, pinpoint pupils, and foaming at the mouth. U.N. investigators visit the sites and determine that ground-to-ground missiles loaded with sarin were fired on civilian areas while residents slept. The U.S. and others blame the Syrian government, the only party to the conflict known to have sarin gas.

Aug. 31, 2013: Obama says he will go to Congress for authorization to carry out punitive strikes against the Syrian government, but appears to lack the necessary support in the legislature.

Sept. 27, 2013: The U.N. Security Council orders Syria to account for and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile, following a surprise agreement between Washington and Moscow, averting U.S. strikes. The Security Council threatens to authorize the use of force in the event of non-compliance.

Oct. 14, 2013: Syria becomes a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, prohibiting it from producing, stockpiling or using chemical weapons.

June 23, 2014: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it has removed the last of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons. Syrian opposition officials maintain that the government’s stocks were not fully accounted for, and that it retained supplies.

Sept. 23, 2014: The U.S. launches airstrikes on Islamic State group targets in Syria.

Aug. 7, 2015: The U.N. Security Council authorizes the OPCW and U.N. investigators to probe reports of chemical weapons use in Syria, as reports circulate of repeated chlorine gas attacks by government forces against civilians in opposition-held areas. Chlorine gas, though not as toxic as nerve agents, can be classified as a chemical weapon depending on its use.

Aug. 24, 2016: The joint OPCW-U.N. panel determines the Syrian government twice used helicopters to deploy chlorine gas against its opponents, in civilian areas in the northern Idlib province. A later report holds the government responsible for a third attack. The attacks occurred in 2014 and 2015. The panel also finds that the Islamic State group used mustard gas.

Feb. 28, 2017: Russia, a stalwart ally of the Syrian government, and China veto a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing sanctions against the Syrian government for chemical weapons use.

April 4, 2017: At least 58 people are killed in what doctors say could be a nerve gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-held Idlib province. Victims show signs of suffocation, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and pupil constriction. Witnesses say the attack was carried out by either Russian or Syrian Sukhoi jets. Moscow and Damascus deny responsibility.

April 4, 2017: President Donald Trump issues a statement saying that the “heinous” actions of Assad’s government are the direct result of Obama administration’s “weakness and irresolution.”

April 5, 2017: Trump says Assad’s government has “crossed a lot of lines” with the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

April 6, 2017: The U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria Thursday night in retaliation for this week’s gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians, U.S. officials said. It was the first direct American assault on the Syrian government and Trump’s most dramatic military order since becoming president. Trump said strike on Syria in the “vital national security interest” of the United States.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles Thursday night in fiery retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. President Donald Trump cast the U.S. assault as vital to deter future use of poison gas and called on other nations to join in seeking "to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria."

It was the first direct American assault on the Syrian government and Trump's most dramatic military order since becoming president just over two months ago. Announcing the assault from his Florida resort, Trump said there was no doubt Syrian President Bashar Assad was responsible for the chemical attack, which he said employed banned gases and killed dozens.

"Assad choked out the lives of innocent men, women and children," Trumped declared.

The U.S. strikes hit the government-controlled Shayrat air base in central Syria, where U.S. officials say the Syrian military planes that dropped the chemicals had taken off. The U.S. missiles hit at 8:45 p.m. in Washington, 3:45 a.m. Friday morning in Syria. The missiles targeted the base's airstrips, hangars, control tower and ammunition areas, officials said.

Syrian state TV reported a U.S. missile attack on a number of military targets and called the attack an "aggression."

The surprise U.S. assault marked a striking reversal for Trump, who warned as a candidate against the U.S. getting pulled into the Syrian civil war, now in its seventh year. But the president earlier in the week appeared moved by the photos of children killed in the chemical attack, calling it a "disgrace to humanity" that crossed "a lot of lines."

About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles, fired from warships in the Mediterranean Sea, targeted an air base in retaliation for a chemical-weapons attack that American officials believe Syrian government aircraft launched with a nerve agent, possibly sarin.

The president did not announce the attacks in advance, though he and other national-security officials ratcheted up their warnings to the Syrian government throughout the day Thursday.

"I think what happened in Syria is one of the truly egregious crimes and shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen," Trump told reporters traveling on Air Force One to Florida, where he was holding a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The strike came as Trump was hosting Xi in meetings focused in part on another pressing U.S. security dilemma: North Korea's nuclear program. Trump's actions in Syria could signal to China that the new president isn't afraid of unilateral military steps, even if key nations like China are standing in the way.

Trump has advocated greater counterterrorism cooperation with Russia, Assad's most powerful military backer. Just last week, the Trump administration signaled the U.S. was no longer interested in trying to push Assad from power over his direction of a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and led to the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

U.S. military officials sought to portray the strikes as an appropriate, measured response. But the assault still risks plunging America into the middle of Syria's conflict, complicating the safety of the hundreds of U.S. forces fighting a separate campaign against the Islamic State group in the north of the country. If Assad's military persists in further gas attacks, the Trump administration might logically pursue increased retaliation.

Russia and Iran, Assad's allies, pose other problems. Russian military personnel and aircraft are embedded with Syria's, and Iranian troops and paramilitary forces are also on the ground helping Assad fight the array of opposition groups hoping to topple him.

Before the strikes, U.S. military officials said they informed their Russian counterparts of the impending attack. The goal was to avoid any accident involving Russian forces.

Nevertheless, Russia's Deputy U.N. ambassador Vladimir Safronkov warned that any negative consequences from the strikes would be on the "shoulders of those who initiated such a doubtful and tragic enterprise."

The U.S. also notified its partner countries in the region prior to launching the strikes.

Trump's decision to attack Syria came three-and-a-half years after President Barack Obama threatened Assad with military action after an earlier chemical-weapons attack killed hundreds outside of Damascus. Obama had declared the use of such weapons a "red line." At the time, several American ships in the Mediterranean were poised to launch missiles, only for Obama to abruptly pull back after key U.S. ally Britain and the U.S. Congress balked at his plan.

He opted instead for a Russian-backed plan that was supposed to remove and eliminate Syria's chemical-weapons stockpiles.

Thursday night's strikes were launched from the USS Ross and USS Porter and landed in the early morning Friday in Syria.

The world learned of the chemical attack earlier in the week in footage that showed people dying in the streets and bodies of children stacked in piles. The international outcry fueled an emotional response from Trump, who appeared to abandon his much-touted "America First" vision for a stance of humanitarian intervention, akin to that of previous American leaders.

"I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity," he said Thursday.

Trump seemed to rapidly reconsider his feelings about Assad, saying: "He's there and I guess he's running things, so something should happen."

The show of force in Syria raises legal questions. It's unclear what authority Trump is relying on to attack another government. When Obama intervened in Libya in 2011, he used a U.N. Security Council mandate and NATO's overall leadership of the mission to argue that he had legal authority — arguments that many Republicans opposed. Trump can't rely on either justification here.

Unclear also is whether Trump is adopting any broader effort to combat Assad. Under Obama, the United States largely pulled back from its support for so-called "moderate" rebels when Russia's military intervention in September 2015 led them to suffer a series of battlefield defeats. Instead, Obama sought to work with Russia on a negotiated transition.

Trump and his top aides had acknowledged in recent days the "reality" of Assad being in power, saying his ouster was no longer a priority. But the chemical-weapons attack seemed to spur a rethink. In Florida on Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said of Assad: "There's no role for him to govern the Syrian people."</s>Syrian fighter jets are taking off again from the air base that was bombed by the US in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.

Video shows a Syrian government warplane leaving the al-Shayrat airfield just hours after American warships in the Mediterranean launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles early Friday morning.

Groups monitoring the conflict in the Middle East say Syrian forces conducted air strikes on rebel-held areas in Homs, despite the US bombing campaign.

US President Donald Trump ordered a barrage of missiles on the air base from where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a sarin gas attack on his own people.

The alleged war crime on the town of Khan Sheikhoun left more than 70 people, including at least 20 children, dead.

As Syrian forces resumed their bombing campaign Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that Washington had taken "a very measured step" but was ready to go further.

Syria has denied carrying out the attack and, along with Russia, its strongest ally, claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a facility where rebel groups were storing chemical weapons.

Mr Trump's response to the chemical attack has further strained relations between Washington and Moscow.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the strike had brought the countries to the verge of a "military clash".

Trump tweeted on Saturday: "Congratulations to our great military men and women for representing the United States, and the world, so well in the Syria attack."

On Saturday British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced that he would pull out of a visit to Moscow in the wake of the chemical weapons attack.

He was due to visit Russia on Monday for talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov, which would have been the first visit by a UK foreign secretary in more than five years.

Mr Johnson said: "We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians."

Meanwhile the West's fight against ISIS in Syria continued on Saturday as 15 people, including four children, were killed in an air strike on a village near the jihadists' stronghold of Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The group believed the air strike was carried out by the US-led coalition.</s>The US and Russia clashed in the UN Security Council over the missile attack on a Syrian airfield, with Washington warning it is “prepared to do more” as Moscow accused it of flagrantly violating international law with its “act of aggression.”

The 15-nation Security Council met for an emergency meeting yesterday on the situation in Syria following the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles by US into the Shayrat Airbase as a response to the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons from the base. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is President of the Council for this month, said Washington was “fully justified” in carrying out the missile strikes and was prepared to take further action.

“Our military destroyed the airfield from which this week’s chemical strike took place. We were fully justified in doing so,” Haley said. “The United States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary. It is time for all civilised nations to stop the horrors that are taking place in Syria and demand a political solution,” she said.

Haley said the US will no longer wait for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to use chemical weapons without any consequences. “The moral stain of the Assad regime could no longer go unanswered. His crimes against humanity could no longer be met with empty words. It was time to say “enough”, but not only say it – it was time to act. Bashar al-Assad must never use chemical weapons again. Ever,” she said.

Haley also called out Russia, saying it, along with Iran, bears considerable responsibility for the crisis in Syria since “every time Assad has crossed the line of human decency, Russia has stood beside him.” Russia tore into the US, calling the missile strikes on Syrian territory a “flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression.

“We strongly condemn the illegitimate actions by the US. The consequences of this for regional and international stability could be extremely serious,” Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said. A visibly agitated Safronkov said Washington, London and Paris have a “paranoiac idea” of overthrowing the legitimate government in sovereign Syria. In a particularly sharp attack against UK, Safronkov told Britain’s UN envoy Matthew Rycroft to “stop putting unprofessional accusations” against Russia.

“These (accusations) are not diplomatic. They are lies. Once again, I warn don’t even try to get into fights in the Arab world. Nothing will be achieved. That is why you are getting annoyed. All Arab countries recall your colonial hypocrisy,” he said.

Safronkov called on the US to “immediately cease” its aggression and join efforts towards a political settlement in Syria. Syria’s envoy Mounzer Mounzer said the air strike by the US against his country had been a “treacherous, barbaric, flagrant act of aggression” and a grave violation of international law and the UN charter.

“The US attempted to justify its aggression with fabricated arguments that Syria had used chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun — the same justification advanced by terrorist groups and the countries supporting them,” he said. He asserted that Syria does not have chemical weapons in the first place and would never use such weapons as it condemns the use of such weapons. He said it was well known that terrorists had stockpiled chemical agents in Syria, in cooperation with Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other States outside the region.

“This aggression will surely send an erroneous message to the terrorist groups, emboldening them to use more chemical weapons in the future,” he warned. The air strike was a grave extrapolation of the United States strategy to support so-called moderate opposition groups, he said. That country led a purported alliance against ISIL/Daesh, while its real objective was to weaken Syria and its allies, he said.

Citing the American claim that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and its consequent military invasion in the country, Mounzer said the US was once again using fabricated evidence to justify its actions and spread hegemony around the world.

Haley said Russia is supposed to be a guarantor of the removal of chemical weapons from Syria but obviously has failed in that endeavour. “Let’s think about the possible reasons for Russia’s failure. It could be that Russia is knowingly allowing chemical weapons to remain in Syria. It could be that Russia has been incompetent in its efforts to remove the chemical weapons.

“Or, it could be that the Assad regime is playing the Russians for fools, telling them that there are no chemical weapons, all the while stockpiling them on their bases. “In the wake of the US air strikes, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “Mindful of the risk of escalation, I appeal for restraint to avoid any acts that could deepen the suffering of the Syrian people.”

He urged restraint to avoid any escalation of the situation in Syria, after the United States responded militarily to an alleged chemical weapons attack earlier this week. “These events underscore my belief that there is no other way to solve the conflict than through a political solution,” he said, calling on the parties to urgently renew their commitment to making progress in the Geneva (intra-Syrian talks).

 Decrying the ‘abhorrent’ chemical weapons attack, the UN chief stressed the need for accountability for such crimes in line with existing international norms and Security Council resolutions.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said that the December 2016 Syrian ceasefire – brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey – had faltered in the last two months amid a steady escalation of military activity.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security, he said, urging the 15-member body to unite and exercise that responsibility to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun.

Security Council resolutions and the 2012 Geneva Communique remain the foundation of, and contain the core principles for, United Nations mediation efforts and ultimately a solution in this regard, he said.

Feltman said Iran and Russia condemned the US attack, with the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand expressing some support for the US strikes.

A statement from the Syrian General Command of the Army and the Armed Forces called the US response a “blatant act of aggression” which had caused six deaths and huge material damage.</s>Damascus (AFP) - A US missile strike targeting an airbase in central Syria killed nine civilians, including four children, on Friday, state news agency SANA reported.

The news agency said five of the civilians, among them three children, were killed in the village of Shayrat just outside the base of the same name.

"An American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child," it added.

"Another seven civilians were wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, four kilometres (two and a half miles) away from the Shayrat air base," it added.

Washington said it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a "barbaric" chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime.

The Pentagon said it believed the aircraft that carried out the deadly attack on Khan Sheikhun came from the Shayrat base.

US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis.

The Syrian army had said earlier that six people were killed in the strike on the base -- the first time that the US has directly attacked the government of President Bashar al-Assad.</s>The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea, on April 7, 2017.

Ford Williams / U.S. Navy via Getty Images</s>The U.S. launched cruise missiles against Syria Friday, a day after President Trump said a chemical weapons attack that killed 86, “crossed many, many” lines.

Here’s what we know so far:

Why did the U.S. attack?

In 2013 President Obama set a "red line" against the use of chemical weapons by Syria's President Bashar Assad. The regime proceeded to use the weapons to kill 1,400 civilians, but Obama decided not to attack — a move Trump and other Republicans widely criticized as making America look weak.

In a Russian-brokered deal in the wake of that episode, Assad agreed to turn over his stockpile of chemical weapons. This week's chemical attack clearly violated that pledge. Trump called the attack — which killed at least 86 people, 27 of them children — "a disgrace to humanity" and "truly one of the egregious crimes."

"The strike was intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

"It is in the vital national security interest of the United states to prevent and deter the use of deadly chemical weapons," Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago retreat after the strikes were carried out early Friday morning, Syria time. "Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children. It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered at this very barbaric attack. No child of God should ever suffer such horror."

How did the U.S. attack?

The cruise missiles were fired from a U.S. Navy vessel in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The missiles hit multiple targets, including the airfield which serves as the base for the warplanes suspected of carrying out the chemical attack.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said said “the combat efficiency of the U.S. strike was very low" and that 23 of the 59 missiles fired by the U.S. reached the base. "The place of the fall of the other missiles is unknown," Konashenkov said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

The plan for the attack followed one devised in 2013 after Obama set his "red line," a senior defense official told USA TODAY.

Did the strikes cause any casualties?

Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province, where the base is located, said at least seven people were killed in the strikes. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said six Syrian jets were destroyed but the air base's runway was intact.

The Syrian army said the strikes killed six people, the official SANA news agency reported. Homs governor Talal Barazi told The Associated Press that the U.S. missile strikes killed three soldiers and two civilians and wounded seven other people. A Syrian opposition monitor said the attack killed four soldiers, the AP reported.

Has the U.S. struck Syria before?

The U.S. has been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria since 2014, but this was the first strike against the Syrian regime. This also marked the first conventional assault on another country ordered by Trump.

Why did the U.S. attack from ships?

Tomahawk missiles can travel 1,500 miles to strike their target. So, the U.S. Navy was able to launch the attack from the Mediterranean Sea, avoiding the need to get permission from any host country to use aircraft or land-based missiles launch the strikes.

What are the risks of attacking the regime?

One potential concern is the safety of U.S. special operations troops in eastern Syria who are advising local ground forces in their fight against the Islamic State. One official told USA TODAY there are fears Assad could counter by targeting the U.S. troops.

One reason the U.S. chose limited strikes against Assad is that a more sustained campaign would risk the total collapse of the regime. That risks a power vacuum that could allow ISIS or other extremists to seize power.

Syria condemned strikes as a "blatant act of aggression." The Syrian army said the action made the United States a “partner” of the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra (an offshoot of al-Qaeda) and other terrorist organizations.

The office of Syrian President Bashar Assad said the strikes were "shortsighted," “reckless” and “irresponsible.”

“At 3:42 a.m. today, the United States of America committed a blatant act of aggression targeting one of our air bases in the Central Region with a number of missiles, leaving 6 people martyred and a number of others injured and causing huge material damage,” the Syrian military said in a statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.

How did Russia and Iran respond?

"It is an act of aggression under a completely far-fetched pretext," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday, according to TASS. "This is reminiscent of the situation in 2003, when the U.S. and the U.K., along with some of their allies, invaded Iraq without the consent of the U.N. Security Council and in violation of international law," he said.

The Kremlin said it received advance warning from the U.S. about the strikes, the Associated Press reported. The British government also said it was informed about the strikes in advance.

Iran said the U.S. action was "dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, said Iran condemned the strikes “regardless of the perpetrators and the victims” of the chemical weapons attack in comments carried by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

One concern was how Russia and Iran would react since both countries have boots on the ground in Syria supporting the regime. Iranian militias support Assad and Russia's intervention turned the tide of the six-year-old civil war in Assad's favor.

U.S. launches cruise missile strike on Syria after chemical weapons attack

Syria's civil war: A look at how we got to this point</s>NBC News reports the United States has launched a missile strike on a Syrian military airfield.

It is believed that is where the gas attack in Syria originated from.

The death toll from the gas attack on Tuesday has killed at least 100 people so far.

According to NBC News, President Trump ordered dozens of cruise missiles to be launched Thursday night.

The missiles were meant for a single target – Ash Sha’irat in Homs province- in western Syria.</s>Between 8 and 9 p.m., US Eastern Time Thursday, two US warships in the Mediterranean fired a barrage of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base at Shayrat, near the city of Homs. The attack is the first direct assault by the United States on the Russian- and Iranian-backed government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has plunged the world into days of uncertainty as to the consequences. Highlighting the utter recklessness and criminality of the American action, Russian forces were at the base.

The Syrian government has issued a bitter condemnation of the US attack, denouncing it as “aggression.” There are reports that at least four Syrian troops were killed and that the air base was virtually destroyed.

The Russian military was reportedly given notice that the air base was going to be bombed. Russia has large numbers of aircraft and personnel in Syria assisting Assad’s forces fight a six-year, US-sponsored insurrection by predominantly Islamist militias. If the Russians were given notice, questions remain as to whether they were given a sufficient window of time to withdraw their assets from harm’s way.

The pretext for the US attack is the sinister and dubious allegation that Assad’s air force used chemical weapons in an attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday. The claims are dubious, above all, because the Syrian government had no motive to use such weapons, knowing that it would be seized upon to demand that Trump order a direct US-led intervention. The Islamist rebels, by contrast, along with their CIA advisors, had ample motive under conditions in which they are facing complete military defeat. Moreover, the Al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra militia is known to be in possession of, and to have used chemical weapons.

On Thursday, the Assad government again categorically denied any responsibility for a chemical weapons attack. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated: “I stress, once again, that the Syrian Arab Army did not and will not use such weapons even against the terrorists who are targeting our people.”

The attack on Syria is the outcome of months of political civil war in Washington, which has seen Trump denounced by the Democratic Party and much of the media as a virtual Russian puppet for his stated agenda of improving relations with Moscow. His domestic opponents have succeeded in compelling the new administration to shift and make the immediate focus of US foreign policy stepped-up operations in the Middle East.

The result is the prospect of a rapid descent toward a confrontation with Iran and nuclear-armed Russia. It is entirely conceivable that the Syrian military, using sophisticated Russian-supplied anti-aircraft missile systems, will now retaliate by engaging American aircraft in Syrian airspace or launching attacks on the American troops operating on the ground with various rebel militias in parts of the country.

Trump appears to have authorised the bombardment even as he was sitting down for dinner and a photo opportunity with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in the US just hours before and whose government has consistently aligned with Russia to defend Assad’s government.

Among the numerous questions posed by the US strike is whether the top-level summit between Trump and Xi can even proceed. The situation is, by any standard, unprecedented for a Chinese leader. Xi will face immense recriminations in China if he is seen sitting alongside Trump in polite diplomatic talks, at a luxury golf resort in Florida, while his own government, Russia, Iran and other countries are denouncing a unilateral and illegal American act of war on Syria.

Moreover, the Trump administration has been threatening to launch a pre-emptive attack on North Korea and trigger a catastrophic war on China’s borders. The missile strike on Syria will remove any doubt in Chinese strategic and military circles as to whether Trump would be prepared to order such action.

Trump held a press conference Thursday evening at his Florida mansion. In words dripping with imperialist hypocrisy, he stated: “Tonight I call on all civilised nations to join us in seeking to end this slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson subsequently issued a statement accusing Russia of being “complicit” in the alleged gas attack and denouncing it for failing to meet its undertakings in 2013 to ensure Syria destroyed its chemical weapons. At the time, the Obama administration, in the face of doubts in the US military establishment and popular opposition, used the Russian guarantees to back away from its plans to wage a massive air war on the Assad government.

The Putin government in Moscow, backed by Bolivia, has signaled that it will demand an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Friday to condemn the American strike. The Russian Senate Security and Defense Committee chair Viktor Ozerov told journalists that the attack was an “act of aggression against a United Nations member.” Prior to the missile strikes, Russia had demanded an impartial investigation into the alleged gas attack and warned Washington that there would be “negative consequences” if it instead took military action.

The other key supporter of the Assad government, Iran, has issued a statement through its foreign ministry that it “roundly condemns” the US action. Large numbers of Iranian military personnel are on the ground not only in Syria, but in Iraq, fighting alongside Shiite militias that are nominally loyal to the US-backed government in Baghdad.

In Syria, the Saudi- and Turkish-financed and armed Islamist Ahrar al-Sham militia declared that it “welcomes any US intervention through surgical strikes.” The Israeli government has issued a statement voicing its complete support for the American operation. Turkey had already given blanket support in advance of the strikes.

As the US strike took place late in the night European time, the imperialist allies of Washington in Europe, after spending days exploiting the alleged gas attack to denounce Assad and Russia and call for action, have not yet issued formal statements.

On the other side of the world, an indication of how numerous US allies may respond has been given in Australia. The country’s defence minister was phoned by US officials several hours before the US strikes. Australia has fighter-bombers and other aircraft operating with American forces in Syria and Iraq. Both the government and the main Labor Party opposition have made statements fully endorsing the US strike, though Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would not confirm if the Australian military would join attacks on the Syrian government.</s>BEIRUT -- The Latest on events in Syria (all times local):

The Kremlin says the presidential Security Council has voiced regret over the damage to U.S.-Russia ties inflicted by the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.

The Kremlin said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the senior Russian officials who attended Friday's meeting described the U.S. action as an "act of aggression in violation of international law."

It added that the meeting's participants discussed "various issues related to the continuation of Russian air force operations in support of the Syrian army's anti-terror actions."

The Kremlin said those who spoke at the meeting voiced a "deep concern over inevitable negative consequences of such aggressive actions for joint efforts to fight terrorism."

Dozens of members of a Turkish trade union, carrying coffins, have demonstrated in front of the Iranian and Russian embassies in protest of this week's chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 people in northern Syria.

The group of some 250 members of a pro-government union held funeral prayers for the victims of the assault in front of the Iranian embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday before marching to the Russian embassy.

They were carrying dozens of black-painted coffins with images of the attack's child victims attached.

Two Arab countries in the Gulf are backing the U.S. missile strike on Syria.

The United Arab Emirates, which hosts some 4,000 American troops, said Friday the U.S. had its "full support." Anwar Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs, praised Trump's "courageous and wise decision." That mirrored earlier language used by Saudi Arabia.

The tiny island nation of Bahrain described the U.S. missile strike on Syria as "needed to stop the bloodshed" in that country's war. That island kingdom hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Rulers in both countries long have been suspicious of Iran and its influence in Syria and the greater region. Both have opposed the rule of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Iran's parliament news agency, ICANA.ir is reporting that the country "won't be quiet" after the U.S. missile attack that hit a number of military targets in central Syria.

The Friday report quotes Allaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, as saying "Russia and Iran won't be quiet against such acts which violate interests of the region."

He said serious consequences would follow the U.S. action.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter on Friday to denounce the strikes, saying: "Not even two decades after 9-11, U.S. military fighting on same side as al-Qaida & ISIS in Yemen & Syria. Time to stop hype and coverups."

The U.S. strike came in fiery retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians.

The office of Syria's President is calling the U.S. missile strike against one of its air bases in central Homs "reckless" and "irresponsible."

The statement Friday said the strikes were "shortsighted" and reflect a continuation of policy regardless of which administration that is based on targeting and "subjugating people."

The statement said the dawn attack on the Shayrat air base near Homs was not based on true facts.

The U.S. strike followed Tuesday's gruesome chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, where more than 80 people were killed.

A Syrian official says a U.S. missile strike on an air base in the country's centre has killed seven people.

Talal Barazi, the governor of the province of Homs where the base is based, says the Friday dawn attack has also wounded nine. Initial reports said six were killed. The attack also caused extensive damage to the air base.

The Syrian military called the attack a "blatant aggression" that would undermine its war on terror.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will chair a meeting of his Security Council to discuss the U.S. strikes on Syria.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn't say if Russia could use its military assets in Syria to protect Syrian facilities in case of new U.S. strikes.

He also wouldn't speculate on whether Russia's move to cut a hotline with the U.S. military in Syria could provoke collisions in the crowded skies over Syria.

Asked if Russia sees Syria as a military ally, Peskov answered positively. He argued Friday that the U.S. attack has "de facto served interests of the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations

Top European Union officials are supporting the U.S. missile strikes on military targets in Syria as a means of deterring further chemical weapons attacks by Damascus.

EU Council President Donald Tusk said in a tweet Friday that the "U.S. strikes show needed resolve against barbaric chemical attacks. EU will work with the U.S. to end brutality in Syria."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement that he "understands efforts to deter further attacks."

He said "there is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians."

Syrian opposition activists say warplanes have carried out their first airstrike since a U.S. missile attack damaged a major air base in the central province of Homs.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrike struck the northern edge of the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun where a chemical attack killed more than 80 people earlier this week.

The Observatory and Turkey-based activist Ahmad al-Ahmad said Friday's airstrike caused material damaged but no casualties. They said it was not immediately clear if the warplanes were Syrian or Russian.

The Russian military says it will help Syria beef up its air defences after the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday that a "complex of measures" to strengthen Syrian air defenses will be done shortly to help "protect the most sensitive Syrian infrastructure facilities."

Konashenkov said "the combat efficiency of the U.S. strike was very low," adding that only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles reached the Shayrat air base in the province of Homs.

He said it destroyed six MiG-23 fighter jets of the Syrian air force which were under repairs, but didn't damage other Syrian warplanes at the base.

Konashenkov added that the base's runway also has been left undamaged.

Russia's foreign minister says no Russian servicemen have been hurt in a U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.

Sergey Lavrov said Friday that he was unaware of any Russian military casualties at the air base hit by U.S. cruise missiles.

Lavrov, speaking on a trip to Uzbekistan, strongly condemned the U.S. strike saying it violates international law.

Russian state TV aired the footage showing the damage from the U.S. strikes at the Syrian air base. It showed craters and pockmarks left by explosions and said that nine Syrian air force jets have been destroyed in the attack.

Syria's state TV is showing footage of the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base in the country's centre, showing a fast sequence of orange flashes that lit the dark sky in the distance before the crack of dawn.

The shaky footage, apparently filmed with a mobile phone camera and aired Friday, came hours after about 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the base in Homs province, causing extensive damage to the base.

In a different sequence after day break, the Syrian TV station al-Ikhbariyah showed another short clip of smoke billowing in the distance, hovering over a raging fire, the tip of which emerges and a forest of trees is in the foreground.

The Syrian government said at least six people were killed, and several wounded in the attack. Activists say the air base, hangars, fuel depot and aircraft were badly damaged. A government official said a fire raged for over an hour.

The attack is the first by U.S. aircraft against the Syrian army since the war began. The U.S is also leading an international coalition against Islamic State group militants in Syria.

Israel's president says the U.S. strike on Syria was an "appropriate response" to the "unthinkable brutality" of the chemical attacks in Syria this week that killed dozens of civilians.

Reuven Rivlin said Friday the U.S. "serves as an example to the entire free world" to support steps to end atrocities in Syria.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said President Trump sent a message that "war crimes" by Syrian President Bashar Assad will not be tolerated.

The country's opposition leader Isaac Herzog told Channel 10 TV that he doesn't believe the strike will impact Israel.

Israel has repeatedly warned against "game-changing" weapons reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon from Syria, which along with Iran supports the militant group. It has carried out a number of airstrikes on suspected weapon convoys en route to Hezbollah.

The leaders of Germany and France say President Bashar Assad brought American missile strikes upon himself by using chemical weapons.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said in a joint statement Friday after talking on the phone that "President Assad alone carries responsibility for these developments" with his "repeated use of chemical weapons and his crimes against his own people."

The two leaders said their countries would continue to work with United Nations partners in "efforts to hold President Assad responsible for his criminal acts."

They called upon the international community to "join forces for a political transition in Syria" in accordance with the UN resolution.

Turkish officials continue to voice their support for the U.S. missile strike on Syria.

Turkey's foreign ministry welcomed the U.S. missile strike on Shayart air base following the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun as "very positive." In a written statement Friday, the ministry said steps to ensure that war crimes do not go unpunished and are held accountable "will have Turkey's full support."

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also called the strike "an important step," according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency. Kalin repeated Turkey's calls for a no-fly zone and safe zone in Syria so that "similar massacres do not happen again."

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen says U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to be the "world's policeman" with airstrikes on Syria and is suggesting that it could backfire.

Le Pen has expressed support for Syrian President Bashar Assad in the past, and said on France-2 television Friday that she was "surprised" by Trump's sudden move.

Le Pen said that Trump indicated he would not make the U.S. "the world's policeman, and that's exactly what he did yesterday." She warned that past international interventions in Iraq and Libya have led to rising Islamic extremism.

Le Pen appeared to be distancing herself from Trump. The two have similar views and Le Pen is hoping to ride a wave of protectionist, anti-immigrant sentiment to the presidency next month.

Russia says it's suspending a deal with the U.S. to prevent mid-air collisions over Syria in response to the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in Friday's statement that Moscow is suspending a memorandum with the U.S. to prevent incidents and ensure flight safety.

Under the memorandum, signed after Russia launched an air campaign in Syria in September 2015, Russia and the U.S. had exchanged information about their flights to avoid incidents in the crowded skies over Syria.

Russia has several dozen warplanes and batteries of air-defence missiles at its base in Syria.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed support for the U.S. missile attack on a Syrian government-controlled air base.

Abe on Friday said Japan understood and supported the U.S. strategy, saying the strikes were "a means to prevent further deterioration of the situation" referring to the suspected chemical attack earlier in Syria this week.

About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs, a small installation with two runways, where aircraft often take off to bomb targets in northern and central Syria.

Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it's concerned by unilateral foreign actions in Syria including the U.S. attack on a Syrian government air base on Thursday night.

Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said Indonesia rejects the use of chemical weapons for any purpose and condemns a chemical weapons attack in Syria earlier this week that killed dozens of civilians.

But it did not praise President Donald Trump's retaliation against the government of Syria's President Bashar Assad.

Nasir says, "We are also very concerned by unilateral actions that have been taken by many parties including the recent launch of Tomahawks in response to the use of chemical weapons."

NATO's chief was warned that the United States was to launch missile strikes in Syria and is making no comment on the incident.

Jens Stoltenberg's office said Friday that "we can confirm that NATO Secretary-General was informed by the US Secretary of Defence prior to the strikes."

But it said "we refer you to the US authorities regarding the strikes in Syria."

Syrian military says the U.S. missile attack on one of its air bases in central Syria has killed six and caused extensive damage, calling it an aggression that undermines Damascus' counter terrorism operations.

The statement read on TV Friday came hours after the U.S. sent nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles into the Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs, the first American attack against the Syrian army since the war started in 2011.

General Ali Ayyoub , the chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Army, said Washington has used the chemical attack in the northern town of Khan Sheikhoun earlier this week as a "pretext" to carry out the "blatant aggression" , without knowing what really happened. Syria blames the opposition fighters of stockpiling chemical weapons.

A communication link between the U.S. and Russia used to protect their pilots flying sorties over Syria was used ahead of an American missile strike on the country.

The so-called "deconfliction line" is operated by the U.S. military's Central Command at the sprawling al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. It serves as a crucial link to make sure the increasingly crowded Syrian airspace doesn't see any accidental collisions or attacks on each other.

Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis says: "U.S. military planners took precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield" targeted in Syria's Homs province. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to an Associated Press query on specifics of how the line was used.

About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles launched early Friday hit the Shayrat air base, southeast of the city of Homs, a small installation with two runways. The attack came in response for a chemical weapons attack Tuesday in Syria.

Turkey has welcomed the U.S. missile strike on Syria, saying it was an "important and meaningful" development but called for a continued tough stance against President Bashar Assad that would render him "no longer able to harm his people."

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in a live television interview Friday: "It is imperative that the Assad regime is fully punished by the international community."

"We see the (air strikes) as positive, but we believe that this should be completed," Kurtulmus said. "The Assad regime's barbarism must immediately be stopped."

Kurtulmus added that he hoped the U.S. action would help accelerate peace efforts in Syria.

Turkey is a strong opponent of Syrian President Bashar Assad and has backed the Syrian opposition fighting against him.

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin believes that the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base is an "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law."

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Friday's statement carried by Russian news agencies that Putin believes that the U.S. has dealt the strikes under "far-fetched pretext."

Russia has argued that the death of civilians in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday resulted from Syrian forces hitting a rebel chemical arsenal there.

Peskov said that the U.S. has ignored past incidents of the use of chemical weapons by Syrian rebels. He argued that the Syrian government has destroyed its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control.

A survivor of the chemical attack in a northern Syrian town says he hopes the U.S. missile attack could help put an end to Syrian government airstrikes, creating a safe area for civilians.

Alaa Alyousef, a 27-year old resident of Khan Sheikhoun, said Friday the U.S. missile attack "alleviates a small part of our sufferings," but he worries it will be like "anesthetics," to save face. AlYousef said the U.S. is capable of "paralyzing" Syrian warplanes .

"What good is a strike on Shayart air base alone while we have more than 15 other air bases," he said. Alyousef lost at least 25 relatives in this week's gruesome chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government denies it was behind the attack, believed to have deployed chemical weapons.

A Syrian official tells The Associated Press that the U.S. missile attack that hit military targets in central Syria has killed three soldiers and two civilians.

Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province, said seven others were wounded in the early Friday attack. He had earlier said a fire raged in the air base in Homs for over an hour following the barrage of missiles.

A Syrian opposition monitor said the attack killed four soldiers, including a general.

The attack came in fiery retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians.

Iran has condemned the U.S. missile strike on Syria, saying the "unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law."

That's according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi. He made the comments in a report carried Friday by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iran is one of the biggest supporters of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. Its hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is deeply involved in the war. America's Sunni Arab allies in the Gulf view Syria as a proxy conflict between it and Shiite power Iran.

Ghasemi described Iran as "the biggest victim of chemical weapons in recent history," referencing Iraqi use of the weapons during its 1980s war with the Islamic Republic. He said Iran condemned the missile launch "regardless of the perpetrators and the victims" of Tuesday's chemical weapons attack in Syria.

He also warned it would "strengthen terrorists" and further add to "the complexity of the situation in Syria and the region."

Saudi Arabia is praising the "courageous decision" by U.S. President Donald Trump to launch missile strikes on Syria over a deadly chemical weapons attack.

A statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Friday firmly blames the government of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad for the chemical weapons attack.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the missile launch by Trump was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it."

Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia is a longtime opponent of Assad and has supported the rebels fighting against him. It also views the long-running war as a proxy conflict between it and its Middle East archrival, the Shiite power Iran.

A senior Russian lawmaker says that U.S. strike on Syria likely has put an end to hopes for Russia-U.S. co-operation in Syria.

Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Kremlin-controlled upper house of parliament said on his Facebook that the prospective U.S.-Russian anti-terror coalition has been "put to rest without even being born."

Kosachev added that "it's a pity," suggesting that Trump had been pressured to act by the Pentagon.

He added that while "Russian cruise missiles strike the terrorists, U.S. missiles strike Syrian government forces who are spearheading the fight against the terrorists."

A Syrian opposition monitor says the U.S. missile attack on an air base in the country's centre has killed at least four Syrian soldiers, including a general, and caused extensive damage.

The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the early Friday missile attack damaged over a dozen hangars, a fuel depot and an air defence base.

About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs, a small installation with two runways. A Syrian official the attack caused deaths and a fire, but didn't elaborate.

The U.S. attack came in fiery retaliation to Tuesday's deadly chemical attack that officials said used chlorine mixed with a nerve agent, possibly sarin. More than 80 were killed in that attack that drew wide international condemnation.

Israel's ambassador to the U.N. says the U.S. sent a "significant message" to the region and beyond with the attack on a Syrian air base.

Danny Danon told Channel 10 TV "it was a moral decision that delivered a triple message." He said it told the Syrians to stop using chemical weapons and sent a message to Iran and North Korea. He said it also told the international community that "if the U.N. is incapable of acting in these situations it will lead."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier "this message of resolve in the face of the Assad regime's horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere."

Israel's military says it was notified ahead of the strike.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the "Australian government strongly supports the swift and just response of the United States" in launching a rocket attack on a Syrian air base.

He tells reporters in Sydney on Friday: "This was a calibrated, proportionate and targeted response. It sends a strong message to the Assad regime, and ... has been struck at the very airfield from which the chemical attack was delivered."

"But we are not at war with the Assad regime and the United States have made it clear that they are not seeking to overthrow the Assad regime," he added.
The United States launches 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles aimed at the Ash Sha'irat air base in Homs Governorate in response to the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons in its attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun. The Government of Syria claims the attack killed six soldiers and nine civilians, including four children.