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Syria latest: British defence secretary says attack 'highly successful' – live updates Syria latest: Theresa May calls strikes 'right and legal' – live updates
(35 minutes later)
Israel has said the strikes were an “important signal” to Iran, Syria and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
“The use of chemical weapons crosses a red line that humanity can no longer tolerate,” Yoav Gallant, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said on Twitter.
“The American attack is an important signal to the axis of evil - Iran, Syria and Hezbollah,” he added.
There have been concerns expressed among high-level security figures in Israel that the country could be targetted by Iran, Syria or Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, following US strikes.
As May was speaking, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has issued a statement in which he says the use of chemical weapons is “unacceptable in any circumstances”.
Last night, France, the United Kingdom and the United States responded in a coordinated military action to the heinous chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian regime against civilians in Douma on 7 April.
As the European Commission has stated, the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable in any circumstances and must be condemned in the strongest terms. The international community has the responsibility to identify and hold accountable those responsible of any attack with chemical weapons.
This was not the first time that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons against civilians but it must be the last.
As it enters its 8th year of conflict, Syria desperately needs a lasting ceasefire respected by all parties that paves the way for achieving a negotiated political solution through the United Nations-led Geneva process, to bring peace to the country once and for all. After the suffering they have endured, Syrians deserve nothing less.
The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable in any circumstances and must be condemned in the strongest terms. The international community has the responsibility to identify and hold accountable those responsible of any attack with chemical weapons. #Syria pic.twitter.com/beF6IEirEP
Pressed on the role of Parliament and future votes on further military action, May said she thought the action was “the right thing to do” and was about “degradation of chemical weapons”.
Asked if the current scenario shows the vote in 2013 to take no action against Syria was a mistake, she said: “I voted to take action in 2013. When the Government put that to Parliament we felt it was the right thing to do.”
She said promises were made by the Syrian regime at the time which were subsequently not kept.
Asked why UK did not wait “one or two days” for formal proof from chemical weapons investigators, May said the recent attack in Douma was not the only one that has taken place. The reason for UK action was not just the events in Douma but also earlier attacks.
“All the indications were this was a chemical weapons attack at the hands of the Syrian regime,” she said.
Given the failure of all diplomatic efforts so far, what is the plan following these strikes?
May says diplomatic efforts so far have not had “the impact we wish it would have”. “We’ve now taken military action and alongside that we will renew diplomatic efforts as well,” she adds.
Asked if UK spoke to Russia before the strikes took place, May said it did not.
Asked by the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot if she is concerned that she may not have the support of the British people, May replied:
“My message to people is this is about the use of chemical weapons.
We’ve had an accepted position in the international community - chemical weapons are illegal, they are banned - we’ve seen that international norm eroded.”
May said a nerve agenet has been used on UK streets and the Syrian regime have continued to use chemical weapons despite reassurances they did not have any.
“It is important for the alleviation of humanitarian suffering in Syria but also if we stand back and look at this more widely it’s in all our interests that we restore that international norm on the prohibition of chemical weapons.”
Following her comments related to the attack in Salisbury, May was asked if the airstrikes were just about Assad or a warning to Russia as well. She said:
“The action taken last night was focused on degrading and deterring the operational capability and wilingness of the Syrian regime to use chemical weapons.”
But she added: “I believe it is a message to others that the international community is not going to stand by and see chemical weapons used with immunity.”
Asked why she did not seek prior approval or debate?
“I believe this action was necessary, it was the right thing for us to do. We’ve been working with our allies and partners to make a full assessment of what happened on the ground, then to consider what action was necessary. Then to do that in a timely fashion.
“One of the gravest decisions a prime minister can take is to send our service personnel into action, into combat. We owe it to them we protect their safety and security.”
May said the attacks were “right and legal”.
She said: “The lesson of history is when the global rules and standard that keep us safe come under threat we must take a stand and defend them. That’s what we’ve always done and will continue to do.”
“The use of a nerve agent in the UK in recent weeks is part of a pattern of disregard for these norms,” May says.
“It will send a clear signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with immunity.”
May says the military action would alleviate further suffering.
“It was not about regime change,” May says. “It was a limited, targeted, effective strike with clear boundaries.”
The strikes will degrade ability to research, develop and deploy chemical weapons, she says.
“Last night’s strikes by US, UK and France were significantly larger than the US action a year ago, and designed to have greater impact on regime’s capability and willingness to use chemical weapons.”
UK will not “stand by and tolerate use of chemical weapons”, she says.
May says the UK Government has attempted to approach Syria through diplomatic channels but to no avail.May says the UK Government has attempted to approach Syria through diplomatic channels but to no avail.
“The UK Government has been working intensively with international partners to build evidence picture”, she says.“The UK Government has been working intensively with international partners to build evidence picture”, she says.
May says the fact of the chemical weapon attack in Douma “should surprise no one”.May says the fact of the chemical weapon attack in Douma “should surprise no one”.
We know the Syrian regime has an abhorrent record of using chemical weapons against its own people.We know the Syrian regime has an abhorrent record of using chemical weapons against its own people.
No other group could have carried out this attack. Daesh does not have a presence in Douma.No other group could have carried out this attack. Daesh does not have a presence in Douma.
Theresa May is making a statement at Downing Street on the US-led airstrikes in Syria.Theresa May is making a statement at Downing Street on the US-led airstrikes in Syria.
She said full assessments of the UK airstrike are taking place but Government is “confident of its success”.She said full assessments of the UK airstrike are taking place but Government is “confident of its success”.
Here’s more from our Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, on Putin’s statement.Here’s more from our Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, on Putin’s statement.
Vladimir Putin said that the US-led strike would “worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria”.Vladimir Putin said that the US-led strike would “worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria”.
The attack would “bring suffering to the peaceful population, in effect pander to the terrorists who have tormented the Syrian people for seven years, and provoke a new wave of refugees” from the country, the Russian president said.The attack would “bring suffering to the peaceful population, in effect pander to the terrorists who have tormented the Syrian people for seven years, and provoke a new wave of refugees” from the country, the Russian president said.
The attack would “have a destructive effect on the entire system of international relations”, he added.The attack would “have a destructive effect on the entire system of international relations”, he added.
Putin also repeated Russian insistences that the country had found no evidence of the chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma that led to Saturday morning’s airstrikes.Putin also repeated Russian insistences that the country had found no evidence of the chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma that led to Saturday morning’s airstrikes.
“Russian military experts at the place of the alleged incident did not find any signs of the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances. Not one local resident confirmed the fact of a chemical attack,” Putin said in the statement released by the Kremlin.“Russian military experts at the place of the alleged incident did not find any signs of the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances. Not one local resident confirmed the fact of a chemical attack,” Putin said in the statement released by the Kremlin.
Putin also attack the US-led coalition for carrying out the strike “without waiting for the results of the investigation”, referring to a fact finding mission of experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons bound for Douma.Putin also attack the US-led coalition for carrying out the strike “without waiting for the results of the investigation”, referring to a fact finding mission of experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons bound for Douma.
The Candian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has offered his support to the actions taken by US, UK and France. In a statement he said:The Candian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has offered his support to the actions taken by US, UK and France. In a statement he said:
Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week’s attack in eastern Ghouta, Syria.Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week’s attack in eastern Ghouta, Syria.
Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people.Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people.
We will continue to work with our international partners to further investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Those responsible must be brought to justice.We will continue to work with our international partners to further investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Those responsible must be brought to justice.
At the Elysée palace, where diplomatic and military staff had been awake all night, the focus was on stressing that French president Emmanuel Macron’s clearly stated “red-line” on chemical weapons use in Syria had been overstepped, as well as international treaties on chemical weapons, and that the French action was legal, “proportional and targeted”.
Sources at the Elysée emphasised Macron’s diplomatic efforts yesterday — describing his phone conversation with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, as key.
Macron was the only leader of the US, UK, French coalition to speak directly to Putin on Friday as airstrikes were being prepared.
The Elysée said the conversation was aimed at looking beyond military action and pushing for more joint work towards a political solution in Syria, stressing that Paris, in targeting strikes specifically at the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons development and production, had sought to avoid any form of escalation with allies.
One Elysée source said of Macron and Putin’s conversation: “The tone was direct as it often is, but it was already constructive.” Paris is seeking to very quickly try to capitalise on the momentum of the weekend’s strikes to push for humanitarian corridors and to push for a “political process” for Syria, to see if Russia will come to the table on political transition, sources said.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, has responding to the Syria airstrikes, calling them “legally questionable”:
Bombs won’t save lives or bring about peace. This legally questionable action risks escalating further, as US defence secretary James Mattis has admitted, an already devastating conflict and therefore makes real accountability for war crimes and use of chemical weapons less, not more likely.
Britain should be playing a leadership role to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict, not taking instructions from Washington and putting British military personnel in harm’s way.
Theresa May should have sought parliamentary approval, not trailed after Donald Trump. The Government should do whatever possible to push Russia and the United States to agree to an independent UN-led investigation of last weekend’s horrific chemical weapons attack so that those responsible can be held to account.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement called the US-led airstrikes against Syria an “act of aggression.”
Putin said that Russia would convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the “aggressive actions of the United States and its allies.”Russia in “the most serious way condemns the attack on Syria, where Russian servicemen are helping the legitimate government in its fight with terrorism”, the statement said, according to reports from Russian news agencies.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a staunch ally of Bashar al-Assad, condemned Saturday’s US-led airstrikes on Syria, describing the leaders of the three countries involved in the attack as criminals.
“I clearly declare that the US president, the French president and the UK prime minister are criminals and have committed a crime,” he said on Saturday, state agencies reported.
Tehran’s foreign ministry also said in a statement that “the aggression is a flagrant violation of international law and a disregard of Syria’s right to national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Iranian media reported.
“Based on religious, legal and ethical regulations, Iran opposes any use of chemical weapons, but at the same time, strongly rejects and condemns the fabrication of excuses to invade an independent country,” the foreign ministry’s statement said.
“There is no doubt that the US and its allies that are engaged a military intervention in Syria without any substantiated document and before any final report of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and have supposed themselves as the world police and judge, are responsible for regional and international repercussions of the adventure, and should be held accountable,” he said.
Iran, which has been propping up Assad since the conflict began, has provided the Syrian government with crucial ground support, thanks to a combination of Hezbollah fighters, Shia volunteers from across the Middle East and its own Revolutionary Guards.
Russian and Iranian backing has swung the conflict in Assad’s favour, at the same time as the so-called caliphate of the Islamic State (Isis) has crumbled. Its remaining fighters have been pushed back to a modest piece of land along the Euphrates valley near the Iraqi border.
The post-Isis era has also changed the dynamic of the war, however, and Israel, which is concerned about Iran’s growing influence on its doorstep, has become more involved militarily. An Israeli airstrike on a Syrian airbase near Homs on Sunday killed at least seven Iranian military personnel in an incident that Tehran vowed would not be left unanswered.
Khamenei’s top adviser on foreign policy, Ali Akbar Velayati, met with Assad in Damascus ahead of the airstrikes, reiterating Tehran’s support, saying that Iran will stand by the Syrian government under any circumstances in defiance of western retaliation.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon says UK foreign policy should be set by parliament and not Donald Trump following the missile strikes launched by the US, UK and France against Syria.
She said the suspected use of chemical weapons in Douma last week was “sickening” but warned that the latest action risked “dangerous escalation”.
Air strikes have not resolved situation in Syria so far - nothing I’ve heard persuades me they will do so now. An international strategy for peace must be pursued - not a course that risks dangerous escalation. UK foreign policy should be set by Parliament, not US President.
Asked how the prime minister would address MPs’ concerns when she returns to Parliament on Monday, Williamson said:
He said: “The speed in which we’re acting is essential. We’ve been co-operating with our partners to alleviate further humanitarian suffering and to maintain the vital security of our operations.”
He went on: “As you’ve touched upon the prime minister will be going to Parliament on Monday. She quite rightly has been taking a leadership role. She said the use of chemical weapons is completely wrong. We’ve had to take action in order to stop this and reduce the Syrian government’s ability to take further action.”
He said: “The prime minister and government have to make decisions not only to do what is right in terms or protecting innocent people but also protecting our national security. We have to make those decisions, and quite understandably, Parliament holds government to account for decisions its makes.
“But it is about doing the right thing, it is about actually protecting those innocent people that the Assad regime have so little care for and are quite comfortable in terms of using chemical weapons against them.
“It’s just frankly not right and we have to take action to stop that happening in the future and that’s what we did last night.”
Asked if this was a “one-time shot”, as US defence secretary, James Mattis, has said, Williamson replied:
“We’ve been working to make sure the targeting and the strikes have an enormous effect. It’s our belief the action we’ve taken has degraded their ability to act in the future.”
Pressed on the issue, Williamson said a clear message had been sent to the Syrian regime and it was now “in their hands”.
“It’s the Syrian regime choice - do they think it’s acceptable to use chemical weapons? There is a consequence.”
Williamson said the action taken by UK, US and France “significantly reduced” the likelihood of the regime using them again.
Williamson said the decision to launch airstrikes was discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“We all saw the images of the suffering inflicted on innocent men women and children,” he said.
Asked if the intervention could bring about change in the direction of the Syrian civil war, he said: “We expect it to have a significant effect to stop the Syrian regime using chemical weapons in the future.”
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson is speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He says four RAF tornados took part in strikes on targets in Syria and initial assessments suggest it was a “highly successful mission”.
Over in Cyprus, British base officials are saying they will not be commenting on the overnight strikes in which four Royal Air Force Tornados GR4s were involved.
Speaking shortly after four RAF tornados launched Storm Shadow missiles at a Syrian chemical weapons base 15 miles west of Homs, a British base spokesman in Cyprus said there would be no further information on the attack from officials on the island.
“I am sorry to disappoint but there will be no facilities here on Cyprus,” Sean Tully, spokesman for the sovereign base area, told the Guardian. “We will not be holding press conferences and journalists will not be allowed onto the [military] base.”
Any information regarding the strike - and possible Russian retaliation – will be divulged from London. “The ministry of defence will be coordinating. All enquiries must be directed to them.”
RAF Akrotiri, the nearest airbase to Syria, is Britain’s main forward mounting base for overseas operations in the Middle East and has long been used to carry out precision air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq.
A former colony Cyprus is host to two British sovereign bases. Eight typhoon and six tornado fighter bombers are stationed at RAF Akrotiri.
Prior to the overnight strikes, speculation was rife that the airbase’s frontline role as a launch pad would make it a prime candidate for counter attack if Moscow followed through on its pledge to retaliate against any armed action in Syria.
Ahead of the strikes defensive measures were believed to have been taken at the airbase.