Syria strikes - as it happened: Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons capability 'set back for years' by bombing, Pentagon says
Theresa May warns of further strikes if regime uses poison again
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Joint air strikes by the US, UK and France have set back Syria’s chemical weapons capability “for years”, the US military said.
Cruise missiles were fired at three sites in response to what Theresa May called the “despicable and barbaric” attack in Douma last week that is believed to have killed up to 75 people.
Ms May said Bashar al-Assad could face even further strikes if chemical weapons are used again - and the US warned that they were "locked and loaded" if poison used again.
US President Donald Trump declared “mission accomplished” after more than 100 missiles were collectively launched in the early hours of the morning.
During telephone conversations on Saturday afternoon, Ms May, Mr Trump and Emmanuel Macron all agreed that the military strikes in Syria "had been a success".
Downing Street published a document setting out why it believes military action against the Syrian regime was legal after Jeremy Corbyn described the action as legally questionable.
The Russian embassy in the US said it had warned that such actions would "not be left without consequences", adding that insulting President Vladimir Putin was "unacceptable and inadmissible".
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Russia and Syria claimed most of the missiles, numbering about 110, were intercepted, while the Pentagon said Syrian defences had “no effect” on the operation.
Mr Assad, backed also by Iran, said on Saturday the bombings would increase his country’s resolve to “fight and crush terrorism”.
Ms May said she had authorised British forces to conduct precision strikes against Syria to help degrade its chemical weapons capability.
“This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change,” Ms May said in a statement. “It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties.”
RAF Tornado jets bombed a chemical weapons facility 15 miles outside Homs, the Ministry of Defence said.
Russia warned of “consequences” for the US-led military strikes, saying the use of missiles on suspected chemical weapons assets were an insult to Vladimir Putin.
“A pre-designed scenario is being implemented,” Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement. “Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.”
Earlier, Russia’s military claimed to have evidence that Britain had “direct involvement” in staging the suspected chemical attack in Syria, a charge quickly condemned as “grotesque” by the UK.
Humanitarian volunteers were “seriously pressured” by the UK to speed up plans for a “provocation” in eastern Ghouta, Moscow’s defence ministry suggested.
Britain’s ambassador to the UN condemned the “blatant lie” as “the worst piece of fake news we’ve yet seen from the Russian propaganda machine”.
Later, a spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: “These accusations from Moscow are just the latest in a number of ludicrous allegations from Russia, who have also said that no attack ever happened.
“This simply shows their desperation to pin the blame on anyone but their client: the [President Bashar] Assad regime
It comes as Russia and the United States traded fresh blows during the latest round of talks at the UN Security Council and amid warnings that the world is at risk of “full-blown military escalation”.
The State Department said the United States has proof at “a very high level of confidence” that the Syrian government of Mr Assad carried out the attack but is still working to identify the mix of chemicals used.
“Syria is responsible. We are all in agreement,” department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.
Additional reporting by agencies
American politicians have called for a comprehensive Syria strategy.
Senior Republican John McCain said Donald Trump needed to lay out "our goals, not just with regard to Isis, but also the ongoing conflict in Syria and malign Russian and Iranian influence in the region".
Here's a 60-second round-up of Theresa May's words earlier today.
Donald Trump has made his first comments following the US-led airstrikes on Syria overnight.
Official reaction from Syria, where Bashar al-Assad has been filmed arriving for work in Damascus.
Donald Trump's 'mission accomplished' comments, perhaps unintentionally, echo the ill-fated words used by George W Bush 15 years earlier when he spoke about Iraq.
The US president has also sent a follow-up tweet.
A useful round-up, via the Press Association, of what we know so far about the air strikes on Syria.
- Strikes were launched by British, French and US forces at 2am BST at three sites connected with the Syrian regime's chemical weapons programme
- The first was at a scientific research centre in greater Damascus involved in the development and production of chemical weapons, the second at a chemical weapons storage facility near Homs, and the third at a chemical equipment storage facility and important command post
- More than 100 missiles were collectively launched overnight from British, French and American forces in Syria
- Britain used four Royal Air Force Tornados with Storm Shadow missiles in the air strikes, which they launched from the British RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus
- American Forces deployed B-1B Lancer bombers for last night's strike and used double the number of weapons than in a 2017 missile strike responding to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack
- French forces used Mirage and Rafale fighter jets with four frigate warships to launch 12 cruise missiles
- Prime minister Theresa May told a press conference in London that joining the bombing campaign with the United States and France was the "right thing for us to do" in the wake of the "harrowing" assault on Douma a week ago
- Jeremy Corbyn criticised Ms May, describing the action as legally questionable. "Bombs won't save lives or bring about peace," Mr Corbyn said.
- US president Donald Trump condemned Syria's two main allies, Russia and Iran, for supporting "murderous dictators"
- French president Emmanuel Macron said "a red line" had been crossed after the chemical weapons attack in Douma
- US defence secretary James Mattis and General Joe Dunford said the strikes were "a one-time shot" and that there had been no reports of any allied losses
- The Russian embassy in the US said it had warned that such actions would "not be left without consequences", adding that insulting Vladimir Putin was "unacceptable and inadmissible"
- Syrian state TV called the attacks a "blatant violation of international law and shows contempt for international legitimacy"
Syrians protest in Damascus over the US-led strikes
Syrians dance and protest in streets of Damascus in defiance of US and allies air strike
A reminder that the UN Security Council is due to meet at 3pm UK time, where Russia is likely to protest over the bombings of Syrian chemical weapons facilities.
A Pentagon briefing is underway.
Chief spokeswoman Dana White said the strikes did not "represent a change in US policy nor an attempt to depose the Syrian regime".
Missiles "successfully hit every target", she said.
She added: "We don't seek conflict in Syria, but we cannot allow such grievous violations of international law. We will not stand by passively while Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, ignores international law."
Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie gave more details about the strikes.
Fifty-seven Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched against the Barzah research and development facility, while a further 22 projectiles were fired at the second and third targets at Him Shinsar.
Syria's chemical weapons programme had been set back several years as a result of the strikes, he claimed.
The US has no record of civilian casualties yet, Lt Gen McKenzie said.
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