American destroyers in the Mediterranean fired almost 60 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat airfield in Homs, used as the base for Syrian jets allegedly involved in the chemical weapons strike. At least three Syrian soldiers and several civilians were reported killed, but preliminary information suggested no Russian casualties. 
 
 President Donald Trump said that the move was in the "vital national security interest of the United States," marking a major policy reversal for his administration. 
 
 Russian President Vladimir Putin called the strike an "act of aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law." 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Francois Hollande blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that his actions provoked the response. 
 
 Read the full story on the US military action in Syria here 
 
 All updates in UTC 
 
 16:17 France also described the US response to Tuesday's alleged chemical attack as "appropriate." French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he hoped the airstrikes would prove to be a "game changer and help boost the political negotiations." 
 
 16:13 Addressing the UN Security Council, Britain's UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft described the US airstrike as a "proportionate response to unspeakable acts." 
 
 The UK diplomat also lashed out at Moscow, which has provided the Assad regime with military and political support. Rycroft told the 15-member council that "without Russia's seven vetoes in the Security Council, defying the views of other members of this council, Assad would have faced sanctions and justice." 
 
 15:43 The UN Security Council has begun an emergency session to discuss the situation in Syria. The US, which currently holds the rotating presidency, decided not to acquiesce to a request from Bolivia to hold the talks behind closed doors. Bolivia initially called the session, but US envoy Nikki Haley said that the meeting should be public so that "any country that chooses to defend the atrocities of the Syrian regime will have to do so in full public view, for all the world to hear." 
 
 15:20 After a noticeable silence, top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said he did not think President Trump needed congressional approval for the strike, because it was "simply a message" to Syrian President Assad "not to use chemical weapons again." He said he did not interpret the airstrike as a "first step" towards further military intervention, and reaffirmed early US policy on Syria calling for Assad to step down. 
 
 15:08 German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on a trip to Mali that while he agreed that a possible gas attack "constituted a war crime," he was worried that "we have lost sight of the political process," and called on Washington to let the United Nations continue its efforts to broker peace. 
 
 14:57 Hezbollah, the militant group from Lebanon that enjoys Iranian sympathy, called the US' actions "foolish," and warned that it could be "the beginning of a great and dangerous escalation in the region." 
 
 14:25 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called Thursday night's US airstrikes "illegal" and warned that they were just "one step away from clashing with the Russian military." 
 
 Satellite pictures suggested that the Shayrat air base that was struck also housed Russian special forces and military helicopters. US forces had reportedly informed Russian officials of the strike ahead of time to avoid hitting any Russian personnel. 
 
 13:24 A Russian frigate carrying cruise missiles will visit a logistics base in Syria's Tartus after entering the Mediterranean on Friday, reported Russia's state-owned TASS news agency, citing diplomatic sources. 
 
 13:17 Federica Mogherini, the EU's top diplomat, said a political solution to the conflict will ensure peace and security in Syria and effectively uproot the "Islamic State" and other militants groups operating in the country. 
 
 "The EU firmly believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict and is committed to the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian state," she said. 
 
 13:11 Russia demanded an emergency meeting of the UN ceasefire task force in Geneva to discuss the latest US military action in Syria. 
 
 12:54 Jordan said the US missile strike was a "necessary and appropriate response to the continued targeting of civilians" in the wake of a suspected chemical weapons attack earlier this week. 
 
 12:07 The US cruise missiles likely followed a route outside of the zones covered by the Russian air defense systems, a military expert told the Russian Interfax news agency. 
 
 "The route was calculated to evade our air defense systems […] Americans are no fools," Aytech Bizhev said, adding that the outdated Syrian systems were not able to stand up to such an attack. 
 
 11:47 German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged a political transition in Syria with the ultimate goal of a "democratic" end to the Assad regime. 
 
 The US strike was understandable in view of the "the war crimes, the suffering of innocent people, and the blockade in the UN Security Council," she said. 
 
 11:40 Oil prices rallied after the US strike on Friday, reaching their highest levels in months over fears that the escalation could disrupt supply routes in the Middle East. 
 
 11:33 Russian air defense systems in charge of protecting Moscow bases in Syria are on duty "around the clock," military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. 
 
 11:20 The Syrian presidency says Washington was naively sucked in by a false propaganda campaign about the chemical weapons strike. 
 
 The US "aggression" has increased the government's resolve to "hit those terrorist agents, to continue to crush them," Damascus officials said. The office of Bashar al-Assad also slammed the strike as "rash" and "shortsighted." 
 
 11:15 Vladimir Putin and Russia's top security officials were "deeply concerned" about the consequences of the US strike, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after an urgent meeting in Moscow. 
 
 "They have also expressed regret about the damage done to the bilateral ties between Russia and the US," he said. 
 
 11:03 Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif slammed the US for "fighting on the same side" as al Qaeda and the "Islamic State" in a series of tweets. 
 
 11:01 The Russian Defense Ministry believes that the US missile strike was being prepared long before the alleged chemical attack in Idlib. The US destroyers "Porter" and "Ross" were directed to the eastern regions of the Mediterranean Sea days before the incident, Russian Interfax agency said, citing non-classified Pentagon data. 
 
 10:55 Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom raised the question whether the US strike was "compatible with international law." 
 
 "It is important that such actions have a legal basis," she said. "This question must be taken to the UN Security Council, which has to take responsibility for a lasting political solution." 
 
 10:41 The US informed the EU that "these strikes were limited," EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said. 
 
 10:30 The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry supported the US military action in Syria. 
 
 "For those who break international law by using chemical weapons, impunity would lead to further crimes… The backers and those who cover up the crimes of the Syrian regime are also responsible for using the weapons of mass destruction and civilian casualties," Kyiv said. 
 
 10:23 French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault says that Paris urged Russia to negotiate. 
 
 "We have to stop the hypocrisy. If Russia is acting in good faith it should stop and negotiate," he said. "We do not wish to raise the stakes, but to find a solution. You cannot deal with reality (use of chemical weapons) by resorting to propaganda." 
 
 10:20 The US attack killed nine civilians, including four children, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. 
 
 10:16 NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said that Syrian authorities carried the blame for the missile strike. 
 
 "Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, cannot go unanswered, and those responsible must be held accountable," he added. 
 
 10:13 With the international community divided on the US strike in Syria, there is a risk of the shockwaves spreading far beyond Syrian borders, says DW's Lewis Sanders. 
 
 Read: US polarizes world with attack on Syrian regime 
 
 10:12 An unidentified warplane bombed the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, the site of the earlier chemical weapons attack, on Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
 10:10 Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
 "This regime must be removed from leading Syria as soon as possible, and the best way to do that is by starting the transitional process," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks. 
 
 10:08 Russia's President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting of his security council later on Friday. Moscow would keep technical and military channels of communication open with Washington, but would not exchange any information through them, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 
 
 10:05 Russia must play a "decisive" role in resolving the Syrian crisis alongside the UN, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said. 
 
 09:57 The effectiveness of Syrian air defense systems will be boosted in the near future, in order to "protect the most sensitive objects of the Syrian infrastructure," Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. He added that only 23 Tomahawk missiles struck the base out of 59 launched, making the US action "extremely ineffective." 
 
 09:53 US Senator and one-time US presidential candidate John McCain says Donald Trump's strikes send an "important message." 
 
 09:45 Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen praised the attack on Twitter. 
 
 "Good that cowardly assaults on women, men and children have consequences. The United States has clearly indicated that (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's atrocities do not go unpunished." 
 
 09:35 The key rival of Chancellor Merkel in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Germany, SPD chief Martin Schulz, urged Europe to put more effort into resolving the Syrian crisis. 
 
 "For far too long, we the Europeans have only looked at the US and Russia," he said. The EU needs to take more "political, not military" responsibility, he added. 
 
 09:25 EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that the strike showed US "resolve." 
 
 09:13 The US says that the targeted army compound served as a base to launch the chemical weapons attack that killed at least 80 people. 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase 59 Tomahawk Missiles In April, US forces attacked a Syrian air base with cruise missiles in retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians. The US attack killed several Syrian soldiers and almost completely destroyed the base. 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase Syrian air base The air base Al-Shairat looked like this before 59 Tomahawk rockets were fired at the site. US President Donald Trump said this was the base from which the poison gas attack was flown out of on Tuesday. The strike aimed to destroy airplanes as well as prevent take-offs and landings. 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase Attack from the Mediterranean The cruise missiles were launched from the USS Porter and USS Ross warships stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the first time US forces had directly attacked government forces in the six-year civil war. Previous attacks in Syria targeted the so-called "Islamic State." 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase Turning point for Trump For Trump, the use of chemical weapons was a turning point in his attitude towards the Syrian conflict. After an even bigger chemical attack in August 2013, which killed several hundred people, he warned then-President Barack Obama against retaliating against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase Threats in the UN Security Council "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, as she held up photographs of lifeless victims, including children. 
 
 US missile attack on Syrian airbase Targeted attack or accident? On Tuesday morning a residential district in Chan Sheikhun in Idlib province was bombed and poison gas was released. At least 70 people died in the attack, but responsibility is still unclear. 
 
 
 
 09:08 French President Francois Hollande was meeting with his top security officials in Paris to discuss next steps in Syria. 
 
 09:05 Russia's Sergey Lavrov hopes that the US missile strikes would not lead to "irreparable damage" between Moscow and Washington. 
 
 08:54 French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen warned that interventions in Iraq and Libya boosted Islamic terrorism. 
 
 US president Donald Trump had indicated that he would not make his country "the world's policeman, and that's exactly what he did yesterday," she told France-2 television. 
 
 08:52 Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano says the attack was a "reasonable reaction" and a deterrent to the regime's chemical weapons use. 
 
 08:48 Syrian rebels welcomed the US military strike in Syria, but urged more military action, according to the AFP news agency. 
 
 08:41 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow will demand an explanation from the US on Syria strikes. 
 
 08:38 The Syrian ambassador in Moscow says the US strikes confirm that Washington supports and coordinates with the 'Islamic State' and al Nusra. 
 
 "It a clear demonstration that America supports terror," Ambassador Riad Haddad said. 
 
 08:30 Global financial markets responded cautiously after the strike, according to DW's business department. 
 
 Click here to read more: Markets nervous, but not hectic after airstrike 
 
 08:24 The attack destroyed nine planes in the Syrian base, according to Russian state TV. 
 
 08:17 Despite the US strike, the diplomatic visit to Moscow by the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is likely to proceed as planned, senior Russian MP Leonid Slutsky told Rossya 24. 
 
 08:07 Ankara repeated its calls to establish a "no fly" zone over Syria, saying that the strike was a "positive response to the Assad regime's war crimes." 
 
 07:54 Syria's Assad carries the "sole responsibility for this development," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Francois Hollande. 
 
 "His repeated use of chemical weapons and his crimes against the population demanded sanctioning," they said. 
 
 Watch video 01:31 US fires cruise missiles on Syria – the first reactions 
 
 07:49 German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel described the US move as "understandable." 
 
 07:45 Russia has decided to "halt" its agreement with the US on avoiding incidents in Syrian airspace after cruise missile strikes. 
 
 07:40 Democratic congressman Ted Lieu urged more information on Trump's policies after the strike. 
 
 07:34 The strike prompted a strong response from US social media users, with many pointing out President Trump's earlier stances on bombing Syria. 
 
 07:31 China recommends avoiding "further deterioration" and urges relevant parties to stick to political statements in Syria as Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his diplomatic visit to the US. 
 
 07:27 The Syrian army raised the death toll to six people, adding that the strike caused "significant damage. 
 
 The US "carried out a flagrant aggression with missiles against one of our air bases in the central region," a spokesman said on state television. 
 
 07:21 Washington had notified NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg of plans to attack the Syrian army, according to NATO. 
 
 The alliance "can confirm that NATO Secretary-General was informed by the US Secretary of Defense prior to the strikes." 
 
 07:16 Senior Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said that Russia was forced to fight terrorism on its own. 
 
 "We should not eliminate the possibility that the chemical attack was a provocation to undermine the rhetoric used by US President Donald Trump and return the US on the anti-Assad course," he said. 
 
 07:11 Tokyo voiced its support for the US move to "prevent the spread and use of chemical weapons." 
 
 "Many innocent people became victims from the chemical attacks," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "The international community was shocked by the tragedy that left many young children among the victims." 
 
 07:08 The UK says that the strike was designed to deter the regime from any new chemical weapons attacks. 
 
 "We've not been asked to be involved in this; this was not a matter for the coalition that's in Syria and Iraq fighting [the Islamic State militia]," Fallon said. "This was a United States operation, but let me emphasize again we fully support it." 
 
 07:04 Damascus does not expect military escalation with the US, said Syria's information minister. 
 
 "I believe this strike was limited in time and space, and it was expected," Minister Ramez Turjman said in a phone interview with Syrian state television. 
 
 07:01 The strike on the Syrian army was "designed" not to involve Russian personnel, said British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon. 
 
 06:50 Confused as to who is fighting whom in Syria? DW has an overview of the many factions and world powers engaged in the long and complicated war. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? Armed factions in Syria Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to many civilians. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The dictator Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The northern watchman Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. The Turkish military has intervened alongside rebels in northern Aleppo, Afrin and Idlib province. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The eastern guardian The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The western allies A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks for the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The rebels The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The resistance Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The new jihadists "Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is facing defeat in both countries after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The old jihadists IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda. 
 
 Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The Persian shadow Iran had supported Syrian President Bashar Assad before the conflict emerged in 2011. Eager to maintain its influence in the Middle East, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher, Alexander Pearson 
 
 
 
 06:45 US Senator Rand Paul said that the US president needed an approval from Congress to use military force. 
 
 06:41 Warsaw praised the US as a "guarantor of world peace and order," supporting the strike in a statement. 
 
 06:25 Missile strikes would raise tensions between Moscow and Washington, and not contribute to a political solution for the Syrian crisis, German lawmaker Jürgen Trittin told "Deutschlandfunk." 
 
 06:21 No Russians were hurt in the US missile strike on the Syrian base, a senior Russian lawmaker in charge of veteran affairs told Interfax. 
 
 06: 17 Russia's President Vladimir Putin regards the US missile strike as an act of "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law, and also based on a made-up pretext," said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov. 
 
 06:12 Syrian government must be fully punished in the international arena, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Kurtulmus said, adding that international community must maintain its stance against Assad. 
 
 06:08 The US strike "inflicts fundamental damage on the relations between the US and Russia, which are already in a lamentable state," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. 
 
 6:02 France was informed of the US plans to conduct a missile strike ahead of time, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told France Info radio. 
 
 Russia and Iran needed to understand that supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made no sense, he added, stressing that France was not seeking confrontation with those two countries. 
 
 05:58 Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen says that the Syrian army had evacuated most of its warplanes before the US attack. 
 
 05:56 Commenting on the US move, Iran said that "unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law." 
 
 05:54 The UK endorsed the missile strike as an "appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime." 
 
 05:50 Was the regime of President Bashar al-Assad responsible for the chemical weapons attack in northern Syria? DW spoke to several experts who suggested it could have been jihadi rebels. 
 
 
 
 Read: Is Assad to blame for the chemical weapons attack in Syria? 
 
 05:47 The death toll in the US missile strike has risen to five, with seven injured, Homs governor Talal Barazi said. 
 
 05:36 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the US strike as the "right thing to do." 
 
 05:31 "Russian cruise missiles hit the terrorists, the US missiles strike Syrian government forces who are spearheading the fight against the terrorists," senior Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev said on his Facebook page. 
 
 President Trump was pressured into action by the allegedly "irrefutable evidence," Kosachev added. 
 
 "How can we not remember the proverbial Iraqi anthrax vial held by Colin Powel?" the Russian politician asked, alluding to the false rationale for the Iraq war. 
 
 05:25 Iran, one of the main allies of the Assad regime, strongly condemned the US missile attack on Syrian targets. 
 
 05:17 Saudi Arabia backed the US strike, saying it was a "courageous decision" by President Donald Trump. 
 
 05:11 The missile strike raises doubts about Russia's coalition with the US on Syria, said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament. 
 
 05:07 Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his government "strongly supports the swift and just response of the United States." 
 
 05:04 At least four Syrian soldiers were killed in the US strike, and the base was "almost completely destroyed," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
 04:59 President Trump said Assad "choked out the lives" of men, women, and children. 
 
 "Tonight I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria," he added. 
 
 Watch video 02:56 President Trump full remarks on US airstrike on Syria 
 
 04:57 Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan backed the US military action as "appropriate and just," adding that President Bashar al-Assad "must be held accountable." 
 
 04:55 The US Department of Defense released footage of the missile strike online: 
 
 04:53 The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) opposition group welcomed the strike on the Syrian air base. 
 
 04:49 The Pentagon did not know if there were Russian troops at the Syrian air base, but they have done "all they could" to avoid harming them, a US military spokesman told Interfax. 
 
 04:44 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he "fully supports" President Trump's decision. 
 
 04:37 Moscow will call for an urgent Security Council meeting over the attack, according to a senior Russian MP. 
 
 04:30 The US missile strike caused deaths at the Syrian base, Homs governor told the AP news agency. 
 
 ls,dj/rt (AP, dpa, Reuters, AFP, Interfax, EFE) ||||| President Donald Trump walks from the podium after speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017, after the U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria Thursday night in retaliation... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Donald Trump walks from the podium after speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017, after 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. At right is his daughter... (Associated Press) 
 
 BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on events in Syria (all times local): 
 
 1:25 p.m. 
 
 The Russian military says it will help Syria beef up its air defenses 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:15 p.m. 
 
 The U.N. coordinator for humanitarian affairs says it has no sign that U.S. military strikes against a Syrian air base have had "any direct consequence" on overall aid operations in Syria. 
 
 Jens Laerke of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said such violence "is not a new feature" of Syria's war, and cited continued U.N.-led efforts to reach people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas of the country. 
 
 The United States launched cruise missile strikes against Shayart air base in Homs province following a chemical attack in a northern village that U.S. officials and others have blamed on President Bashar Assad's forces. 
 
 U.N. human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday at a U.N. briefing that use of chemical weapons, if confirmed, would amount to a war crime. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:40 p.m. 
 
 Italy says the U.S. strikes on Syria were "proportionate" given the "war crimes" committed by the Assad regime in using chemical weapons against its own people. 
 
 It says the U.S. strikes would serve as a deterrent for any possible future chemical attacks. 
 
 Premier Paolo Gentiloni says: "Against war crimes, for which the Bashar Assad regime is responsible, I believe the images of death and suffering that we have seen in recent days after the use of chemical weapons are images that we cannot accept seeing again." 
 
 Italy urged Russia to use its influence with Damascus to enforce a cease-fire, and expressed hope that renewed U.S.-Russia talks could result in a U.N.-guided political transition in Syria. Italy is a close U.S. ally and has participated in U.S.-led military coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
 Italy's largest opposition group, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, condemned the U.S. attack and demanded Italy not get drawn in. The opposition center-right Northern League party called the strikes a "gift to ISIS," the Islamic State group. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:30 p.m. 
 
 Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has tweeted: "Good that coward assaults on women, men and children has consequences. The United States has clearly indicated that (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's atrocities do not go unpunished." 
 
 Denmark's Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said in a live television interview Friday that a "line needs to be drawn in the sand" when it comes to the use of chemical weapons, adding that Denmark was not briefed in advance. 
 
 Former NATO secretary-general and ex-Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen also tweeted: "US drew a red line on chemical weapons. Failure to enforce again would have emboldened Assad & others. On balance, strikes were justified." 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:20 p.m. 
 
 The British government says it was informed in advance about U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian airbase, and firmly supports the American action. 
 
 Prime Minister Theresa May's office says the action was "an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime, and is intended to deter further attacks." 
 
 Defense Secretary Michael Fallon says British officials have "been in close contact with the American government over the last couple of days," and that Defense Secretary James Mattis informed him late Thursday that the U.S. planned to take military action in response to a chemical attack in Syria. 
 
 Fallon said Britain, part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, had not been asked to participate in the action. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:15 p.m. 
 
 Turkey's foreign minister has called for the removal of President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria, while urging supporters of the regime to stop legitimizing it and to help establish a political solution. 
 
 In a televised statement Friday, Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed Turkey's support for the U.S. missile strike on Syria. "This regime must be removed from leading Syria as soon as possible and the best way to do that is by starting the transitional process," the minister said. Cavusoglu said steps to remove Assad must be decided upon as he refuses to leave while "continuing crimes against humanity." 
 
 Pointing to the possibility of new refugee flows, Cavusoglu reiterated the need for widening safe zones 
 
 __ 
 
 11:55 a.m. 
 
 French President Francois Hollande is convening an emergency defense meeting to discuss next steps in Syria after U.S. airstrikes targeting President Bashar Assad's government. 
 
 Hollande said he will hold the meeting with top security officials in Paris on Friday, as France tries to relaunch international peace negotiations for Syria. He called the U.S. airstrikes a response to a chemical weapons attack that Western powers blame on Assad's forces. 
 
 French warplanes are active in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State extremists and France has long called for Assad's departure, but French diplomats have pushed this week for resumed peace talks instead of international intervention. 
 
 French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the U.S. bombing was a warning to Assad's allies Russia and Iran. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:45 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:35 a.m. 
 
 Syria's state TV is showing footage of the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base in the country's center, 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:25 a.m. 
 
 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 Defense 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:20 a.m. 
 
 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 U.N. resolution. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:05 a.m. 
 
 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." 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:55 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:45 a.m. 
 
 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-defense missiles at its base in Syria. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 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." 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 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 Defense prior to the strikes." 
 
 But it said "we refer you to the US authorities regarding the strikes in Syria." 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:25 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 Ali Mayhoub, Syrian army spokesman, 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:40 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:35 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:20 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:50 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:45 a.m. 
 
 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." 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:25 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:20 a.m. 
 
 A senior Russian lawmaker says that U.S. strike on Syria likely has put an end to hopes for Russia-U.S. cooperation 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." 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:10 a.m. 
 
 A Syrian opposition monitor says the U.S. missile attack on an air base in the country's center 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 defense 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:55 a.m. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:45 a.m. 
 
 Russia's Foreign Ministry says it is preparing a statement regarding U.S. strikes on a Syrian base. 
 
 Shortly before the strikes, the head of information policy commission in the upper house of Russian parliament, Alexei Pushkov, said on Twitter said that if Trump launches a military action in Syria it would put him in "the same league with Bush and Obama." 
 
 Russian deputy envoy to the U.N., Vladimir Safronkov, said Russia had warned the U.S. to "think about what military actions have led to in Iraq, Libya and other countries," according to the Interfax news agency. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:30 a.m. 
 
 A Syrian official tells The Associated Press that the U.S. missile attack that hit a number of military targets in central Syria has left a number of dead and wounded. 
 
 Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province, didn't say how many were killed in the early Friday attack. He said a fire raged in the air base in Homs for over an hour following the barrage of missiles. 
 
 Barazi says the evacuation and transfer of casualties is ongoing. He called the air base, which is about 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of the city of Homs, a "supporting base" for Syria's fight against terrorism. 
 
 Islamic State group militants operate in the central Homs province. Activists and rebels say the base serves as one of the government's most active launching pad for airstrikes on all rebel areas in central and northern Syria. Syria's government calls all armed groups "terrorists." 
 
 The attack came in fiery retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:50 a.m. 
 
 Israel's prime minister has welcomed the U.S. attack on a Syrian air base saying he "fully supports" President Trump's decision. 
 
 Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday in a statement that "In both word and action" Trump "sent a strong and clear message" that "the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated." 
 
 Israel's Channel 2 TV said Israel along with other allies was notified about the U.S. strike. 
 
 The attacks in neighboring Syria have worried Israel, which has warned against "game-changing" weapons reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon from the country, which supports the militant group. Last month Israel shot down an anti-aircraft missile fired at its planes as they struck a suspected Hezbollah weapons convoy. 
 
 Israel also has treated several thousand Syrians wounded in fighting and provided humanitarian aid to some Syrian communities near the Israeli frontier in the Golan Heights. ||||| Tensions with Russia rise as US says Assad must abide by deal not to use chemical weapons but fails to outline objectives 
 
 The US says it has put Bashar al-Assad on notice that it will take further military action if he uses chemical weapons again, while appearing to back away from wider military involvement in the Syrian conflict, less than 24 hours after launching Tomahawk missiles at a regime airbase. 
 
 “The United States will no longer wait for Assad to use chemical weapons without any consequences. Those days are over,” the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told a special session of the UN security council. 
 
 “The United States took a very measured step last night, Haley added. “We are prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary.” 
 
 However, the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, refused to discuss any next steps – military or diplomatic – as the world struggled to understand Trump’s policy on the civil war. 
 
 
 
 Who's who in Trump's Mar-a-Lago situation room? Read more 
 
 Syrian warplanes were reported to have taken off from the airbase targeted by the US missiles, suggesting that the military impact of the overnight attack had been minimal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that government aircraft had bombed the outskirts of Khan Sheikhun, the town targeted in Tuesday’s chemical weapons attack 
 
 Spicer called the missile strike on the airbase “very decisive, justified and proportional” and entirely justified for “humanitarian purposes”. 
 
 But he demurred on saying whether Assad had to leave power, despite secretary of state Rex Tillerson’s insistence before the missile strike that diplomatic steps to oust Assad were already “under way”. 
 
 “At a minimum,” Spicer said, Assad had to agree “to abide by agreements not to use chemical weapons”, but he did not say what, if any, further objectives the US had in Syria, even as Trump came under renewed congressional pressure to present a comprehensive strategy for the US in the Syrian conflict. 
 
 Syria bombing: Russia PM calls Trump's airstrike 'good news for terrorists' – live Read more 
 
 On Saturday, the Iraqi government confirmed that US vice-president Mike Pence had discussed Syria and the fight against Islamic State with the country’s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi. 
 
 America’s mixed signals on Assad are likely to unsettle or disappoint the Syrian opposition that initially viewed the strike as a glimmer of hope amid a relentless onslaught. 
 
 Trump’s missile barrage suggested a reversal from his previous indifference to Assad’s continued rule. The US president now faces conflicting demands – from Congress to escalate militarily and from Russia to back down. Humanitarians, meanwhile, are demanding evidence of a strategy to end the conflict peacefully. 
 
 The first big diplomatic test comes as Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Moscow next week for talks, which will include Syria. 
 
 
 
 Meanwhile, the Pentagon is attempting to revive a critical military communications hotline between the US and Russia that has become the first geopolitical casualty of Trump’s abrupt decision to attack Assad in Syria. 
 
 By shutting down the so-called deconfliction channel after the missile strike on Russia’s Syrian client, Vladimir Putin has dared Trump to choose between attacking Assad and attacking Isis, Trump’s priority. 
 
 The military channel is pivotal for ensuring US and Russian pilots avoid accidentally colliding, confronting one another in midair or attacking each other’s forces or proxies in north-eastern Syria. It also has a significant political component, according to former defense officials: to ensure competing air wars in Syria do not accidentally spiral into a confrontation between two nuclear powers. 
 
 The morning after ordering missile strikes, Trump held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump made no mention of his decision and ignored shouted questions on whether he would also consider military action against North Korea. Trump spoke only about the relationship with China, claiming “tremendous progress” had been made in the one-day summit. 
 
 
 
 Xi replied: “President Trump has given us a warm welcome and treated us very well.” Without referring to Syria or North Korea, he stressed the need for “peace and stability”, “partnership”, and “prosperity”. 
 
 In the aftermath of the US missile strikes, the Kremlin denounced them as an “act of aggression in violation of international law”. 
 
 
 
 At a UN security council session, Russia’s deputy envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, warned the “consequences for international stability could be extremely serious”. 
 
 
 
 “It’s not hard to imagine how much the spirits of the terrorists have been raised by this attack,” Safronkov said. 
 
 The Russian defense ministry said it was beefing up its air defenses in Syria. 
 
 
 
 A Russian defense ministry spokesman, Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov, said a “complex of measures” would be carried out shortly to “protect the most sensitive Syrian infrastructure facilities”. 
 
 The Russian navy was reported to be sending a frigate aimed with cruise missiles to Tartus, on the Syrian coast. 
 
 
 
 Konashenkov insisted that the effectiveness of the US strike was “very low”, claiming that only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles reached the Shayrat airbase in the province of Homs. He said the strikes had destroyed only six MiG-23 fighter jets of the Syrian airforce, which were under repair, but didn’t damage other Syrian warplanes at the base. 
 
 
 
 The US military insists all but one of the missiles reached their targets. 
 
 The US was supported by its western allies and Turkey. France’s president, François Hollande, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said Assad bore “sole responsibility” for provoking the missile strike. 
 
 The UK’s defense secretary, Michael Fallon, said the strike was “wholly appropriate”. He added that the UK would not be directly involved in any military action without parliamentary approval. Fallon said he had been in “close discussions” with his US counterpart, James Mattis, but stopped short of claiming to have been consulted on the decision. 
 
 The UN security council was convened on Friday to hear briefings on the situation in Syria and to hear arguments over the chemical weapons attacks and retaliatory missile strikes. No vote was scheduled on the competing resolutions on Syria currently before the council, and it was not expected to lead to an agreed course of action. 
 
 An opportunity for Russia and the US to stop the slide toward confrontation will come on Tuesday, when Tillerson is due to make his first trip to Moscow as secretary of state. He has signaled that the missile strikes had limited objectives – to deter the use of chemical weapons – and that the US priority remained fighting Isis first, and dealing with political transition later. 
 
 In the days before Tillerson’s visit there are expected to be urgent efforts to repair the suspended deconfliction channel. 
 
 Sean Spicer (@PressSec) WH photo (ed for security): @potus receives briefing on #syria military strike fr Nat Security team, inc @vp , SECDEF, CJCS via secure VTC pic.twitter.com/aaCnR7xomR 
 
 The Pentagon would not address whether its airstrikes on Isis had already been reduced in response, nor if it had anticipated Russia’s move to abandon the channel before Mattis, the defense secretary, briefed Trump on options for the missile strike. But the Pentagon left little doubt it wanted Moscow to reopen military-to-military communications. 
 
 
 
 “The Department of Defense maintains the desire for dialogue through the flight safety channel. It is to the benefit of all parties operating in the air over Syria to avoid accidents and miscalculation, and we hope the Russian ministry of defense comes to this conclusion as well,” said Lt Col Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman. 
 
 After Russian forces moved into Syria to bolster Assad’s then faltering regime, “we recognized in the fall of 2015 that the airspace over Syria was going to get much more crowded, and we didn’t want to kick off an international incident from our planes being in proximity to one another,” said Andrew Exum, the senior Pentagon official with the Middle East policy portfolio when the US established the communications channel. 
 
 
 
 Whatever the tactical military advantages of opening the deconfliction channel, it also had a substantial political component. 
 
 “We’re not talking about going head-to-head, nor locking radars at each other,” said Christopher Harmer, an ex-navy pilot and a defense analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. “The fact that we’re no longer actively deconflicting is a political escalation, not a military one.” 
 
 Donald Trump has jumped into a quagmire with his eyes shut | Richard Wolffe Read more 
 
 The channel also had propaganda value: Putin has sold his intervention in Syria at home and abroad as a necessary measure to fight Isis, despite his overwhelming tactical focus on helping Assad regain territory. 
 
 Exum said: “We didn’t want to give the impression we were coordinating with the Russians. The Russians very much wanted to give impression we were working together in a great endeavor against violent extremism in Syria and that’s just not the case.” 
 
 The aftermath of the strikes saw congressional pressure, even from Democrats normally opposed to Trump, for the White House to escalate its involvement in Syria’s brutal civil war. Several legislators pressed Trump to deliver a strategy to guide future US action and welcomed a renewed debate for congressional authorization of future strikes, a measure that failed in 2013 when Barack Obama proposed it. 
 
 “I fully support a robust US role in ending the Syrian civil war as soon as possible,” said the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein, who asked Trump for a “comprehensive strategy to end Syria’s civil war”. 
 
 
 
 However, others also insisted the military strike must be followed by the difficult and complex process of diplomacy. David Miliband, former UK foreign secretary and now president of the International Rescue Committee humanitarian aid organisation, said: “We share the fury of the president at the use of chemical weapons against civilians. The impunity of those who wage war against civilians, whether by chemical or conventional attacks, must be brought to an end. 
 
 “The question we have for all those engaged in military action in Syria concerns their plan to stop the killing and build a durable peace. That question is even more important after the events of the last 72 hours. Every Syrian is waiting for that question to be answered.”
– President Trump's decision to strike a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a chemical attack on civilians has bipartisan support—and bipartisan opposition. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio were joined by Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in voicing their support for what they called an "appropriate" and "proportional" strike, though the Democrats added that Congress will have to approve any further escalation, Politico reports. Republicans including Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee, meanwhile, were joined by Democrats such as Sen. Tim Kaine in slamming Trump for launching the strikes without congressional approval. In other developments: Syria says the strike, which involved around 60 Tomahawk missiles launched from US destroyers in the Mediterranean, killed six people, wounded several others, and caused "significant" damage, the Los Angeles Times reports. A statement from the Syrian military denounced the strike as "blatant aggression" that will be a setback to its "counterterrorist" activity. Deutsche Welle reports that the attack was endorsed by European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Bashar al-Assad bears "sole responsibility" for the strike against his regime's forces. Russia's military says only 23 out of the 59 American missiles reached the Shayrat airbase in Homs province, the AP reports. The military says the attack destroyed six Syrian planes, but left the runway intact. Vladimir Putin has denounced the strike as American aggression, a spokesman says. The New York Times looks at the risks and opportunities the strike has opened up for Trump. There's now an opportunity for the US to demand that Russia help get rid of Assad—but there's the risk Putin might reject any such deal, that the strike could hurt the fight against ISIS, and that Trump's team has no real plan for peace in Syria. Syrian opposition groups welcomed the attack and said they hoped it marked the beginning of a wider campaign against Assad. "For Syrians, any military intervention that will neutralize Assad’s ability to continue his genocide will fall on our hearts like music," a civil defense volunteer in northern Syria tells the Los Angeles Times. The Guardian reports that a monitoring group says that despite the US strike, a warplane believed to be Russian or Syrian carried out an airstrike near Khan Sheikhoun, the town hit by the chemical attack, on Friday.