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| Version 22 | Version 23 |
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| Syria bombing: UN secretary general calls for restraint after Trump's attack on airbase – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.06pm BST | |
| 16:06 | |
| Muhammed AlRuru, 35, from Khan Sheikhoun, told Mona Mahmood: | |
| I live almost 200m west of where the chemical attack took place. I saw a yellow cloud when I was releasing my sheep. I ran first to the basement, but after 10 minutes I and other locals headed to find out if there were any victims. | |
| I saw my cousin, Usama, laying on the floor. I threw some water on him and stopped one of the cars to take him to a makeshift medical spot. It seems that Usama went to check on his brother’s family but he inhaled some gas and collapsed. | |
| My children were also affected – they were vomiting and their eyes were red, but they are OK. I kept going to the site with other locals searching for survivors. | |
| The situation is difficult here, there are some moments when we envy those who had died especially when the warplanes show on the skies. The kids are terrified, and we can’t do anything. | |
| After the attack, I took part in burying more than 28 victims. I do not find it easy to go back again to the bereaved site, it is very painful to walk among the relatives of the victims who are busy checking who is dead or who is still alive. It is a human disaster by all means and we do not know when the machine of death in Syria will stop. | |
| Updated | |
| at 4.14pm BST | |
| 4.03pm BST | |
| 16:03 | |
| Mustafa Muhammed Ieed Al-Azreq, 30, from Khan Sheikhoun, told the Guardian’s Mona Mahmood about Tuesday’s attack. He said: | |
| I’m a Maths teacher at a high school in Khan Sheikhoun. I was sleeping at home when I heard a sound of a warplane and then four bangs. I ran to the roof to see what was going on. I saw that the attack was almost 300m from where I live. | |
| I ran down to check the website that we, locals of Khan Sheikhoun, have set up to warn each other of any possible arial attack. | |
| The page started to warn people not to go nearby the site of the attack to avoid inhaling the poisonous gas. The situation was terrible, but still I could not stop myself running inside attacked houses, breaking the doors and taking out the victims with some other volunteers. | |
| When I broke into one of the houses, I saw a guy was laying unconscious on stairs, some others in the centre of the house. We took them out but I myself inhaled some of the poisonous gas, the smoke was above our head and we were full of grief at the horrible scenes. | |
| We started to suck the poison out of the victims by mouth to mouth resuscitation, to help save their lives. | |
| I did that procedure with three victims till I myself started to feel dizzy and my head was spinning. I evacuated seven kids, by chance one of them was still alive and breathing. His name is Mustafa Al-Khalid, 15. I felt the pulse in his hand while all the other seven member of his family had died in the house. I put him in my own car and took him to the nearest medical centre where I myself fainted later. | |
| I have my son, my two brothers and parents living with me, they all went to another village to escape the gas. The warplanes are still hovering on Khan Sheikhoun where you can smell only death. It is a death without blood. | |
| Updated | |
| at 4.14pm BST | |
| 3.50pm BST | |
| 15:50 | |
| Lebanon’s Hezbollah has said the US airstrikes in Syria are a “foolish” move that will lead to serious regional tensions. | |
| Hezbollah, which supports Assad, said in a statement the strike would not demoralise the Syrian army or negatively affect its allies. It added the US military action was a “service” to Israel and its “ambitions in the region”. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.52pm BST | |
| 3.47pm BST | |
| 15:47 | |
| Donald Trump has jumped into a quagmire with his eyes shut, writes Richard Wolffe. | |
| It may be hard to believe, but Donald Trump is even more simplistic than George W Bush in matters of war. George W Bush enjoyed all the certainty of a very simple man: you were either with us or against us, good or evil, marching for democracy or plotting terrorist attacks. | |
| 3.40pm BST | 3.40pm BST |
| 15:40 | 15:40 |
| UN Secretary General António Guterres appeals for restraint | UN Secretary General António Guterres appeals for restraint |
| The UN Secretary General António Guterres has appealed to parties involved in the Syrian conflict for restraint to avoid adding to the suffering of Syria’s people. | The UN Secretary General António Guterres has appealed to parties involved in the Syrian conflict for restraint to avoid adding to the suffering of Syria’s people. |
| “Mindful of the risk of escalation, I appeal for restraint to avoid any acts that could deepen the suffering of the Syrian people,” he said in a statement. | “Mindful of the risk of escalation, I appeal for restraint to avoid any acts that could deepen the suffering of the Syrian people,” he said in a statement. |
| 3.38pm BST | 3.38pm BST |
| 15:38 | 15:38 |
| US lawmakers from both parties have backed the airstrikes on Syria and urged Trump to spell out a broader strategy for dealing with the conflict. | US lawmakers from both parties have backed the airstrikes on Syria and urged Trump to spell out a broader strategy for dealing with the conflict. |
| “I am hopeful these strikes will convince the Assad regime that such actions should never be repeated,” said Senator Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat. | “I am hopeful these strikes will convince the Assad regime that such actions should never be repeated,” said Senator Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat. |
| But Warner, who said he had been briefed on the strikes by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, urged Trump, a Republican, to lay out his plans for the multi-sided Syria conflict. “President Trump has said repeatedly that his objective in Syria is to defeat [Islamic State militants]. Last night’s strike was aimed at a different objective,” he said in a statement. “President Trump needs to articulate a coherent strategy for dealing with this complex conflict, because the consequences of a misstep are grave.” | But Warner, who said he had been briefed on the strikes by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, urged Trump, a Republican, to lay out his plans for the multi-sided Syria conflict. “President Trump has said repeatedly that his objective in Syria is to defeat [Islamic State militants]. Last night’s strike was aimed at a different objective,” he said in a statement. “President Trump needs to articulate a coherent strategy for dealing with this complex conflict, because the consequences of a misstep are grave.” |
| Armed Services Committee chairman, Senator John McCain, who has long called for more aggressive action against Assad, told MSNBC “the signal I think that was sent last night ... was a very, very important one.” But the Arizona Republican said “despite all the enthusiasm we see this morning, if I might quote Churchill, it’s the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end.” | Armed Services Committee chairman, Senator John McCain, who has long called for more aggressive action against Assad, told MSNBC “the signal I think that was sent last night ... was a very, very important one.” But the Arizona Republican said “despite all the enthusiasm we see this morning, if I might quote Churchill, it’s the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end.” |
| Trump, McCain added, should be “prepared to take other action,” including establishing safe zones within Syria and further arming and training of anti-Assad rebels. | Trump, McCain added, should be “prepared to take other action,” including establishing safe zones within Syria and further arming and training of anti-Assad rebels. |
| Several lawmakers said Trump should seek Congress’ approval if he decides to take additional military action in Syria. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, said the strikes in Syria could send a message to other US adversaries such as North Korea. “I think the time has come for some of these countries to be worried about us a little bit, not us always worried about what they might do,” Rubio told Fox News. | Several lawmakers said Trump should seek Congress’ approval if he decides to take additional military action in Syria. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, said the strikes in Syria could send a message to other US adversaries such as North Korea. “I think the time has come for some of these countries to be worried about us a little bit, not us always worried about what they might do,” Rubio told Fox News. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.38pm BST | at 3.38pm BST |
| 3.33pm BST | 3.33pm BST |
| 15:33 | 15:33 |
| Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting for a second day at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as planned Friday, AP reports. | Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting for a second day at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as planned Friday, AP reports. |
| Their first-night summit dinner wrapped up shortly before the US announced the missile barrage on an air base in Syria last night. | Their first-night summit dinner wrapped up shortly before the US announced the missile barrage on an air base in Syria last night. |
| 3.20pm BST | 3.20pm BST |
| 15:20 | 15:20 |
| The chair of the United Nations Association UK has questioned the wisdom of the US hit on Shayrat airbase. Stewart Wood said: “It’s unclear how US air strikes will make civilians safer.” | |
| In a blog post, Lord Wood of Anfield wrote: “Unilateral action without broad international backing through the UN, without a clear strategy for safeguarding civilians, and through military escalation risks further deepening and exacerbating an already protracted and horrific conflict, leaving civilians at greater, not lesser, risk of atrocities.” | |
| He added that by circumventing the UN “we reduce both legitimacy and effectiveness, as a course of action that does not have the broad support of regional powers and the international community, channelled through UN systems and processes, can have little chance of success in leading to a more stable Syria”. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.45pm BST | |
| 3.15pm BST | 3.15pm BST |
| 15:15 | 15:15 |
| GENEVA (AP) _ UN Syria envoy tells AP his office is in `crisis mode' after US strike, calls emergency meeting in Geneva. | GENEVA (AP) _ UN Syria envoy tells AP his office is in `crisis mode' after US strike, calls emergency meeting in Geneva. |
| 3.05pm BST | 3.05pm BST |
| 15:05 | 15:05 |
| Nadia Khomami | Nadia Khomami |
| The situation in Syria “amounts to an international armed conflict” following the US airstrike on a Syrian airbase, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said. | The situation in Syria “amounts to an international armed conflict” following the US airstrike on a Syrian airbase, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said. |
| Iolanda Jaquemet, its spokeswoman, said: “Any military operation by a state on the territory of another without the consent of the other amounts to an international armed conflict. So according to available information, the US attack on Syrian military infrastructure, the situation amounts to an international armed conflict.” | Iolanda Jaquemet, its spokeswoman, said: “Any military operation by a state on the territory of another without the consent of the other amounts to an international armed conflict. So according to available information, the US attack on Syrian military infrastructure, the situation amounts to an international armed conflict.” |
| ICRC officials were raising the attack with US authorities as part of ongoing confidential dialogue with parties to the conflict, she added. | ICRC officials were raising the attack with US authorities as part of ongoing confidential dialogue with parties to the conflict, she added. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.12pm BST | at 3.12pm BST |
| 2.16pm BST | 2.16pm BST |
| 14:16 | 14:16 |
| UN security council to discuss the airstrikes | |
| The UN security council will meet at 4.30pm UK time to discuss US strikes in Syria, according to Reuters. | The UN security council will meet at 4.30pm UK time to discuss US strikes in Syria, according to Reuters. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.55pm BST | |
| 2.00pm BST | 2.00pm BST |
| 14:00 | 14:00 |
| Rebel Free Syrian Army welcomes airstrikes but fear retaliation – reports | Rebel Free Syrian Army welcomes airstrikes but fear retaliation – reports |
| The Free Syrian Army has released a statement welcoming the US airstrikes in Syria but have warned the US “responsibility is still big and does not end with this operation”, Reuters reports. | The Free Syrian Army has released a statement welcoming the US airstrikes in Syria but have warned the US “responsibility is still big and does not end with this operation”, Reuters reports. |
| The rebel group said it was afraid of acts of revenge against civilians by Assad and his allies and said military operations targeting airbases and banned weapons should continue. | The rebel group said it was afraid of acts of revenge against civilians by Assad and his allies and said military operations targeting airbases and banned weapons should continue. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.52pm BST | at 2.52pm BST |
| 1.45pm BST | 1.45pm BST |
| 13:45 | 13:45 |
| There has been more support for Trump’s airstrikes in Syria, this time from Canada and Jordan. | There has been more support for Trump’s airstrikes in Syria, this time from Canada and Jordan. |
| Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: “Canada fully supports the United States’ limited and focused action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against innocent civilians, including many children. | Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: “Canada fully supports the United States’ limited and focused action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against innocent civilians, including many children. |
| “President Assad’s use of chemical weapons and the crimes the Syrian regime has committed against its own people cannot be ignored.” | “President Assad’s use of chemical weapons and the crimes the Syrian regime has committed against its own people cannot be ignored.” |
| The Jordanian state news agency, Petra, reported that the Jordanian administration said the US missile strike was “necessary and appropriate”. | The Jordanian state news agency, Petra, reported that the Jordanian administration said the US missile strike was “necessary and appropriate”. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.51pm BST | at 2.51pm BST |
| 1.20pm BST | 1.20pm BST |
| 13:20 | 13:20 |
| The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, has backed the US airstrikes in Syria in a piece for the Guardian. | The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, has backed the US airstrikes in Syria in a piece for the Guardian. |
| It starts: | It starts: |
| I am in no doubt that what will end the war in Syria is what ultimately ends every conflict: words and diplomacy, not weapons. But when diplomacy fails and civilians suffer, as they have been doing for many years in Syria, and when they are the victim of weapons that have been outlawed by the international community for their horrific and indiscriminate consequences, then we cannot shy away from proportionate military intervention. | I am in no doubt that what will end the war in Syria is what ultimately ends every conflict: words and diplomacy, not weapons. But when diplomacy fails and civilians suffer, as they have been doing for many years in Syria, and when they are the victim of weapons that have been outlawed by the international community for their horrific and indiscriminate consequences, then we cannot shy away from proportionate military intervention. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.52pm BST | at 1.52pm BST |
| 1.03pm BST | 1.03pm BST |
| 13:03 | 13:03 |
| 1.03pm BST | 1.03pm BST |
| 13:03 | 13:03 |
| Here’s a round up of global reaction to the US airstrikes in Syria: | Here’s a round up of global reaction to the US airstrikes in Syria: |