India has warned that Syrian Chemical weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists, in the first public statement after New Delhi began its two-year term at the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.

India's envoy to UN, TS Tirumurti said, "India remains concerned about the possibility of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorist organizations and individuals. Terrorist groups have taken advantage of the decade long conflict in Syria to entrench themselves posing a threat to the entire region."

"The world cannot afford to give these terrorists any sanctuary or dilute its fight against these terrorist groups,"&nbsp;Tirumurti added.

The Security Council on Tuesday took up the latest report on the activities of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in implementing Security Council resolution and its Executive Council decisions in relation to the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme.

Ambassador Tirumurti highlighted New Delhi policy on chemical weapons, saying "India has been firmly opposed to any use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, and under any circumstances. We strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons, and there can be no justification for their use."

It is important to note that India has provided a financial contribution of US$ 1 million to the OPCW Trust Fund for activities relating to the destruction of chemical stockpiles and related facilities in Syria.

On the situation in Syria, the Indian envoy emphasized that New Delhi "has consistently called for a comprehensive and peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict through a Syrian-led dialogue, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria."

Pointing out that,"We have also contributed to the return of normalcy and rebuilding of Syria through humanitarian assistance and human resource development."

India supports both the Geneva and the Astana processes for peace in Syria.&nbsp;

India has warned that Syrian Chemical weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists, in the first public statement after New Delhi began its two-year term at the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.

India has warned that Syrian Chemical weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists, in the first public statement after New Delhi began its two-year term at the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. India's envoy to UN, TS Tirumurti said, "India remains concerned about the possibility of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorist organizations and individuals. Terrorist groups have taken advantage of the decade long conflict in Syria to entrench themselves posing a threat to the entire region." "The world cannot afford to give these terrorists any sanctuary or dilute its fight against these terrorist groups," Tirumurti added. The Security Council on Tuesday took up the latest report on the activities of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in implementing Security Council resolution and its Executive Council decisions in relation to the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme. Ambassador Tirumurti highlighted New Delhi policy on chemical weapons, saying "India has been firmly opposed to any use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, and under any circumstances. We strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons, and there can be no justification for their use." It is important to note that India has provided a financial contribution of US$ 1 million to the OPCW Trust Fund for activities relating to the destruction of chemical stockpiles and related facilities in Syria. On the situation in Syria, the Indian envoy emphasized that New Delhi "has consistently called for a comprehensive and peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict through a Syrian-led dialogue, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria." Pointing out that,"We have also contributed to the return of normalcy and rebuilding of Syria through humanitarian assistance and human resource development." India supports both the Geneva and the Astana processes for peace in Syria.

At UNSC, India warns of Syrian chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists

For nearly a century, the world has only been trying to eliminate chemical weapons. The Geneva Convention of 1925 prohibited the use of such weapons, but not the production or storage.

That changed in the last decade of the previous century. In 1992, a convention banned the storage and production too. This convention came into force five years later.

Since then, 193 countries have acceded to the convention and the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons, OPCW has been tasked with inspecting the presence of such weapons.

With regard to Syria, the OPCW even won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in eliminating chemical weapons in 2013. Six years later, there is no accountability or punishment for countries flouting the convention.

How do they get away with it? On WION Edit, we explore this specific question. There are three categories of chemical weapons.

Among the states which possess category 1 weapons, the US is yet to destroy its chemical weapons. Russia says it has destroyed its weapons in 2017, but the Salisbury attacks took place in 2018. This says a lot about Russia.

Put simply, the two major military heavyweights continue to flout the rules. This makes other countries to follow suit too.

Syria has a dodgy record with chemical weapons. Since the involvement of Russia in the Syrian crisis in 2015, dozens of chemical attacks have been recorded by none other than OPCW.

And the effectiveness of chemical weapons encourages its continued use. This is a persistent danger, it's time to review the charter of OPCW.

The chemical weapons convention seems too weak to handle this threat. Ineffective penalties have only intensified the problem. Escalating the issue at UNGA or UNSC is not going to be the deterrent.&nbsp;

Over the last fifty to sixty years, the use of chemical weapons has been a recurring theme in every conflict. These weapons were reported to have been used in the Vietnam war, then it was in the news again after the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Rhodesia, Angola, Iran-Iraq war, Iraq attacks on Kurds in 1988, Gulf War, and now Syria.

Unless the big fish, the US and Russia are compelled to abide by these conventions in letter and spirit, this situation is unlikely to change.

And, the Nobel Peace Prize to OPCW will mean next to nothing if the weapons are not abolished altogether. Stringent punishment is absolutely necessary and trade sanctions won't be enough.

The world simply cannot look away silently every time this horror is unleashed- because chemical warfare is a brutal war against humanity. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

For nearly a century, the world has only been trying to eliminate chemical weapons. The Geneva Convention of 1925 prohibited the use of such weapons, but not the production or storage.

For nearly a century, the world has only been trying to eliminate chemical weapons. The Geneva Convention of 1925 prohibited the use of such weapons, but not the production or storage. That changed in the last decade of the previous century. In 1992, a convention banned the storage and production too. This convention came into force five years later. Since then, 193 countries have acceded to the convention and the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons, OPCW has been tasked with inspecting the presence of such weapons. With regard to Syria, the OPCW even won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in eliminating chemical weapons in 2013. Six years later, there is no accountability or punishment for countries flouting the convention. How do they get away with it? On WION Edit, we explore this specific question. There are three categories of chemical weapons. Among the states which possess category 1 weapons, the US is yet to destroy its chemical weapons. Russia says it has destroyed its weapons in 2017, but the Salisbury attacks took place in 2018. This says a lot about Russia. Put simply, the two major military heavyweights continue to flout the rules. This makes other countries to follow suit too. Syria has a dodgy record with chemical weapons. Since the involvement of Russia in the Syrian crisis in 2015, dozens of chemical attacks have been recorded by none other than OPCW. And the effectiveness of chemical weapons encourages its continued use. This is a persistent danger, it's time to review the charter of OPCW. The chemical weapons convention seems too weak to handle this threat. Ineffective penalties have only intensified the problem. Escalating the issue at UNGA or UNSC is not going to be the deterrent. Over the last fifty to sixty years, the use of chemical weapons has been a recurring theme in every conflict. These weapons were reported to have been used in the Vietnam war, then it was in the news again after the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Rhodesia, Angola, Iran-Iraq war, Iraq attacks on Kurds in 1988, Gulf War, and now Syria. Unless the big fish, the US and Russia are compelled to abide by these conventions in letter and spirit, this situation is unlikely to change. And, the Nobel Peace Prize to OPCW will mean next to nothing if the weapons are not abolished altogether. Stringent punishment is absolutely necessary and trade sanctions won't be enough. The world simply cannot look away silently every time this horror is unleashed- because chemical warfare is a brutal war against humanity. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Chemical warfare a brutal war against humanity

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) on Friday revealed that chlorine was used during the April 2018 chemical attack in Syria's Douma.

"The evaluation and analysis of all the above-referenced information gathered by the FFM provide reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine. The toxic chemical was likely molecular chlorine," the OPCW said in a statement.

On April 7, an unconfirmed chemical strike was carried out in Syria's Douma, a rebel-controlled town in Eastern Ghouta, claiming the lives of over 70 civilians, including children.

Amid the speculation that the chemical was used in the attack, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) which was set up in 2014 with an on-going mandate “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”, initiated the investigation to ensure whether the chemical was used or not.

On 6 July 2018, OPCW issued an interim report on the investigation regarding the allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma in April 2018.

The White Helmets, a voluntary aide group, pinned the blame for the assault, which claimed more than 70 civilian lives, on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

However, the regime has rejected the claim, calling it a "fabrication" by Jaish al-Islam, the Islamist group controlling the area. Russia, which has backed Assad throughout the seven-year-long civil war, rejected the claim too.

The FFM has also previously determined that the use of chlorine, sulfur mustard, and sarin as chemical weapons took place in other incidents in Syria.&nbsp;

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) on Friday revealed that chlorine was used during the April 2018 chemical attack in Syria's Douma. "The evaluation and analysis of all the above-referenced information gathered by the FFM provide reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) on Friday revealed that chlorine was used during the April 2018 chemical attack in Syria's Douma. "The evaluation and analysis of all the above-referenced information gathered by the FFM provide reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine. The toxic chemical was likely molecular chlorine," the OPCW said in a statement. On April 7, an unconfirmed chemical strike was carried out in Syria's Douma, a rebel-controlled town in Eastern Ghouta, claiming the lives of over 70 civilians, including children. Amid the speculation that the chemical was used in the attack, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) which was set up in 2014 with an on-going mandate “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”, initiated the investigation to ensure whether the chemical was used or not. On 6 July 2018, OPCW issued an interim report on the investigation regarding the allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma in April 2018. The White Helmets, a voluntary aide group, pinned the blame for the assault, which claimed more than 70 civilian lives, on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. However, the regime has rejected the claim, calling it a "fabrication" by Jaish al-Islam, the Islamist group controlling the area. Russia, which has backed Assad throughout the seven-year-long civil war, rejected the claim too. The FFM has also previously determined that the use of chlorine, sulfur mustard, and sarin as chemical weapons took place in other incidents in Syria.

Syria: OPCW confirms chlorine used in Douma's chemical attack

The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that chlorine was used against the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma in 2018, in a long-awaited final report on the deadly attack.

The report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was based on a visit by inspectors to the site of the attack which witnesses said killed 43 people.

Western powers led by the United States blamed the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the incident and unleashed air strikes on military installations in response.

The Hague-based watchdog said two cylinders likely containing chlorine smashed into a housing block in the town.

The OPCW report said that there were "reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine."

It said however that it found no evidence of the use of nerve agents in Douma, which had been previously alleged by some parties in the conflict.

The findings confirmed an interim OPCW report released last July saying that traces of chlorine were found.

The report does not place blame because it was not in the OPCW's remit at the time, although the watchdog has since been given powers to investigate responsibility for all chemical attacks in Syria back to 2014.

'Staged provocation'

Russia, which backs Assad, rejected the report and said the attack was "staged" by Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets.

"In spite of all the evidence presented by Russia, Syria, and even British journalists that the Douma incident is no more than 'White helmets' staged provocation, Technical Secretariat of OPCW states in today's report that chlorine was used in Douma as a chemical weapon," the Russian Embassy in The Hague tweeted.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, however, said Syria should now honour its 2013 vow to destroy all its chemical weapons, made after 1,400 people were killed in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta in what the UN said was an attack using the nerve agent sarin.

"Confirmed today by @OPCW - chemical weapons WERE used in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The Assad regime must cease, declare and destroy its chemical weapon programme. We remain committed to seeking justice for the victims," Hunt tweeted.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed the comments, calling for "the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime to end and for the perpetrators of such acts to be punished".

A team of OPCW inspectors took more than 100 samples from seven sites in Douma when they gained access to the town after being denied access for several weeks.

The OPCW said it reached its conclusions based on "witnesses' testimonies, environmental and biomedical samples analysis results, toxicological and ballistic analyses from experts".

The report said "two yellow industrial cylinders dedicated for pressurised gas" were found, one of which had landed on top of the housing block and crashed through it.

It said it was "possible that the cylinders were the source of the substances containing reactive chlorine."&nbsp;

'Strewn on the floor'

The OPCW said witnesses told the team there were "43 decedents related to the alleged chemical incident, most of whom were seen in videos and photos strewn on the floor of multiple levels of an apartment building and in front of the same building."

The videos "indicate exposure to an inhalational irritant or toxic substance" and show burns to the eyes and foaming from the mouth, although it could not directly link those to any specific substance.

The watchdog also rejected claims by the Syrian regime that the gas came from an alleged rebel chemical weapons facility and storehouse in the area.

"From the analysis of the information gathered during the on-site visits to the warehouse and facility suspected of producing chemical weapons, there was no indication of either facility being involved in their manufacture," it said.

The report will now go to the UN Security Council.

The OPCW has been at the forefront of investigating chemical attacks during the eight-year Syrian civil war, with investigators previously confirming the use of "chlorine, sulphur mustard, and sarin as chemical weapons" in other incidents.

But the watchdog is now riven by political divisions between Russia and the West, particularly over its new powers to attribute blame.

A nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in the English city of Salisbury in 2018, which the West blamed on Moscow, has further poisoned relations.

The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that chlorine was used against the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma in 2018, in a long-awaited final report on the deadly attack.

The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that chlorine was used against the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma in 2018, in a long-awaited final report on the deadly attack. The report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was based on a visit by inspectors to the site of the attack which witnesses said killed 43 people. Western powers led by the United States blamed the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the incident and unleashed air strikes on military installations in response. The Hague-based watchdog said two cylinders likely containing chlorine smashed into a housing block in the town. The OPCW report said that there were "reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine." It said however that it found no evidence of the use of nerve agents in Douma, which had been previously alleged by some parties in the conflict. The findings confirmed an interim OPCW report released last July saying that traces of chlorine were found. The report does not place blame because it was not in the OPCW's remit at the time, although the watchdog has since been given powers to investigate responsibility for all chemical attacks in Syria back to 2014. 'Staged provocation' Russia, which backs Assad, rejected the report and said the attack was "staged" by Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets. "In spite of all the evidence presented by Russia, Syria, and even British journalists that the Douma incident is no more than 'White helmets' staged provocation, Technical Secretariat of OPCW states in today's report that chlorine was used in Douma as a chemical weapon," the Russian Embassy in The Hague tweeted. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, however, said Syria should now honour its 2013 vow to destroy all its chemical weapons, made after 1,400 people were killed in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta in what the UN said was an attack using the nerve agent sarin. "Confirmed today by @OPCW - chemical weapons WERE used in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The Assad regime must cease, declare and destroy its chemical weapon programme. We remain committed to seeking justice for the victims," Hunt tweeted. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed the comments, calling for "the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime to end and for the perpetrators of such acts to be punished". A team of OPCW inspectors took more than 100 samples from seven sites in Douma when they gained access to the town after being denied access for several weeks. The OPCW said it reached its conclusions based on "witnesses' testimonies, environmental and biomedical samples analysis results, toxicological and ballistic analyses from experts". The report said "two yellow industrial cylinders dedicated for pressurised gas" were found, one of which had landed on top of the housing block and crashed through it. It said it was "possible that the cylinders were the source of the substances containing reactive chlorine." 'Strewn on the floor' The OPCW said witnesses told the team there were "43 decedents related to the alleged chemical incident, most of whom were seen in videos and photos strewn on the floor of multiple levels of an apartment building and in front of the same building." The videos "indicate exposure to an inhalational irritant or toxic substance" and show burns to the eyes and foaming from the mouth, although it could not directly link those to any specific substance. The watchdog also rejected claims by the Syrian regime that the gas came from an alleged rebel chemical weapons facility and storehouse in the area. "From the analysis of the information gathered during the on-site visits to the warehouse and facility suspected of producing chemical weapons, there was no indication of either facility being involved in their manufacture," it said. The report will now go to the UN Security Council. The OPCW has been at the forefront of investigating chemical attacks during the eight-year Syrian civil war, with investigators previously confirming the use of "chlorine, sulphur mustard, and sarin as chemical weapons" in other incidents. But the watchdog is now riven by political divisions between Russia and the West, particularly over its new powers to attribute blame. A nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in the English city of Salisbury in 2018, which the West blamed on Moscow, has further poisoned relations.

Chlorine used in attack on Syria's Douma: Watchdog

After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command.

The Jaish al-Islam rebel group, which had controlled the city, on Sunday reached an agreement with the government and its Russian military allies to leave the city shortly after an alleged chemical attack on April 7 that killed dozens of civilians.

The attack prompted a joint military operation by the United States, Britain and France on Saturday targetting various Syrian facilities near Damascus and the city of Homs.

Buses carrying rebels and their families and civilians who did not wish to stay in Douma under President Bashar al-Assad's rule have left the city in batches over the past few days to travel to opposition-held areas in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey.

Backed by Russian firepower, the government forces launched their offensive against eastern Ghouta in February.

British-based war monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights says the campaign killed more than 1,600 civilians.

The conquest of Douma underlines how Russia's entry into the fray in 2015 on Assad's side has now helped him to an unassailable position in a conflict that mushroomed out of protests against his rule seven years ago.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The Jaish al-Islam rebel group, which had controlled the city, on Sunday reached an agreement with the government and its Russian military allies to leave the city shortly after an alleged chemical attack on April 7 that killed dozens of civilians

After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command. The Jaish al-Islam rebel group, which had controlled the city, on Sunday reached an agreement with the government and its Russian military allies to leave the city shortly after an alleged chemical attack on April 7 that killed dozens of civilians. The attack prompted a joint military operation by the United States, Britain and France on Saturday targetting various Syrian facilities near Damascus and the city of Homs. Buses carrying rebels and their families and civilians who did not wish to stay in Douma under President Bashar al-Assad's rule have left the city in batches over the past few days to travel to opposition-held areas in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey. Backed by Russian firepower, the government forces launched their offensive against eastern Ghouta in February. British-based war monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights says the campaign killed more than 1,600 civilians. The conquest of Douma underlines how Russia's entry into the fray in 2015 on Assad's side has now helped him to an unassailable position in a conflict that mushroomed out of protests against his rule seven years ago. (With inputs from Reuters)

Syrian army declares eastern Ghouta free of rebel fighters

A Western attack on Syria hit a scientific research facility in Damascus and Syrian army depots in the Homs area, state media said, and a witness said the Syrian capital was rocked by explosions as smoke rose into the sky.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a second research facility was also struck in Damascus, in addition to a third in the Homs area, and five military bases and depots used by elite army divisions in the Mezzeh area of Damascus.

A senior official in the regional alliance that supports President Bashar al-Assad said the attack by the United States, Britain and France would be viewed as contained if it was now over. "If it is finished, and there is no second round, it will be considered limited," the official told Reuters.

Syrian state TV said air defences were confronting the attack and had shot down 13 missiles in the Kiswah area south of Damascus. It said a pro-Damascus "anti-terror axis" was confronting the attack, language suggesting that Assad`s ally Russia may be helping to fend off the assault.

State TV described the attack as a "flagrant violation" of international law.

Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said all the targeted locations were evacuated three days ago after the Russians told the government they had intelligence that bases including the research centres would be hit. He said there were so far no reports of civilian or military casualties.&nbsp

Sites hit in a US-led strike in Syria on Saturday included an air base west of Damascus near the Lebanese border.

A Western attack on Syria hit a scientific research facility in Damascus and Syrian army depots in the Homs area, state media said, and a witness said the Syrian capital was rocked by explosions as smoke rose into the sky. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a second research facility was also struck in Damascus, in addition to a third in the Homs area, and five military bases and depots used by elite army divisions in the Mezzeh area of Damascus. A senior official in the regional alliance that supports President Bashar al-Assad said the attack by the United States, Britain and France would be viewed as contained if it was now over. "If it is finished, and there is no second round, it will be considered limited," the official told Reuters. Syrian state TV said air defences were confronting the attack and had shot down 13 missiles in the Kiswah area south of Damascus. It said a pro-Damascus "anti-terror axis" was confronting the attack, language suggesting that Assad`s ally Russia may be helping to fend off the assault. State TV described the attack as a "flagrant violation" of international law. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said all the targeted locations were evacuated three days ago after the Russians told the government they had intelligence that bases including the research centres would be hit. He said there were so far no reports of civilian or military casualties.

US, UK and France hit Syria with airstrikes; target military, chemical weapons sites

Russia claimed on Thursday that it had "irrefutable" data that an apparent chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma in eastern Ghouta was staged by special services of a foreign country.

"We have the irrefutable data that this [chemical attack] was staged, and special services of a country, which is now seeking to be in the first ranks of the Russophobic campaign, were involved in this staged event," TASS reported, citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as saying.

On Saturday, at least 40 people were killed in the attack on Syria's rebel-held town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta according to volunteer first responders and activists.

Russia's Foreign Ministry claims that no evidence of chemicals or deaths in the bombing area were found in its inspection.

The strike is suspected to be a chemical attack, but the Syrian government denied the allegations saying it was fabricated by the rebels who were in a state of decline.

U.S. officials suspect the Russia-backed Assad regime is behind the attack.

Eastern Ghouta has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off.

Russia claimed on Thursday that it had 'irrefutable' data that an apparent chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma in eastern Ghouta was staged by special services of a foreign country

Russia claimed on Thursday that it had "irrefutable" data that an apparent chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma in eastern Ghouta was staged by special services of a foreign country. "We have the irrefutable data that this [chemical attack] was staged, and special services of a country, which is now seeking to be in the first ranks of the Russophobic campaign, were involved in this staged event," TASS reported, citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as saying. On Saturday, at least 40 people were killed in the attack on Syria's rebel-held town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta according to volunteer first responders and activists. Russia's Foreign Ministry claims that no evidence of chemicals or deaths in the bombing area were found in its inspection. The strike is suspected to be a chemical attack, but the Syrian government denied the allegations saying it was fabricated by the rebels who were in a state of decline. U.S. officials suspect the Russia-backed Assad regime is behind the attack. Eastern Ghouta has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off.

Russia claims Syrian chemical attack 'staged' by foreign country

Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has warned that if the US launches air strikes in response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria it could lead to a war between the two countries.

"The immediate priority is to avert the danger of war," the Russian envoy was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"We cannot exclude any possibilities, unfortunately."

The remarks were made after a private meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

Vassily Nebenzia also said that UN Security Council must meet again on Friday to discuss the possibility of Western military action.

Top Russian officials, including the head of the military, have warned that US missiles will be shot down and their launch sites targeted if Russian personnel come under threat.

Dozens of people died in a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Douma on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump amended on Thursday an earlier warning of a swift military strike against Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on civilians, saying it "could be very soon or not so soon at all".

&nbsp;

Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has warned that if the US launches air strikes in response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria it could lead to a war between the two countries

Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has warned that if the US launches air strikes in response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria it could lead to a war between the two countries. "The immediate priority is to avert the danger of war," the Russian envoy was quoted as saying by the BBC. "We cannot exclude any possibilities, unfortunately." The remarks were made after a private meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. Vassily Nebenzia also said that UN Security Council must meet again on Friday to discuss the possibility of Western military action. Top Russian officials, including the head of the military, have warned that US missiles will be shot down and their launch sites targeted if Russian personnel come under threat. Dozens of people died in a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Douma on Saturday. US President Donald Trump amended on Thursday an earlier warning of a swift military strike against Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on civilians, saying it "could be very soon or not so soon at all".

Russia warns US of war over Syria air strikes

Denying accusations that it unleashed a gas attack on the town of Douma, Syria's government has invited the global chemical watchdog, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to visit the rebel-held town where an alleged toxic gas attack killed dozens at the weekend, state media said on Tuesday.

Syria was ready to cooperate with a fact-finding team, state news agency SANA said citing a foreign ministry source.

"The ministry sent a formal invitation to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to send a team from its fact-finding mission to visit Douma and investigate claims linked to the alleged use of chemical weapons there," it said.

The letter said Syria was ready to "provide all necessary assistance to the mission".

Douma is the last opposition town in the battered enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Syrian capital Damascus.

The OPCW's fact-finding mission for Syria was established in 2014 to confirm chemical weapons use, but it does not have the mandate to establish who is responsible.

Syria's letter came hours ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting on rival proposals by Russia and the United States on chemical weapons use.

Regime ally Moscow said it would propose a UN resolution on a "transparent and honest" investigation with the OPCW's involvement.&nbsp;

It said Syrian government troops could ensure the safety of OPCW experts if they were to travel to the scene, he added, criticising previous investigations for having been conducted from a distance.

The OPCW already says it is investigating but that so far only a "preliminary analysis" had taken place.

Syria has denied accusations it unleashed a gas attack on the town of Douma, the last opposition town in the battered enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus

Denying accusations that it unleashed a gas attack on the town of Douma, Syria's government has invited the global chemical watchdog, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to visit the rebel-held town where an alleged toxic gas attack killed dozens at the weekend, state media said on Tuesday. Syria was ready to cooperate with a fact-finding team, state news agency SANA said citing a foreign ministry source. "The ministry sent a formal invitation to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to send a team from its fact-finding mission to visit Douma and investigate claims linked to the alleged use of chemical weapons there," it said. The letter said Syria was ready to "provide all necessary assistance to the mission". Douma is the last opposition town in the battered enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Syrian capital Damascus. The OPCW's fact-finding mission for Syria was established in 2014 to confirm chemical weapons use, but it does not have the mandate to establish who is responsible. Syria's letter came hours ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting on rival proposals by Russia and the United States on chemical weapons use. Regime ally Moscow said it would propose a UN resolution on a "transparent and honest" investigation with the OPCW's involvement. It said Syrian government troops could ensure the safety of OPCW experts if they were to travel to the scene, he added, criticising previous investigations for having been conducted from a distance. The OPCW already says it is investigating but that so far only a "preliminary analysis" had taken place.

Syria invites global watchdog to Douma to probe chemical attack

&nbsp;US President Donald Trump on Monday promised quick, forceful action in response to a deadly suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, appearing to suggest a potential military response.&nbsp;

Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump said he would make a decision by Monday night "or very shortly thereafter" on a response, adding that the United States had "a lot of options militarily" on Syria.

“But we can’t let atrocities like we all witnessed ... we can’t let that happen in our world ... especially when we’re able to because of the power of the United States, the power of our country, we’re able to stop it.”

The suspected chemical weapons attack late on Saturday killed at least 60 people, with more than 1,000 injured in several sites in Douma, a city near the capital, Damascus, according to a Syrian aid organization.

Initial US&nbsp;assessments have so far been unable to determine conclusively what materials were used in the attack and could not say with certainty that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s government forces were behind it.

Trump said, however, that Washington was "getting more clarity" on who was responsible for the attack.

US&nbsp;officials told Reuters that Washington was weighing a multinational military response. For the second time in less than 24 hours, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone to coordinate their response, the White House said.

Asked at a Cabinet meeting earlier on Monday if Russian President Vladimir Putin bore any responsibility for the attack, Trump said: "He may, yeah, he may. And if he does, it’s going to be very tough, very tough."

On Sunday, the US&nbsp;president who had sought warmer relations with Russia criticized Putin by name on Twitter as he castigated Russia and Iran for backing "Animal Assad."

The US&nbsp;envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Washington "will respond" to the attack regardless of whether the UN&nbsp;Security Council acts or not.

Moscow said it warned the United States of "grave repercussions" if it carried out an attack against Syrian government forces.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in the attack.

International bodies led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were trying to establish exactly what happened in Douma, a rebel-held town in the eastern Ghouta district.

Syrian government forces had launched an air and ground assault on Douma, the last town held by rebels in eastern Ghouta, on Friday.&nbsp;

Shocked the conscience

Britain and the United States agreed on Monday that the attack bore the hallmarks of previous chemical weapons attacks by Assad`s government, but neither country gave details of what kind of chemical might have been used or how the attack was staged.

"The images, especially of suffering children, have shocked the conscience of the entire civilized world," White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said. "Sadly, these actions are consistent with Assad`s established pattern of chemical weapons use."

The United States fired missiles on a Syrian air base a year ago in response to the killing of dozens of civilians in a sarin gas attack in an opposition-held town. The missile strikes did little long-term damage to Syrian government forces and Assad`s position has only become stronger with Iranian and Russian support.

The stakes are higher for any new US&nbsp;military action, with Trump explicitly mentioning Iran and Russia in connection with the weekend attack.

US&nbsp;Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday accused Russia of falling short on its obligations to ensure that Syria abandoned its chemical weapons capabilities.

The Russian military said on Monday its medics had examined patients in a hospital in Douma and had found no traces of a chemical attack, Interfax news agency reported.

Russia and Syria both offered during the UN&nbsp;Security Council meeting on Monday to take OPCW investigators to Douma.

The OPCW did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But weapons inspectors are not expected to go to Syria after being attacked twice while tying to get to the sites of chemical weapons attacks since 2013.

Instead, they have in recent investigations gathered blood samples from victims and interviewed witnesses outside of Syria.

The United States plans to call for a UN&nbsp;Security Council vote on Tuesday on a proposal for a new inquiry into responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, diplomats said.

Monday air strikes

The Syria conflict was further complicated on Monday when unidentified war planes struck a Syrian air base near Homs, killing at least 14 people, including Iranian personnel. Syria and Russia accused Israel of carrying out the attack.

Israel, which has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of its neighbour`s 7-year-old civil war, has neither confirmed nor denied mounting the raid.

But Israeli officials said the Tiyas, or T-4, air base was being used by troops from Iran and that Israel would not accept such a presence in Syria by its arch foe.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strike on the T-4 base was a dangerous development.

The incidents in Douma and Tiyas demonstrated the complex and volatile nature of the Syria war, which involves a number of countries and insurgent groups.

Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump said he would make a decision by Monday night 'or very shortly thereafter' on a response, adding that the United States had 'a lot of options militarily' on Syria

US President Donald Trump on Monday promised quick, forceful action in response to a deadly suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, appearing to suggest a potential military response. Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump said he would make a decision by Monday night "or very shortly thereafter" on a response, adding that the United States had "a lot of options militarily" on Syria. “But we can’t let atrocities like we all witnessed ... we can’t let that happen in our world ... especially when we’re able to because of the power of the United States, the power of our country, we’re able to stop it.” The suspected chemical weapons attack late on Saturday killed at least 60 people, with more than 1,000 injured in several sites in Douma, a city near the capital, Damascus, according to a Syrian aid organization. Initial US assessments have so far been unable to determine conclusively what materials were used in the attack and could not say with certainty that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s government forces were behind it. Trump said, however, that Washington was "getting more clarity" on who was responsible for the attack. US officials told Reuters that Washington was weighing a multinational military response. For the second time in less than 24 hours, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone to coordinate their response, the White House said. Asked at a Cabinet meeting earlier on Monday if Russian President Vladimir Putin bore any responsibility for the attack, Trump said: "He may, yeah, he may. And if he does, it’s going to be very tough, very tough." On Sunday, the US president who had sought warmer relations with Russia criticized Putin by name on Twitter as he castigated Russia and Iran for backing "Animal Assad." The US envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Washington "will respond" to the attack regardless of whether the UN Security Council acts or not. Moscow said it warned the United States of "grave repercussions" if it carried out an attack against Syrian government forces. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in the attack. International bodies led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were trying to establish exactly what happened in Douma, a rebel-held town in the eastern Ghouta district. Syrian government forces had launched an air and ground assault on Douma, the last town held by rebels in eastern Ghouta, on Friday. Shocked the conscience Britain and the United States agreed on Monday that the attack bore the hallmarks of previous chemical weapons attacks by Assad`s government, but neither country gave details of what kind of chemical might have been used or how the attack was staged. "The images, especially of suffering children, have shocked the conscience of the entire civilized world," White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said. "Sadly, these actions are consistent with Assad`s established pattern of chemical weapons use." The United States fired missiles on a Syrian air base a year ago in response to the killing of dozens of civilians in a sarin gas attack in an opposition-held town. The missile strikes did little long-term damage to Syrian government forces and Assad`s position has only become stronger with Iranian and Russian support. The stakes are higher for any new US military action, with Trump explicitly mentioning Iran and Russia in connection with the weekend attack. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday accused Russia of falling short on its obligations to ensure that Syria abandoned its chemical weapons capabilities. The Russian military said on Monday its medics had examined patients in a hospital in Douma and had found no traces of a chemical attack, Interfax news agency reported. Russia and Syria both offered during the UN Security Council meeting on Monday to take OPCW investigators to Douma. The OPCW did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But weapons inspectors are not expected to go to Syria after being attacked twice while tying to get to the sites of chemical weapons attacks since 2013. Instead, they have in recent investigations gathered blood samples from victims and interviewed witnesses outside of Syria. The United States plans to call for a UN Security Council vote on Tuesday on a proposal for a new inquiry into responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, diplomats said. Monday air strikes The Syria conflict was further complicated on Monday when unidentified war planes struck a Syrian air base near Homs, killing at least 14 people, including Iranian personnel. Syria and Russia accused Israel of carrying out the attack. Israel, which has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of its neighbour`s 7-year-old civil war, has neither confirmed nor denied mounting the raid. But Israeli officials said the Tiyas, or T-4, air base was being used by troops from Iran and that Israel would not accept such a presence in Syria by its arch foe. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strike on the T-4 base was a dangerous development. The incidents in Douma and Tiyas demonstrated the complex and volatile nature of the Syria war, which involves a number of countries and insurgent groups.

Trump vows quick action in response to suspected chemical attack in Syria

A day after France President Emmanuel Macron and the US president Donald Trump vow quick and forceful action in response to Syria over the chemical leak attack the government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux said, France to retaliate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

"France will retaliate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad if evidence emerges that it was behind a recent suspected chlorine gas attack in a rebel-held enclave", Griveaux said on Tuesday.

Griveaux said to a Europe 1 radio station that, "If the red line has been crossed, there will be a response," he told Europe 1 radio while also adding that intelligence shared by President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump "in theory confirms the use of chemical weapons."

France has repeatedly warned that evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a "red line" that would prompt French strikes on Syrian government forces.

While condemning the use of chemical weapons against civilians&nbsp;in Douma, Emmanuel Macron discussed the attack with US president on call Monday.

Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump also said that he would make a decision by Monday night "or very shortly thereafter" on a response, adding that the United States had "a lot of options militarily" on Syria.

At least 60 people&nbsp;were killed in the suspected chemical attack carried out on the rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta near the capital, Damascus. Over 1,000 people reportedly were injured.

In earlier reports rebel groups of Syria accused Damascus of carrying out the attack however, Syrian state media denied such reports saying that eastern Ghouta of Douma is in a state of collapse and spreading false news.

US State Department who is also monitoring the situation closely has so far been unable to determine conclusively what materials were used. However, Trump said that Washington is getting more clarity on who was responsible for the attack.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-big-price-to-pay-for-syria-chemical-attack-129188">Also read: Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-vows-quick-action-in-response-to-suspected-chemical-attack-in-syria-129464">Trump vows quick action in response to </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-vows-quick-action-in-response-to-suspected-chemical-attack-in-syria-129464">suspected</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-vows-quick-action-in-response-to-suspected-chemical-attack-in-syria-129464"> chemical attack in Syria</a>

A day after France President Emmanuel Macron and the US president Donald Trump vow quick and forceful action in response to Syria over the chemical leak attack

A day after France President Emmanuel Macron and the US president Donald Trump vow quick and forceful action in response to Syria over the chemical leak attack the government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux said, France to retaliate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. "France will retaliate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad if evidence emerges that it was behind a recent suspected chlorine gas attack in a rebel-held enclave", Griveaux said on Tuesday. Griveaux said to a Europe 1 radio station that, "If the red line has been crossed, there will be a response," he told Europe 1 radio while also adding that intelligence shared by President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump "in theory confirms the use of chemical weapons." France has repeatedly warned that evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a "red line" that would prompt French strikes on Syrian government forces. While condemning the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Douma, Emmanuel Macron discussed the attack with US president on call Monday. Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump also said that he would make a decision by Monday night "or very shortly thereafter" on a response, adding that the United States had "a lot of options militarily" on Syria. At least 60 people were killed in the suspected chemical attack carried out on the rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta near the capital, Damascus. Over 1,000 people reportedly were injured. In earlier reports rebel groups of Syria accused Damascus of carrying out the attack however, Syrian state media denied such reports saying that eastern Ghouta of Douma is in a state of collapse and spreading false news. US State Department who is also monitoring the situation closely has so far been unable to determine conclusively what materials were used. However, Trump said that Washington is getting more clarity on who was responsible for the attack. Also read: Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack Also read: Trump vows quick action in response to suspected chemical attack in Syria

France targets Assad over Syria chemical attack

US President Donald Trump on Monday condemned a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed dozens of people and said he would decide on a response probably by the end of the day.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Trump said he was talking to military leaders and would decide who was responsible for what he called a "heinous attack" on innocent Syrians -- whether it was Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Iran, or all of them together.

"We'll be making that decision very quickly probably by the end of the day. But we cannot allow atrocities like that," Trump said. "Nothing is off the table," he said, when asked if US military action was a possibility.

Asked if there was any doubt over who was responsible for the attack, Trump said: "To me there's not much of a doubt but the generals will figure it out probably over the next 24 hours."

International bodies led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were also trying to establish exactly what happened on Saturday in Douma, a besieged town in eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in the attack.

US government sources said on Monday that the administration's initial assessment suggested that a nerve agent was used but further evidence was needed to determine what specifically it was.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said earlier he would not rule out military action such as air strikes if blame was proven. He accused Russia of falling short on its obligations to ensure that Syria abandoned its chemical weapons capabilities.

"The first thing we have to look at is why are chemical weapons still being used at all when Russia was the framework guarantor of removing all the chemical weapons," Mattis told reporters.

Trump said on Sunday after initial reports of an attack that there would be a "big price to pay".

A Syria medical relief group said at least 60 people had been killed and more than 1,000 injured in several sites in Douma.

The stakes were further raised on Monday when unidentified war planes struck a Syrian air base near Homs, killing at least 14 people, including Iranian personnel. Syria and Russia accused Israel of carrying out the attack.

Israel, which has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of its neighbour's seven-year-old civil war, has neither confirmed nor denied mounting the raid.

But Israeli officials said the Tiyas, or T-4, air base was being used by troops from Iran and that Israel would not accept such a presence in Syria by its arch foe.

The two incidents in Douma and Tiyas demonstrated the complex and volatile nature of the Syria war, which started in March 2011 as an anti-Assad uprising and now involves a number of countries and a myriad of insurgent groups.

Assad now has the upper hand in the conflict, largely thanks to Russian intervention on his side, but any international action could delay his efforts to bring it to close.

Range of options

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday following rival requests by Russia and the United States to discuss the situation. Senior officials in the Trump administration were also to meet in the White House.

Britain said it was working with its allies to agree a joint response to the reported chemical attack on Douma.

"If there is clear verified evidence of the use of chemical weapons and a proposal for action where the UK would be useful, then we will look at the range of options," Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said.

France said it would work closely with the United States on a response to the suspected chemical attack. Both countries agreed responsibility for the strike must be established.

President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Trump by telephone on Sunday, had issued repeated warnings previously that France would strike if proof of lethal chemical attacks were established. But Paris stopped short of apportioning blame on Assad's forces for Saturday's attack.

Trump had referred in a Tweet to "Animal Assad" and criticised Russia and Iran for backing the Syrian leader, directly naming Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such allegations were false and a provocation. Lavrov also said the strike on the T-4 base was a dangerous development.

Syrian government forces had launched an air and ground assault on Douma, the last rebel-held town in the eastern Ghouta district, on Friday.

The Union of Medical Care Organizations (UOSSM) said at least 60 people had been killed by the alleged chemical attack.

"The numbers keep rising as relief workers struggle to gain access to the subterranean areas where gas has entered and hundreds of families had sought refuge," it said.

One video shared by activists showed bodies of about a dozen children, women and men, some with foam at the mouth. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

The OPCW, based in the Hague, said people were possibly gassed to death by a poisonous cocktail of sarin and chlorine.

Dr Muhammad, a doctor in Ghouta quoted by UOSSM, said patients were coughing blood, a symptom not seen in previous chemical attacks.

UN war crimes investigators had previously documented 33 chemical attacks in Syria, attributing 27 to the Assad government, which has repeatedly denied using the weapons.

The United States fired missiles on a Syrian air base a year ago in response to the killing of dozens of civilians in a sarin gas attack in an opposition-held town in northwest Syria, blamed on Assad.

Red lines

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said at least 14 people were killed in Monday's air strike on the T-4 base, including foreign fighters - a reference to Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia members, mostly from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Iran's Fars news agency said three Iranians were killed.

The Russian military said two Israeli F-15 war planes carried out the strike. Interfax news agency cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying Syrian air defence systems had shot down five of eight missiles fired.

Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a military source, carried a similar report.

The Israeli government had no immediate comment.

Israeli Housing Minister Yoav Galant, while not confirming that Israel had carried out the attack, said his country had clear interests in Syria.

"We laid down red lines there, which said that we would not allow Syrian land to be a springboard for game-changing weaponry to Lebanon, we would not allow the building of an Iranian army in Syria and we would not allow the opening of another front on the Golan Heights," he told Israel Radio.

"In this context we are taking action with all means, over time."

In Washington, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged Trump and his administration to destroy Assad's air capabilities, enforce safe zones inside Syria, and target Assad directly.

"This president has the chance to do exactly the opposite of (former US President Barack) Obama - send a strong signal that there's a new sheriff in town and America's back," Graham told Fox News in an interview.

The US President condemned a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed dozens of people and said he would decide on a response probably by the end of the day

US President Donald Trump on Monday condemned a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed dozens of people and said he would decide on a response probably by the end of the day. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Trump said he was talking to military leaders and would decide who was responsible for what he called a "heinous attack" on innocent Syrians -- whether it was Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Iran, or all of them together. "We'll be making that decision very quickly probably by the end of the day. But we cannot allow atrocities like that," Trump said. "Nothing is off the table," he said, when asked if US military action was a possibility. Asked if there was any doubt over who was responsible for the attack, Trump said: "To me there's not much of a doubt but the generals will figure it out probably over the next 24 hours." International bodies led by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were also trying to establish exactly what happened on Saturday in Douma, a besieged town in eastern Ghouta near Damascus. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in the attack. US government sources said on Monday that the administration's initial assessment suggested that a nerve agent was used but further evidence was needed to determine what specifically it was. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said earlier he would not rule out military action such as air strikes if blame was proven. He accused Russia of falling short on its obligations to ensure that Syria abandoned its chemical weapons capabilities. "The first thing we have to look at is why are chemical weapons still being used at all when Russia was the framework guarantor of removing all the chemical weapons," Mattis told reporters. Trump said on Sunday after initial reports of an attack that there would be a "big price to pay". A Syria medical relief group said at least 60 people had been killed and more than 1,000 injured in several sites in Douma. The stakes were further raised on Monday when unidentified war planes struck a Syrian air base near Homs, killing at least 14 people, including Iranian personnel. Syria and Russia accused Israel of carrying out the attack. Israel, which has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of its neighbour's seven-year-old civil war, has neither confirmed nor denied mounting the raid. But Israeli officials said the Tiyas, or T-4, air base was being used by troops from Iran and that Israel would not accept such a presence in Syria by its arch foe. The two incidents in Douma and Tiyas demonstrated the complex and volatile nature of the Syria war, which started in March 2011 as an anti-Assad uprising and now involves a number of countries and a myriad of insurgent groups. Assad now has the upper hand in the conflict, largely thanks to Russian intervention on his side, but any international action could delay his efforts to bring it to close. Range of options The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday following rival requests by Russia and the United States to discuss the situation. Senior officials in the Trump administration were also to meet in the White House. Britain said it was working with its allies to agree a joint response to the reported chemical attack on Douma. "If there is clear verified evidence of the use of chemical weapons and a proposal for action where the UK would be useful, then we will look at the range of options," Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said. France said it would work closely with the United States on a response to the suspected chemical attack. Both countries agreed responsibility for the strike must be established. President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Trump by telephone on Sunday, had issued repeated warnings previously that France would strike if proof of lethal chemical attacks were established. But Paris stopped short of apportioning blame on Assad's forces for Saturday's attack. Trump had referred in a Tweet to "Animal Assad" and criticised Russia and Iran for backing the Syrian leader, directly naming Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such allegations were false and a provocation. Lavrov also said the strike on the T-4 base was a dangerous development. Syrian government forces had launched an air and ground assault on Douma, the last rebel-held town in the eastern Ghouta district, on Friday. The Union of Medical Care Organizations (UOSSM) said at least 60 people had been killed by the alleged chemical attack. "The numbers keep rising as relief workers struggle to gain access to the subterranean areas where gas has entered and hundreds of families had sought refuge," it said. One video shared by activists showed bodies of about a dozen children, women and men, some with foam at the mouth. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. The OPCW, based in the Hague, said people were possibly gassed to death by a poisonous cocktail of sarin and chlorine. Dr Muhammad, a doctor in Ghouta quoted by UOSSM, said patients were coughing blood, a symptom not seen in previous chemical attacks. UN war crimes investigators had previously documented 33 chemical attacks in Syria, attributing 27 to the Assad government, which has repeatedly denied using the weapons. The United States fired missiles on a Syrian air base a year ago in response to the killing of dozens of civilians in a sarin gas attack in an opposition-held town in northwest Syria, blamed on Assad. Red lines The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said at least 14 people were killed in Monday's air strike on the T-4 base, including foreign fighters - a reference to Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia members, mostly from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran fighting alongside the Syrian army. Iran's Fars news agency said three Iranians were killed. The Russian military said two Israeli F-15 war planes carried out the strike. Interfax news agency cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying Syrian air defence systems had shot down five of eight missiles fired. Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a military source, carried a similar report. The Israeli government had no immediate comment. Israeli Housing Minister Yoav Galant, while not confirming that Israel had carried out the attack, said his country had clear interests in Syria. "We laid down red lines there, which said that we would not allow Syrian land to be a springboard for game-changing weaponry to Lebanon, we would not allow the building of an Iranian army in Syria and we would not allow the opening of another front on the Golan Heights," he told Israel Radio. "In this context we are taking action with all means, over time." In Washington, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged Trump and his administration to destroy Assad's air capabilities, enforce safe zones inside Syria, and target Assad directly. "This president has the chance to do exactly the opposite of (former US President Barack) Obama - send a strong signal that there's a new sheriff in town and America's back," Graham told Fox News in an interview.

'Nothing is off the table': Trump on US military action after suspected Syrian chemical attack

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his backers "must be held to account" if a suspected poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma is confirmed.

Theresa&nbspMay said that if confirmed, the attack would be another example of the "Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people."

"If confirmed this is yet another example of the Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people and for its legal obligation not to use these weapons," Theresa May told reporters in Copenhagen following talks with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.&nbsp

"If they're found to be responsible, the regime and its backers, including Russia, must be held to account," the British PM said.

"The UK utterly condemns the use of chemical weapons in any circumstances and we must urgently establish what happened on Saturday," Theresa May said.

"Poisonous chlorine gas" had been used late Saturday, said Syria's White Helmets who act as first responders in rebel-held areas.

International outrage has mounted against the alleged use of the weapons, with US President Donald Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron vowing strong responses.

Syria and its ally Russia have dismissed as "fabrications" allegations that the attack was carried out by Syrian forces. They have warned against using them to justify military action.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian specialists had found no trace of a chemical attack on Douma.

The global watchdog working to eradicate chemical weapons, the OPCW, is investigating the reports, its head said on Monday.

(With inputs from AFP)

Theresa May said that if confirmed, the attack would be another example of the 'Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people'

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his backers "must be held to account" if a suspected poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma is confirmed. Theresa&nbspMay said that if confirmed, the attack would be another example of the "Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people." "If confirmed this is yet another example of the Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people and for its legal obligation not to use these weapons," Theresa May told reporters in Copenhagen following talks with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. "If they're found to be responsible, the regime and its backers, including Russia, must be held to account," the British PM said. "The UK utterly condemns the use of chemical weapons in any circumstances and we must urgently establish what happened on Saturday," Theresa May said. "Poisonous chlorine gas" had been used late Saturday, said Syria's White Helmets who act as first responders in rebel-held areas. International outrage has mounted against the alleged use of the weapons, with US President Donald Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron vowing strong responses. Syria and its ally Russia have dismissed as "fabrications" allegations that the attack was carried out by Syrian forces. They have warned against using them to justify military action. Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian specialists had found no trace of a chemical attack on Douma. The global watchdog working to eradicate chemical weapons, the OPCW, is investigating the reports, its head said on Monday. (With inputs from AFP)

Assad, backers 'must be held to account' if chemical attack confirmed: Theresa May

The United States strongly condemned an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria's Eastern Ghouta late Saturday, saying Russia bore some responsibility due to its "unwavering support" for the regime.

Douma, the last opposition holdout in Eastern Ghouta, was pounded by renewed airstrikes that killed 70 civilians in around 24 hours -- while 11 people also suffered breathing problems.

First responders have accused forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of using poisonous chlorine gas.

"The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"Russia, with its unwavering support for the regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks."

Nauert repeated the US's previous assertions that Moscow had "breached its commitments to the United Nations as a framework guarantor" and questioned the Kremlin's commitment to ending the crisis.

"Russia's protection of the Assad regime and failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria calls into question its commitment to resolving the overall crisis and to larger non-proliferation priorities," she said, calling upon Moscow to join international efforts to prevent further attacks.

The Syrian regime has been repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons, with the United Nations among those blaming government forces for a deadly sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun in April 2017.

Since February 18, the regime's Ghouta offensive has killed more than 1,600 civilians.

The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The United States strongly condemned an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria's Eastern Ghouta late Saturday, saying Russia bore some responsibility due to its "unwavering support" for the regime. Douma, the last opposition holdout in Eastern Ghouta, was pounded by renewed airstrikes that killed 70 civilians in around 24 hours -- while 11 people also suffered breathing problems. First responders have accused forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of using poisonous chlorine gas. "The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. "Russia, with its unwavering support for the regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks." Nauert repeated the US's previous assertions that Moscow had "breached its commitments to the United Nations as a framework guarantor" and questioned the Kremlin's commitment to ending the crisis. "Russia's protection of the Assad regime and failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria calls into question its commitment to resolving the overall crisis and to larger non-proliferation priorities," she said, calling upon Moscow to join international efforts to prevent further attacks. The Syrian regime has been repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons, with the United Nations among those blaming government forces for a deadly sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun in April 2017. Since February 18, the regime's Ghouta offensive has killed more than 1,600 civilians.

US takes aim at Russia over alleged Syria chemical attack

Russia and the United States have a shared understanding that US air strikes on Syria should not be repeated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem in Moscow on Thursday, Interfax news agency reported.

He said this was &quot;concluded&quot; during Wednesday&#39;s visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow.

But in Washington, the US State Department said Tillerson did not eliminate the possibility the United States may undertake future strikes.

&quot;The secretary explained there were no subsequent targets after the missile strike, but he did not rule out any future action,&quot; State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

&quot;He stressed that Russia is in a position to use its influence over the Assad regime to ensure it is never again necessary for the US to act,&quot; Toner said.

(Reuters)

He said this was 'concluded' during Wednesday's visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow

Russia and the United States have a shared understanding that US air strikes on Syria should not be repeated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem in Moscow on Thursday, Interfax news agency reported. He said this was "concluded" during Wednesday's visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow. But in Washington, the US State Department said Tillerson did not eliminate the possibility the United States may undertake future strikes. "The secretary explained there were no subsequent targets after the missile strike, but he did not rule out any future action," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "He stressed that Russia is in a position to use its influence over the Assad regime to ensure it is never again necessary for the US to act," Toner said. (Reuters)

US and Russia agree no future air strike in Syria: Russian foreign minister

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence Thursday that US-Russian relations will &quot;work out fine&quot; after icy bilateral talks in Moscow, as he looked to China to &quot;deal properly&quot; with North Korea.

Trump faces crucial tests in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula, with tensions building on both fronts over a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria and a mounting challenge from North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-Un.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday that relations between Washington and Moscow, a key ally of the Damascus regime, were at a &quot;low point.&quot;

&quot;Things will work out fine between the U.S.A. and Russia,&quot; Trump said in his tweet.

&quot;At the right time everyone will come to their senses &amp; there will be lasting peace!&quot;

The Russians are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against US charges that his air force dropped a bomb loaded with the nerve agent sarin on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4, killing 87 people, many of them children.

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding that the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation into the attack.

In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad insisted his army had given up its chemical weapons and called reports of the attack &quot;fabrication.&quot;

On North Korea, with Pyongyang reportedly poised to conduct a nuclear test, Trump said he had &quot;great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea&quot;.

He, however, added: &quot;If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A.&quot;

A US monitoring group said North Korea&#39;s Punggye-ri nuclear test site is &quot;primed and ready&quot; to conduct its sixth nuclear test, possibly to coincide with celebrations Saturday marking the birthdate of regime founder Kim Il-Sung.

The Voice of America, quoting US government and other sources, said North Korea &quot;has apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time&quot;.

Trump has asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North, and a US carrier strike group has been ordered to the region as a precaution.

(AFP)

The tweet was made after bilateral relations hit a low point following the alleged chemical attack in Syria

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence Thursday that US-Russian relations will "work out fine" after icy bilateral talks in Moscow, as he looked to China to "deal properly" with North Korea. Trump faces crucial tests in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula, with tensions building on both fronts over a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria and a mounting challenge from North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday that relations between Washington and Moscow, a key ally of the Damascus regime, were at a "low point." "Things will work out fine between the U.S.A. and Russia," Trump said in his tweet. "At the right time everyone will come to their senses & there will be lasting peace!" The Russians are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against US charges that his air force dropped a bomb loaded with the nerve agent sarin on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4, killing 87 people, many of them children. Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding that the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation into the attack. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad insisted his army had given up its chemical weapons and called reports of the attack "fabrication." On North Korea, with Pyongyang reportedly poised to conduct a nuclear test, Trump said he had "great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea". He, however, added: "If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A." A US monitoring group said North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is "primed and ready" to conduct its sixth nuclear test, possibly to coincide with celebrations Saturday marking the birthdate of regime founder Kim Il-Sung. The Voice of America, quoting US government and other sources, said North Korea "has apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time". Trump has asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North, and a US carrier strike group has been ordered to the region as a precaution. (AFP)

Things will work out fine between US and Russia: Trump

Syria&#39;s President Bashar al-Assad said a suspected chemical weapons attack was a &quot;fabrication&quot; to justify a US strike on his forces, in an exclusive interview with AFP in Damascus.

The embattled leader, whose country has been ravaged by six years of war, said his firepower had not been affected by the attack ordered by US President Donald Trump, but acknowledged further strikes were possible.

Assad insisted his forces had turned over all their chemical weapons stocks years ago and would never use the banned arms.

The interview on Wednesday was his first since a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun.

&quot;Definitely, 100 percent for us, it&#39;s fabrication,&quot; he said of the incident.

&quot;Our impression is that the West, mainly the United States, is hand-in-glove with the terrorists. They fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext for the attack,&quot; added Assad, who has been in power for 17 years.

At least 87 people, including 31 children, were killed in the alleged attack, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

But Assad said evidence came only from &quot;a branch of Al-Qaeda,&quot; referring to a former jihadist affiliate that is among the groups that control Idlib province, where Khan Sheikhun is located.

Images of the aftermath, showing victims convulsing and foaming at the mouth, sent shockwaves around the world.

But Assad insisted it was &quot;not clear whether it happened or not, because how can you verify a video? You have a lot of fake videos now.&quot;

&quot;We don&#39;t know whether those dead children were killed in Khan Sheikhun. Were they dead at all?&quot;

He said Khan Sheikhun had no strategic value and was not currently a battle front.

&quot;This story is not convincing by any means.&quot;

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has begun an investigation into the alleged attack, but Russia on Wednesday blocked a UN Security Council resolution demanding Syria cooperate with the probe.

And Assad said he could &quot;only allow any investigation when it&#39;s impartial, when we make sure that unbiased countries will participate in this delegation in order to make sure that they won&#39;t use it for politicised purposes.&quot;

He insisted several times that his forces had turned over all chemical weapons stockpiles in 2013, under a deal brokered by Russia to avoid threatened US military action.

&quot;There was no order to make any attack, we don&#39;t have any chemical weapons, we gave up our arsenal a few years ago,&quot; he said.

&quot;Even if we have them, we wouldn&#39;t use them, and we have never used our chemical arsenal in our history.&quot;

The OPCW has blamed Assad&#39;s government for at least two attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving the use of chlorine.

The Khan Sheikhun incident prompted the first direct US military action against Assad&#39;s government since the war began, with 59 cruise missiles hitting the Shayrat airbase three days after the suspected chemical attack.

Assad said more US attacks &quot;could happen anytime, anywhere, not only in Syria.&quot;

But he said his forces had not been diminished by the US strike.

&quot;Our firepower, our ability to attack the terrorists hasn&#39;t been affected by this strike.&quot;

(AFP)

President Bashar al-Assad said Syria had turned over all their chemical weapons stocks years ago and would never use them

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said a suspected chemical weapons attack was a "fabrication" to justify a US strike on his forces, in an exclusive interview with AFP in Damascus. The embattled leader, whose country has been ravaged by six years of war, said his firepower had not been affected by the attack ordered by US President Donald Trump, but acknowledged further strikes were possible. Assad insisted his forces had turned over all their chemical weapons stocks years ago and would never use the banned arms. The interview on Wednesday was his first since a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun. "Definitely, 100 percent for us, it's fabrication," he said of the incident. "Our impression is that the West, mainly the United States, is hand-in-glove with the terrorists. They fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext for the attack," added Assad, who has been in power for 17 years. At least 87 people, including 31 children, were killed in the alleged attack, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. But Assad said evidence came only from "a branch of Al-Qaeda," referring to a former jihadist affiliate that is among the groups that control Idlib province, where Khan Sheikhun is located. Images of the aftermath, showing victims convulsing and foaming at the mouth, sent shockwaves around the world. But Assad insisted it was "not clear whether it happened or not, because how can you verify a video? You have a lot of fake videos now." "We don't know whether those dead children were killed in Khan Sheikhun. Were they dead at all?" He said Khan Sheikhun had no strategic value and was not currently a battle front. "This story is not convincing by any means." The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has begun an investigation into the alleged attack, but Russia on Wednesday blocked a UN Security Council resolution demanding Syria cooperate with the probe. And Assad said he could "only allow any investigation when it's impartial, when we make sure that unbiased countries will participate in this delegation in order to make sure that they won't use it for politicised purposes." He insisted several times that his forces had turned over all chemical weapons stockpiles in 2013, under a deal brokered by Russia to avoid threatened US military action. "There was no order to make any attack, we don't have any chemical weapons, we gave up our arsenal a few years ago," he said. "Even if we have them, we wouldn't use them, and we have never used our chemical arsenal in our history." The OPCW has blamed Assad's government for at least two attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving the use of chlorine. The Khan Sheikhun incident prompted the first direct US military action against Assad's government since the war began, with 59 cruise missiles hitting the Shayrat airbase three days after the suspected chemical attack. Assad said more US attacks "could happen anytime, anywhere, not only in Syria." But he said his forces had not been diminished by the US strike. "Our firepower, our ability to attack the terrorists hasn't been affected by this strike." (AFP)

Gas attack a 'fabrication' for US to attack us, says Syria's Assad

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson battled to overcome differences with his Russian opposite number Wednesday, but they remained split over an alleged chemical attack in Syria after talks in Moscow.&nbsp;

&quot;Despite the quantity of existing problems... there are considerable prospects for joint work,&quot; Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;Russia is open to this, open to dialogue with the US in all different areas, not only to dialogue but to joint action aimed at results in the areas where this corresponds to the interests of both countries.&quot;

Tillerson, who met with Putin earlier Wednesday, deplored the &quot;low level of trust&quot; between the countries, whose relations have dropped to a post-Cold War low over Ukraine and Syria.

&quot;The world&#39;s two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship,&quot; Tillerson said.

Lavrov said both sides were set on leading an &quot;uncompromising fight against international terrorism&quot;.

He said Moscow was ready to resume a deal with Washington to avoid incidents in Syrian airspace as the two countries lead separate bombing campaigns.&nbsp;

&quot;Today the president confirmed our readiness to return to its implementation on the understanding that the original aims of the air forces of the American coalition are reaffirmed, namely the fight with IS and Al-Nusra,&quot; Lavrov said.

The deal was suspended after US strikes against a Syrian airbase following last week`s suspected chemical attack in Idlib province, in an act Moscow labelled &quot;aggression against a sovereign state&quot;.

Lavrov, however, said that the two sides still &quot;diverge&quot; over their evaluation of the alleged chemical attack, which Washington has blamed squarely on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.&nbsp;

Despite initial hopes in Moscow of better ties with the US under President Donald Trump, the two powers have descended into a furious war of words over the attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun and the retaliatory US strike against the forces Kremlin ally Assad.&nbsp;

Putin admitted that relations have worsened in the three months that Trump has been in office.

(AFP)

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said there is 'low level of trust' between the two countries

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson battled to overcome differences with his Russian opposite number Wednesday, but they remained split over an alleged chemical attack in Syria after talks in Moscow. "Despite the quantity of existing problems... there are considerable prospects for joint work," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russia is open to this, open to dialogue with the US in all different areas, not only to dialogue but to joint action aimed at results in the areas where this corresponds to the interests of both countries." Tillerson, who met with Putin earlier Wednesday, deplored the "low level of trust" between the countries, whose relations have dropped to a post-Cold War low over Ukraine and Syria. "The world's two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship," Tillerson said. Lavrov said both sides were set on leading an "uncompromising fight against international terrorism". He said Moscow was ready to resume a deal with Washington to avoid incidents in Syrian airspace as the two countries lead separate bombing campaigns. "Today the president confirmed our readiness to return to its implementation on the understanding that the original aims of the air forces of the American coalition are reaffirmed, namely the fight with IS and Al-Nusra," Lavrov said. The deal was suspended after US strikes against a Syrian airbase following last week`s suspected chemical attack in Idlib province, in an act Moscow labelled "aggression against a sovereign state". Lavrov, however, said that the two sides still "diverge" over their evaluation of the alleged chemical attack, which Washington has blamed squarely on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Despite initial hopes in Moscow of better ties with the US under President Donald Trump, the two powers have descended into a furious war of words over the attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun and the retaliatory US strike against the forces Kremlin ally Assad. Putin admitted that relations have worsened in the three months that Trump has been in office. (AFP)

US, Russia struggle to overcome rifts in Moscow

US Navy Admiral Michelle Howard said on Saturday US cruise missile strikes on an air base in Syria had destroyed the means to deliver chemical weapons from that base, and the US military remained ready to carry out further strikes if needed.

Howard, the four-star officer who leads US Naval Forces in Europe and Africa, told Reuters the United States had decided to launch the strikes after the United Nations failed to pass a resolution condemning a deadly chemical weapons attack that killed scores of people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun.

Washington has blamed the Syrian government for the attack on Tuesday. The Syrian government has strongly denied responsibility and blamed the deaths on leaks from a rebel chemical arms store it says was hit by a Syrian air strike.

&quot;We conducted strikes against an air field which was the means by which the chemicals were launched into the air. Those means don&#39;t exist now,&quot; Howard said in an interview during a missile defence event in Cologne.

&quot;We saw the misuse of chemical weapons and said, &#39;OK, we need to send a very clear message&#39;&quot;.

Asked about the US military&#39;s plan for how to deal with any potential further attacks, Howard said the military was ready to respond if other civilian options failed.

&quot;As the civilian leadership works through what their options are, if other options don&#39;t pan out, then it&#39;s generally the military that gets asked to do something.&quot;

Howard declined to give any details about the flight path of the missiles, or the US military assessment of the damage caused, but said she was confident the strikes had hit their intended target.

&quot;The intention was to take out the airfield and to remove the means of the delivery of chemical weapons. I feel that was accomplished,&quot; she said.

The cruise missiles were launched by two ships in the European region, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, in close coordination with US Central Command, which is responsible for West Asia.

Howard lauded the quick action taken by the commanders and crews of the two ships in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.

Howard said the integration of the strikes was &quot;flawless&quot; and showed the ability of the US Navy to project power around the world.

(Reuters)

Washington has blamed the Syrian government for the chemical attack on Tuesday

US Navy Admiral Michelle Howard said on Saturday US cruise missile strikes on an air base in Syria had destroyed the means to deliver chemical weapons from that base, and the US military remained ready to carry out further strikes if needed. Howard, the four-star officer who leads US Naval Forces in Europe and Africa, told Reuters the United States had decided to launch the strikes after the United Nations failed to pass a resolution condemning a deadly chemical weapons attack that killed scores of people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun. Washington has blamed the Syrian government for the attack on Tuesday. The Syrian government has strongly denied responsibility and blamed the deaths on leaks from a rebel chemical arms store it says was hit by a Syrian air strike. "We conducted strikes against an air field which was the means by which the chemicals were launched into the air. Those means don't exist now," Howard said in an interview during a missile defence event in Cologne. "We saw the misuse of chemical weapons and said, 'OK, we need to send a very clear message'". Asked about the US military's plan for how to deal with any potential further attacks, Howard said the military was ready to respond if other civilian options failed. "As the civilian leadership works through what their options are, if other options don't pan out, then it's generally the military that gets asked to do something." Howard declined to give any details about the flight path of the missiles, or the US military assessment of the damage caused, but said she was confident the strikes had hit their intended target. "The intention was to take out the airfield and to remove the means of the delivery of chemical weapons. I feel that was accomplished," she said. The cruise missiles were launched by two ships in the European region, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, in close coordination with US Central Command, which is responsible for West Asia. Howard lauded the quick action taken by the commanders and crews of the two ships in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Howard said the integration of the strikes was "flawless" and showed the ability of the US Navy to project power around the world. (Reuters)

Cruise missile strike on Syrian air base destroyed its means to deliver chemical weapons: US Admiral

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that she sees regime change in Syria as one of the Trump administration&#39;s priorities in the country wracked by civil war. 
&nbsp; 
Defeating Islamic State, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are priorities for Washington, Haley said in an interview on CNN&rsquo;s &ldquo;State of the Union&rdquo; which will air in full on Sunday.

&quot;We don&rsquo;t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there,&quot; Haley said.

The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the United States hit a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad&#39;s forces on Syrian civilians.

President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries.

&quot;You pick and choose your battles and when we&#39;re looking at this, it&#39;s about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out,&quot; Haley had told reporters on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington&#39;s first priority is the defeat of Islamic State. 
&nbsp; 
Once the threat from Islamic State has been reduced or eliminated, &ldquo;I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,&rdquo; Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBS&rsquo;s &ldquo;Face the Nation,&rdquo; that will air in full on Sunday. 
&nbsp; 
Tillerson said the United States is hopeful it can help bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution.

&quot;If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe - we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,&rdquo; Tillerson said.

Syrian forces launched further airstrikes on Saturday that killed 18 people including five children in rebel-controlled Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defense rescue service reported.

(Reuters)

'We don?t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there,' Haley said

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that she sees regime change in Syria as one of the Trump administration's priorities in the country wracked by civil war. Defeating Islamic State, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are priorities for Washington, Haley said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” which will air in full on Sunday. "We don’t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there," Haley said. The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the United States hit a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad's forces on Syrian civilians. President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries. "You pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this, it's about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had told reporters on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington's first priority is the defeat of Islamic State. Once the threat from Islamic State has been reduced or eliminated, “I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,” Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” that will air in full on Sunday. Tillerson said the United States is hopeful it can help bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution. "If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe - we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,” Tillerson said. Syrian forces launched further airstrikes on Saturday that killed 18 people including five children in rebel-controlled Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defense rescue service reported. (Reuters)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster a priority for US: Nikki Haley

An air strike killed 18 civilians including five children in Syria&#39;s northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

The monitoring group said the toll in the strike on Urum al-Joz could rise further because a number of people wounded in the attack were in serious condition.

It said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes, which operate in support of the Syrian government.

The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.

Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and is regularly targeted by both the Syrian government and its Russian ally.

Earlier this week, a suspected chemical attack hit the town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, killing at least 87 civilians, including 31 children.

Much of the international community accused Assad&#39;s government of responsibility for that attack, though Damascus involved responsibility.

The Khan Sheikhun strike prompted Washington to take its first direct military action against Assad&#39;s government, with missile strikes against a central air base on Friday morning.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations.

(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes

An air strike killed 18 civilians including five children in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. The monitoring group said the toll in the strike on Urum al-Joz could rise further because a number of people wounded in the attack were in serious condition. It said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes, which operate in support of the Syrian government. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and is regularly targeted by both the Syrian government and its Russian ally. Earlier this week, a suspected chemical attack hit the town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, killing at least 87 civilians, including 31 children. Much of the international community accused Assad's government of responsibility for that attack, though Damascus involved responsibility. The Khan Sheikhun strike prompted Washington to take its first direct military action against Assad's government, with missile strikes against a central air base on Friday morning. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. (AFP)

Strike kills 18 civilians, including 5 children, in Syria's Idlib: Monitor

A US missile strike targeting an airbase in central Syria killed nine civilians, including four children, on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The news agency said five of the civilians, among them three children, were killed in the village of Shayrat just outside the base of the same name.

&quot;An American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

&quot;Another seven civilians were wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, four kilometres (two and a half miles) away from the Shayrat air base,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

Washington said it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a &quot;barbaric&quot; chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime.

The Pentagon said it believed the aircraft that carried out the deadly attack on Khan Sheikhun came from the Shayrat base.&nbsp;

US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis.

The Syrian army had said earlier that six people were killed in the strike on the base &nbsp;-- the first time that the US has directly attacked the government of President Bashar al-Assad.&nbsp;

(AFP)

US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties

A US missile strike targeting an airbase in central Syria killed nine civilians, including four children, on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The news agency said five of the civilians, among them three children, were killed in the village of Shayrat just outside the base of the same name. "An American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child," it added. "Another seven civilians were wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, four kilometres (two and a half miles) away from the Shayrat air base," it added. Washington said it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a "barbaric" chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime. The Pentagon said it believed the aircraft that carried out the deadly attack on Khan Sheikhun came from the Shayrat base. US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis. The Syrian army had said earlier that six people were killed in the strike on the base -- the first time that the US has directly attacked the government of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)

4 children among 9 civilians dead in US Syria strike: Syrian state media

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the US would soon impose additional sanctions on Syria, as part of a military, diplomatic and financial response to a chemical attack blamed on the regime.

&quot;We will be announcing additional sanctions on Syria as part of our ongoing effort to stop this type of activity and emphasize how significant we view this,&quot; Mnuchin said from Trump&#39;s golf resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

&quot;We expect that they will continue to have an important effect on preventing people from doing business with them,&quot; he added, without offering more details.

(AFP)

The sanctions will be imposed as part of a military, diplomatic and financial response to a chemical attack blamed on the Assad regime

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the US would soon impose additional sanctions on Syria, as part of a military, diplomatic and financial response to a chemical attack blamed on the regime. "We will be announcing additional sanctions on Syria as part of our ongoing effort to stop this type of activity and emphasize how significant we view this," Mnuchin said from Trump's golf resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. "We expect that they will continue to have an important effect on preventing people from doing business with them," he added, without offering more details. (AFP)

US readying economic sanctions against Syria: Steven Mnuchin

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airfield from which a deadly chemical weapons attack was launched, declaring he acted in America`s &quot;national security interest&quot; against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

US officials said the military fired dozens of cruise missiles against the airbase controlled by Assad`s forces in response to the poison gas attack on Tuesday in a rebel-held area.

Facing his biggest foreign policy crisis since taking office in January, Trump took the toughest direct U.S. action yet in Syria&#39;s six-year-old civil war, raising the risk of confrontation with Russia and Iran, Assad`s two main military backers.

&quot;Years of previous attempts at changing Assad&rsquo;s behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically,&quot; Trump said from his resort in Mar-a-Lago where he was attending a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Some 50 Tomahawk missiles were launched from US&nbsp;Navy warships, the USS Porter and USS Ross, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, striking multiple targets - including the airstrip, aircraft and fuel stations - on the Shayrat Air Base, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

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Damage estimates from the strikes, which were conducted at 8:45 pm&nbsp;EDT (0045 GMT on Friday), were not immediately known.

Syrian state TV said that &quot;American aggression&quot; had targeted a Syrian military base with &quot;a number of missiles and cited a Syrian military source as saying the strike had &quot;led to losses.&quot;

Trump said: &quot;Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched.

&quot;It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention and ignored the urging of the UN&nbsp;Security Council,&quot; he added.

Trump ordered the strikes just a day after he pointed the finger at Assad for this week`s chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack.

Trump appeared to have opted for measured and targeted air attacks instead of a full-blown assault on Assad`s forces and installations.

The relatively quick response to the chemical attack came as Trump faced a growing list of global problems, from North Korea to China to Iran and Islamic State, and may have been intended to send a message to friends and foes alike of his resolve to use military force if deemed necessary.

&#39;Something should happen&#39; 
Trump said earlier on Thursday that &quot;something should happen&quot; with Assad but did not specifically call for his ouster.

Officials from the Pentagon and State Department met all day to discuss plans for the missile strikes.

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US&nbsp;military action put the new president at odds with Russia, which has air and ground forces in Syria after intervening there on Assad`s side in 2015 and turning the tide against mostly Sunni Muslim rebel groups.&nbsp;

Trump has until now focused his Syria policy almost exclusively on defeating Islamic State militants in northern Syria, where US&nbsp;special forces are supporting Arab and Kurdish armed groups.

The risks have grown worse since 2013, when Barack Obama, Trump&#39;s predecessor, considered and then&nbsp;rejected ordering a cruise missile strike in response to the use&nbsp;of chemical weapons by Assad&#39;s loyalists.

Only last week, US&nbsp;Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the U.S. diplomatic policy on Syria for now was no longer focused on making Assad leave power, one of Obama`s aims.

But Trump said on Wednesday the gas attack in Idlib province, which sparked outrage around the world, had caused him to think again about Assad.

Speaking just before the strikes were announced, Russia&#39;s deputy UN envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, warned of &quot;negative consequences&quot; if the United States went ahead with military action, saying the blame would be &ldquo;on shoulders of those who initiated such doubtful and tragic enterprise.&rdquo;

The deployment of military force against Assad marked a major reversal for Trump.

Obama&rsquo;s set a &ldquo;red line&rdquo; in 2012 against Assad&rsquo;s use of chemical weapons. When Obama then threatened military action after a 2013 chemical attack, Trump issued a series of tweets opposing the idea, including &ldquo;Do NOT attack Syria, fix U.S.A.&rdquo;

Obama backtracked on the air strikes, and after the latest attack, Trump was quick to blame his Democratic predecessor for &ldquo;weakness and irresolution&rdquo; that emboldened Assad.

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said Syrian forces had launched a chemical attack on a northern Syrian town from the Shayrat air base

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airfield from which a deadly chemical weapons attack was launched, declaring he acted in America`s "national security interest" against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. US officials said the military fired dozens of cruise missiles against the airbase controlled by Assad`s forces in response to the poison gas attack on Tuesday in a rebel-held area. Facing his biggest foreign policy crisis since taking office in January, Trump took the toughest direct U.S. action yet in Syria's six-year-old civil war, raising the risk of confrontation with Russia and Iran, Assad`s two main military backers. "Years of previous attempts at changing Assad’s behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically," Trump said from his resort in Mar-a-Lago where he was attending a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Some 50 Tomahawk missiles were launched from US Navy warships, the USS Porter and USS Ross, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, striking multiple targets - including the airstrip, aircraft and fuel stations - on the Shayrat Air Base, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The missiles struck multiple targets - including the airstrip, aircraft and fuel stations - on the Shayrat Air Base, officials said × Damage estimates from the strikes, which were conducted at 8:45 pm EDT (0045 GMT on Friday), were not immediately known. Syrian state TV said that "American aggression" had targeted a Syrian military base with "a number of missiles and cited a Syrian military source as saying the strike had "led to losses." Trump said: "Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. "It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," Trump said. "There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council," he added. Trump ordered the strikes just a day after he pointed the finger at Assad for this week`s chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack. Trump appeared to have opted for measured and targeted air attacks instead of a full-blown assault on Assad`s forces and installations. The relatively quick response to the chemical attack came as Trump faced a growing list of global problems, from North Korea to China to Iran and Islamic State, and may have been intended to send a message to friends and foes alike of his resolve to use military force if deemed necessary. 'Something should happen' Trump said earlier on Thursday that "something should happen" with Assad but did not specifically call for his ouster. Officials from the Pentagon and State Department met all day to discuss plans for the missile strikes. Trump appeared to have opted for measured and targeted air attacks instead of a full-blown assault on Assad`s forces and installations × US military action put the new president at odds with Russia, which has air and ground forces in Syria after intervening there on Assad`s side in 2015 and turning the tide against mostly Sunni Muslim rebel groups. Trump has until now focused his Syria policy almost exclusively on defeating Islamic State militants in northern Syria, where US special forces are supporting Arab and Kurdish armed groups. The risks have grown worse since 2013, when Barack Obama, Trump's predecessor, considered and then rejected ordering a cruise missile strike in response to the use of chemical weapons by Assad's loyalists. Only last week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the U.S. diplomatic policy on Syria for now was no longer focused on making Assad leave power, one of Obama`s aims. But Trump said on Wednesday the gas attack in Idlib province, which sparked outrage around the world, had caused him to think again about Assad. Speaking just before the strikes were announced, Russia's deputy UN envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, warned of "negative consequences" if the United States went ahead with military action, saying the blame would be “on shoulders of those who initiated such doubtful and tragic enterprise.” The deployment of military force against Assad marked a major reversal for Trump. Obama’s set a “red line” in 2012 against Assad’s use of chemical weapons. When Obama then threatened military action after a 2013 chemical attack, Trump issued a series of tweets opposing the idea, including “Do NOT attack Syria, fix U.S.A.” Obama backtracked on the air strikes, and after the latest attack, Trump was quick to blame his Democratic predecessor for “weakness and irresolution” that emboldened Assad. (Reuters)

US fires 59 missiles at Syria air base

There are conflicting reports on the magnitude of the US missile strike in Syria.&nbsp;

Syrian state television called the&nbsp;US strike on a Syrian airbase an act of aggression on Friday, quoting a military source saying there had been unspecified losses.

&quot;US act of aggression against Syrian military targets, using several missiles,&quot; the channel said in a news alert soon after the US announced the strike.&nbsp;

&quot;One of our air bases in the centre of the country was targeted at dawn by a missile fired by the United States, causing loses,&quot; the station then quoted a military source as saying. The source provided no further details on the nature of the losses

Reuters quotes the&nbsp;Homs Governor Talal Barazi sayimg the strike&nbsp;<meta charset="utf-8" />is not believed to have caused &quot;big human casualties&quot; but has caused material damage.

AFP, however, quotes Barazi as saying, &quot;There are martyrs, but we don&#39;t yet know the number either of martyrs or of wounded,&quot;.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Syrian state television quoted a military source as saying there had been unspecified losses

There are conflicting reports on the magnitude of the US missile strike in Syria. Syrian state television called the US strike on a Syrian airbase an act of aggression on Friday, quoting a military source saying there had been unspecified losses. "US act of aggression against Syrian military targets, using several missiles," the channel said in a news alert soon after the US announced the strike. "One of our air bases in the centre of the country was targeted at dawn by a missile fired by the United States, causing loses," the station then quoted a military source as saying. The source provided no further details on the nature of the losses Reuters quotes the Homs Governor Talal Barazi sayimg the strike is not believed to have caused "big human casualties" but has caused material damage. AFP, however, quotes Barazi as saying, "There are martyrs, but we don't yet know the number either of martyrs or of wounded,". (WION)

US missile strike on Syria: Conflicting reports on casualties

After a period of enigmatic statements, US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s approach to the complicated West Asia region&nbsp;has now become totally clear: Deliver more bombs, send more men, fight more wars. This is perfectly in line with&nbsp;President Trump&#39;s need to present himself as capable of resolving all the problems that, according to him, the previous administration left behind.&nbsp;

In the first US military&nbsp;action clearly directed against Syria&rsquo;s President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces, the US army attacked the al-Shayrat air base on Thursday night with more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to Russian sources, six Syrian fighter jets&nbsp;have been destroyed.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump said that his decision to clear the attack came because, according to his staff, the recent chemical attack which occurred in&nbsp;Khan Sheikhun was conducted by air forces which took off&nbsp;from al-Shayrat.

The details&nbsp;of this&nbsp;chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, are&nbsp;still unclear, and while&nbsp;it seems likely to have been carried out by&nbsp;the Syrian Air Force, an investigation is still ongoing. The US-led coalition forces, the UN and several NGOs believe that Assad&rsquo;s Air Force delivered bombs containing chemical agents. Russia has an alternative version, which states&nbsp;that Syrian forces bombed a warehouse where anti-Assad fighters were storing chemical weapons. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The al-Shayrat bombing is just the last action of a US strategy which has been in place since at least a month.

The US military had already scaled up the presence of its elite forces in northern Syria, where the Arab/Kurds Syrian Democratic Forces are now very close to Raqqa, the Islamic State&#39;s capital city.&nbsp;

In Mosul, despite the hundreds of thousands of civilians still living in the western part of the city, the US-led coalition increased the intensity and frequency of its airstrikes. This choice has already had&nbsp;deadly consequences. On March 17,&nbsp;more than one hundred people&nbsp;who were hiding inside some houses were killed.&nbsp;

Many countries supported Trump&rsquo;s increased military action. Right after the missile strike against&nbsp;al-Sharyat, the UK, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel openly backed the US decision. Later on, so did Canada and Jordan. Full support also came from Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who said in a statement that,&nbsp;&ldquo;He understands efforts to deter further attacks. There is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians&rdquo;.

The General Command of the Syrian Army characterised the attack as&nbsp;&ldquo;blatant aggression&rdquo;, and said that this action makes the United States a &ldquo;partner&rdquo; of the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that the army command said that the strike &ldquo;sends wrong messages to the terrorist organisations that would embolden them further to use chemical weapons in the future every time they suffer heavy losses in the battlefield&rdquo;.

After an initial silence, the Syrian presidency issued a statement defining the US strike as &ldquo;an unjust and arrogant aggression&rdquo;.

The American attack is a prominent obstacle on the path of a possible positive development of US-Russia relations. Moscow did not appreciate the fact that they were not informed, and has already declared&nbsp;willingness to take the issue to the UN Security Council. (A Pentagon spokesman said Russian troops in the air base were informed, but US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Russian government itself was not informed prior to the attack.

Russia is the main and major ally of President Assad in the Syrian conflict, and finds itself now forced to find a way to respond to the&nbsp;US decision.&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of his security council and, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, all the participants expressed &ldquo;deep concern at the inevitable negative consequences of these aggressive actions for the joint effort to fight terrorism&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Russian defence ministry spokesman Gen&nbsp;Igor Konashenkow said&nbsp;that his country will continue to support President Assad, and will shortly strengthen Syrian air defences in order to better protect their ally&rsquo;s military infrastructure.&nbsp;

The Russian foreign ministry also declared&nbsp;that from now on&nbsp;they consider the agreement made with the US in order to respectively&nbsp;ensure flight&nbsp;safety during operations in Syria null and void.

It is not only about Russia, but also about US-Iran relations, which are currently very bad. Tehran is sending thousands of militiamen and weapons into Syria to support Assad, and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has long thought that Iran is the major threat to any peace process in West Asia. During his confirmation hearing, Mattis clearly said that it was time for the US to re-establish the effectiveness of their deterrent power.

The US, and their regional allies - including Turkey - see Iranian involvement in both Iraq and Syria as an expansionist game that the country is playing in order to establish their hegemony in West Asia. On the other hand, this is exactly what Tehran thinks about the US intervention in the region.&nbsp;

This attack also opens a new front for the US which was, at least according to their UN ambassador&nbsp;Nikki Haley, focused only on fighting the Islamic State. Bombing Syrian air forces&nbsp;openly contradicts&nbsp;this line, and also is an open act of war against President Assad, and therefore against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Moscow.

The US has&nbsp;never been neutral in their wars in West Asia, used as a way to secure their presence in a strategic area very close to the world&#39;s major oil resources. They have done it in Iraq, where they have been present since 2003,&nbsp;and it seems they are ready to do it also in Syria.

The US missile&nbsp;strike against the al-Sharyat airbase is neither resolutive nor truly effective in destroying the overall military capability of the Syrian army. It is more of a show of strength, a way to continue to push the specious narrative of the US as the guarantor of international law, a sort of neutral actor fighting against terrorism and for democracy. The now irritated Russia has been playing the same game since&nbsp;deciding&nbsp;to enter the battlefield alongside&nbsp;Assad.

The willingness to again push&nbsp;this old and creaky narrative is creating a further diplomatic impasse, which hinders an already faraway solution to&nbsp;the Syrian conflict.

(WION)

American missiles may have struck Syria, but a message was sent to both Russia and Iran

After a period of enigmatic statements, US President Donald Trump’s approach to the complicated West Asia region has now become totally clear: Deliver more bombs, send more men, fight more wars. This is perfectly in line with President Trump's need to present himself as capable of resolving all the problems that, according to him, the previous administration left behind. In the first US military action clearly directed against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad's forces, the US army attacked the al-Shayrat air base on Thursday night with more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to Russian sources, six Syrian fighter jets have been destroyed. US President Donald Trump said that his decision to clear the attack came because, according to his staff, the recent chemical attack which occurred in Khan Sheikhun was conducted by air forces which took off from al-Shayrat. The details of this chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, are still unclear, and while it seems likely to have been carried out by the Syrian Air Force, an investigation is still ongoing. The US-led coalition forces, the UN and several NGOs believe that Assad’s Air Force delivered bombs containing chemical agents. Russia has an alternative version, which states that Syrian forces bombed a warehouse where anti-Assad fighters were storing chemical weapons. The al-Shayrat bombing is just the last action of a US strategy which has been in place since at least a month. The US military had already scaled up the presence of its elite forces in northern Syria, where the Arab/Kurds Syrian Democratic Forces are now very close to Raqqa, the Islamic State's capital city. In Mosul, despite the hundreds of thousands of civilians still living in the western part of the city, the US-led coalition increased the intensity and frequency of its airstrikes. This choice has already had deadly consequences. On March 17, more than one hundred people who were hiding inside some houses were killed. Many countries supported Trump’s increased military action. Right after the missile strike against al-Sharyat, the UK, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel openly backed the US decision. Later on, so did Canada and Jordan. Full support also came from Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who said in a statement that, “He understands efforts to deter further attacks. There is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians”. The General Command of the Syrian Army characterised the attack as “blatant aggression”, and said that this action makes the United States a “partner” of the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that the army command said that the strike “sends wrong messages to the terrorist organisations that would embolden them further to use chemical weapons in the future every time they suffer heavy losses in the battlefield”. After an initial silence, the Syrian presidency issued a statement defining the US strike as “an unjust and arrogant aggression”. The American attack is a prominent obstacle on the path of a possible positive development of US-Russia relations. Moscow did not appreciate the fact that they were not informed, and has already declared willingness to take the issue to the UN Security Council. (A Pentagon spokesman said Russian troops in the air base were informed, but US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Russian government itself was not informed prior to the attack. Russia is the main and major ally of President Assad in the Syrian conflict, and finds itself now forced to find a way to respond to the US decision. Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of his security council and, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, all the participants expressed “deep concern at the inevitable negative consequences of these aggressive actions for the joint effort to fight terrorism”. Russian defence ministry spokesman Gen Igor Konashenkow said that his country will continue to support President Assad, and will shortly strengthen Syrian air defences in order to better protect their ally’s military infrastructure. The Russian foreign ministry also declared that from now on they consider the agreement made with the US in order to respectively ensure flight safety during operations in Syria null and void. It is not only about Russia, but also about US-Iran relations, which are currently very bad. Tehran is sending thousands of militiamen and weapons into Syria to support Assad, and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has long thought that Iran is the major threat to any peace process in West Asia. During his confirmation hearing, Mattis clearly said that it was time for the US to re-establish the effectiveness of their deterrent power. The US, and their regional allies - including Turkey - see Iranian involvement in both Iraq and Syria as an expansionist game that the country is playing in order to establish their hegemony in West Asia. On the other hand, this is exactly what Tehran thinks about the US intervention in the region. This attack also opens a new front for the US which was, at least according to their UN ambassador Nikki Haley, focused only on fighting the Islamic State. Bombing Syrian air forces openly contradicts this line, and also is an open act of war against President Assad, and therefore against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Moscow. The US has never been neutral in their wars in West Asia, used as a way to secure their presence in a strategic area very close to the world's major oil resources. They have done it in Iraq, where they have been present since 2003, and it seems they are ready to do it also in Syria. The US missile strike against the al-Sharyat airbase is neither resolutive nor truly effective in destroying the overall military capability of the Syrian army. It is more of a show of strength, a way to continue to push the specious narrative of the US as the guarantor of international law, a sort of neutral actor fighting against terrorism and for democracy. The now irritated Russia has been playing the same game since deciding to enter the battlefield alongside Assad. The willingness to again push this old and creaky narrative is creating a further diplomatic impasse, which hinders an already faraway solution to the Syrian conflict. (WION)

ANALYSIS: Uncovering Trump's Syria policy

The US&nbsp;fired 59 Tomahawk cruise&nbsp;missiles at the Syrian airbase which it says was responsible for unleashing the chemical attack on Tuesday which killed at least 70 people.&nbsp;

The results of the US strike are still being determined, and the numbers known now will undoubtedly change.

AFP cites Syrian state media, SANA, as reporting&nbsp;that 9 people have been killed, four of them children. They say that all of the 9 are civilians. The Syrian army has said that several have been wounded. The precise number, and the extent of the injuries, is unknown.

The Guardian quotes Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenko as saying that &quot;the combat efficiency of the US strike was very low&quot;, adding, &quot;only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles reached the Shayrat air base in the province of Homs&quot;.

Konashenko said that six MiG-23 fighter jets that were under repairs had been destroyed, but that no war planes in the base were damaged.

(WION)

&nbsp;

This was the first time the US directly attacked Assad in 6 years of war. As far as is currently known, these are the results

The US fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase which it says was responsible for unleashing the chemical attack on Tuesday which killed at least 70 people. The results of the US strike are still being determined, and the numbers known now will undoubtedly change. AFP cites Syrian state media, SANA, as reporting that 9 people have been killed, four of them children. They say that all of the 9 are civilians. The Syrian army has said that several have been wounded. The precise number, and the extent of the injuries, is unknown. The Guardian quotes Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenko as saying that "the combat efficiency of the US strike was very low", adding, "only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles reached the Shayrat air base in the province of Homs". Konashenko said that six MiG-23 fighter jets that were under repairs had been destroyed, but that no war planes in the base were damaged. (WION)

What did the US' strike against Syria achieve?

The UN&#39;s security council will meet today to discuss the US missile strikes on Syria, US diplomats said.

Russia&#39;s military on Friday said a US strike on a regime air base in Syria was ineffective but announced Syrian air defences would be strengthened to shield the country&#39;s key infrastructure.

WATCH VIDEO:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxwXIYrLDlQ">Trump launches military strike against Syria</a>

&quot;To protect Syria&#39;s most sensitive infrastructure, complex measures will be implemented in the near future to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of the Syrian armed forces&#39; air defence system,&quot; defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

He added the strike had had an &quot;extremely low&quot; military impact, and fewer than half of the 59 reported US missiles had actually found their target.

&quot;Only 23 missiles reached the Syrian airbase,&quot; he said.

The strike on the Shayrat airbase, ordered by US President Donald Trump, destroyed six planes under repair and several buildings, including a storage depot and radio station, he said.

&quot;The runway, taxiways and Syrian Airforce planes at parking spaces are not damaged,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;The military effectiveness of the massive US missile strike on the Syrian airbase is therefore extremely low.&quot;

Separately, the Russian state channel Rossiya24, in a report from the base, said nine planes, as well as munition and fuel depots, had been destroyed but the facility&#39;s runway was intact.

Konashenkov&#39;s statement said the attack was a &quot;gross violation&quot; of a US-Russian memorandum aimed at avoiding clashes over Syria.

Moscow announced earlier it was halting the deal reached in 2015 in response to the strike, despite Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming the US side had warned Russia of the impending attack through the channels it had established.&nbsp;

Trump ordered the strike - Washington&#39;s first direct military action against President Bashar Assad&#39;s government - in response to what he called a &quot;barbaric&quot; chemical attack this week that he blamed on Damascus. &nbsp;

Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian forces since September 2015 and has sought to deflect blame from its ally over the alleged chemical attack.&nbsp;

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Turkey welcomed a US missile strike on a Syrian regime airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack and called for a no-fly zone in the country to prevent further bloodshed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the strike against the Sharyat airbase in Homs, northern Syria, was &quot;a positive response&quot; to the &quot;war crimes&quot; of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

&quot;In order to prevent similar massacres from happening again, it is necessary to enforce a no-fly zone and create safe zones in Syria without further delay,&quot; he added in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said safe zones in Syria were &quot;now important more than ever&quot;.

Kalin said: &quot;The destruction of the Sharyat airbase marks an important step to ensure that chemical and conventional attacks against the civilian population do not go unpunished.&quot;

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The missiles were launched from two ships, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (WION)
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The Russian defense ministry said the US strikes had an 'extremely low' impact and only half of the 59 reported US missiles found the target

The UN's security council will meet today to discuss the US missile strikes on Syria, US diplomats said. Russia's military on Friday said a US strike on a regime air base in Syria was ineffective but announced Syrian air defences would be strengthened to shield the country's key infrastructure. WATCH VIDEO: Trump launches military strike against Syria "To protect Syria's most sensitive infrastructure, complex measures will be implemented in the near future to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of the Syrian armed forces' air defence system," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. He added the strike had had an "extremely low" military impact, and fewer than half of the 59 reported US missiles had actually found their target. "Only 23 missiles reached the Syrian airbase," he said. The strike on the Shayrat airbase, ordered by US President Donald Trump, destroyed six planes under repair and several buildings, including a storage depot and radio station, he said. "The runway, taxiways and Syrian Airforce planes at parking spaces are not damaged," he said. "The military effectiveness of the massive US missile strike on the Syrian airbase is therefore extremely low." Separately, the Russian state channel Rossiya24, in a report from the base, said nine planes, as well as munition and fuel depots, had been destroyed but the facility's runway was intact. Konashenkov's statement said the attack was a "gross violation" of a US-Russian memorandum aimed at avoiding clashes over Syria. Moscow announced earlier it was halting the deal reached in 2015 in response to the strike, despite Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming the US side had warned Russia of the impending attack through the channels it had established. Trump ordered the strike - Washington's first direct military action against President Bashar Assad's government - in response to what he called a "barbaric" chemical attack this week that he blamed on Damascus. Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian forces since September 2015 and has sought to deflect blame from its ally over the alleged chemical attack. Meanwhile, Turkey welcomed a US missile strike on a Syrian regime airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack and called for a no-fly zone in the country to prevent further bloodshed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the strike against the Sharyat airbase in Homs, northern Syria, was "a positive response" to the "war crimes" of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. "In order to prevent similar massacres from happening again, it is necessary to enforce a no-fly zone and create safe zones in Syria without further delay," he added in a statement. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said safe zones in Syria were "now important more than ever". Kalin said: "The destruction of the Sharyat airbase marks an important step to ensure that chemical and conventional attacks against the civilian population do not go unpunished." The missiles were launched from two ships, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (WION) ×

UN to meet today to discuss US strike on Syria

Russia said today US allegations that Syrian forces carried out a deadly chemical attack are not based on &quot;objective&quot; information. &nbsp;

&quot;Any data that the American side or our colleagues in other countries could have cannot be based on objective materials or evidence,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the incident in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun was a &quot;monstrous crime.&quot;

Meanwhile, the results from Turkish autopsies on the victims of a suspected poison gas attack in north-west Syria will be sent to the Dutch capital of The Hague for an additional examination, Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag said.

The suspected chemical attack believed to have been carried out by Syrian government forces killed at least 72 people in the rebel-held Idlib province on Tuesday. Thirty-two victims have been brought to Turkey and three have subsequently died during treatment.

Syria&#39;s armed forces &quot;did not and will not&quot; use chemical weapons, even against jihadist groups, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Thursday.&nbsp;

&quot;I stress to you once again: the Syrian army has not, did not and will not use this kind of weapons -- not just against our own people, but even against the terrorists that attack our civilians with their mortar rounds,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The deaths have sparked international outrage with many pointing the finger at the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but Muallem cast doubt on the evidence.&nbsp;

&quot;The first air raid conducted by the Syrian army was at 11:30 am (0830 GMT) on that day (Tuesday) and it attacked an arms depot belonging to Al-Nusra Front that contained chemical weapons,&quot; he said.

Al-Nusra -- now known as Fateh al-Sham Front -- was once al-Qaida&#39;s Syria affiliate and is the main jihadist rival of the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

&quot;Al-Nusra Front and ISIS (IS) and other organisations continue to store chemical weapons in urban and residential areas,&quot; Muallem added.&nbsp;

The Syrian army denied on Tuesday that it had used chemical weapons against Khan Sheikhun, and Damascus ally Moscow said &quot;toxic substances&quot; may have been released when the army struck a &quot;terrorist warehouse&quot;.

(AFP)

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Is the US really bothered or is it just trying to attack Russia and its allies? (WION)
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Syria's armed forces has insisted it 'did not and will not' use chemical weapons, even against jihadist groups

Russia said today US allegations that Syrian forces carried out a deadly chemical attack are not based on "objective" information. "Any data that the American side or our colleagues in other countries could have cannot be based on objective materials or evidence," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the incident in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun was a "monstrous crime." Meanwhile, the results from Turkish autopsies on the victims of a suspected poison gas attack in north-west Syria will be sent to the Dutch capital of The Hague for an additional examination, Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag said. The suspected chemical attack believed to have been carried out by Syrian government forces killed at least 72 people in the rebel-held Idlib province on Tuesday. Thirty-two victims have been brought to Turkey and three have subsequently died during treatment. Syria's armed forces "did not and will not" use chemical weapons, even against jihadist groups, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Thursday. "I stress to you once again: the Syrian army has not, did not and will not use this kind of weapons -- not just against our own people, but even against the terrorists that attack our civilians with their mortar rounds," he said. The deaths have sparked international outrage with many pointing the finger at the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but Muallem cast doubt on the evidence. "The first air raid conducted by the Syrian army was at 11:30 am (0830 GMT) on that day (Tuesday) and it attacked an arms depot belonging to Al-Nusra Front that contained chemical weapons," he said. Al-Nusra -- now known as Fateh al-Sham Front -- was once al-Qaida's Syria affiliate and is the main jihadist rival of the Islamic State group. "Al-Nusra Front and ISIS (IS) and other organisations continue to store chemical weapons in urban and residential areas," Muallem added. The Syrian army denied on Tuesday that it had used chemical weapons against Khan Sheikhun, and Damascus ally Moscow said "toxic substances" may have been released when the army struck a "terrorist warehouse". (AFP) Is the US really bothered or is it just trying to attack Russia and its allies? (WION) ×

US allegations on Syria chemical attack not based on 'objective evidence': Russia

Britain, France and the United States on Wednesday held off calling a vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution demanding an investigation of the suspected chemical attack in&nbsp;Syria.&nbsp;

The western trio called off talks Wednesday as they need more time to negotiate with Russia over the content of the draft resolution.

While the west blames the Syrian regime for the chemical attack in Syria&#39;s Idlib province, Syria and its partner Russia have stoutly denied the accusations.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in support of the Syrian regime in 2015, has suggested that toxic agents were released after an air strike by the US coalition hit a rebel arsenal.&nbsp;

The Kremlin also rejected the draft resolution framed by the west, saying it was &quot;categorically unacceptable&quot; and &quot;pre-empts the results of an investigation&quot;.

They also threatened to veto the resolution demanding the United Nations to probe the suspected attack.&nbsp;

Moscow came with a contending draft resolution&nbsp;that did not mention any need for Syria to cooperate&nbsp;with a UN inquiry, unnamed diplomats told AFP.

However, French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters that negotiations were being held &quot;in a good spirit&quot; and that &quot;there is a chance&quot; for agreement.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s time for action -- no doubt about it,&quot; he added.

But other diplomats sounded more pessimistic.

Some felt there was an increasing chance of Moscow vetoing the draft resolution.

&quot;It&#39;s not going well,&quot; a council diplomat said.

The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that the Syrian government cooperate to provide information about its military operations on the day of the assault.

But diplomats believe that a vote on the draft text presented by the west could be held as early as Thursday.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said he did &quot;not anticipate them (talks) coming to a conclusion today&quot;. But he informed that they would continue negotiating with Russia in the Security Council.

At least 86 people died, including 30 children, in a rebel-held town in Syria&#39;s northwestern Idlib province.&nbsp;

Dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

It is thought to be the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria since 2013, when sarin gas was used.

The deadlock arrives on a day when the US threatened to take action against Syria on their own if the UN did not respond to the threat.

&quot;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,&quot; US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley said.

The deadly attack has also seemingly pivoted the US administration&#39;s Syria agenda.

US President Donald Trump earlier viewed the defeat of Islamic State as being more important than ousting Syria President Bashar al-Assad.

But the Tuesday attack was condemned by Trump as a &quot;terrible affront to humanity&quot;. He also said that the Syrian regime had &quot;crossed a lot of lines&quot; and that his &quot;attitude towards Assad has changed very much&quot;.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The US, Britain and France postpone talks as they need more time to negotiate with Russia over probe into suspected gas attack in Syria

Britain, France and the United States on Wednesday held off calling a vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution demanding an investigation of the suspected chemical attack in Syria. The western trio called off talks Wednesday as they need more time to negotiate with Russia over the content of the draft resolution. While the west blames the Syrian regime for the chemical attack in Syria's Idlib province, Syria and its partner Russia have stoutly denied the accusations. Moscow, which launched a military intervention in support of the Syrian regime in 2015, has suggested that toxic agents were released after an air strike by the US coalition hit a rebel arsenal. The Kremlin also rejected the draft resolution framed by the west, saying it was "categorically unacceptable" and "pre-empts the results of an investigation". They also threatened to veto the resolution demanding the United Nations to probe the suspected attack. Moscow came with a contending draft resolution that did not mention any need for Syria to cooperate with a UN inquiry, unnamed diplomats told AFP. However, French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters that negotiations were being held "in a good spirit" and that "there is a chance" for agreement. "It's time for action -- no doubt about it," he added. But other diplomats sounded more pessimistic. Some felt there was an increasing chance of Moscow vetoing the draft resolution. "It's not going well," a council diplomat said. The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that the Syrian government cooperate to provide information about its military operations on the day of the assault. But diplomats believe that a vote on the draft text presented by the west could be held as early as Thursday. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said he did "not anticipate them (talks) coming to a conclusion today". But he informed that they would continue negotiating with Russia in the Security Council. At least 86 people died, including 30 children, in a rebel-held town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, doctors said. It is thought to be the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria since 2013, when sarin gas was used. The deadlock arrives on a day when the US threatened to take action against Syria on their own if the UN did not respond to the threat. "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 envoy to the UN Nikki Haley said. The deadly attack has also seemingly pivoted the US administration's Syria agenda. US President Donald Trump earlier viewed the defeat of Islamic State as being more important than ousting Syria President Bashar al-Assad. But the Tuesday attack was condemned by Trump as a "terrible affront to humanity". He also said that the Syrian regime had "crossed a lot of lines" and that his "attitude towards Assad has changed very much". (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria chemical attack: UN council vote delayed as talks hit impasse

President Donald Trump does consider Russia a problem, his ambassador to the United Nations and rising US administration star Nikki Haley insisted before an often-hostile New York audience Wednesday.

&quot;I have hit Russia over the head more times than I can count and it&#39;s because if they do something wrong we&#39;re going to call them out on it,&quot; she told the annual Women in the World Summit.

&quot;The things they&#39;ve done with Crimea and Ukraine... and how they&#39;ve covered up for (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad, those types of things we&#39;re not going to give them a pass on,&quot; she said.

&quot;So I have had conversations with the president where he very much sees Russia as a problem.&quot;

The Republican president has come under sustained fire from political opponents for not voicing tougher criticism of Russia at a time when US law enforcement agencies and lawmakers are probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.

&quot;Everybody wants to hear his (Trump&#39;s) words, but look at his actions,&quot; said Haley, adding that Russia opposed strengthening of the US military and US energy expansion.

&quot;The president has done both of those,&quot; she told the opening night of the eighth annual summit that was founded by journalist Tina Brown.&nbsp;

The remark was met by jeers from an, at times, hostile crowd in a largely Democratic-voting city where many dislike the president.

The United States and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after an horrific chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria.

Trump came to office promising both to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin but earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

Haley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina who endorsed Trump&#39;s primary election rival Marco Rubio last year, said she had &quot;a lot&quot; of interaction with the president.

&quot;I talked to him this morning,&quot; she said, adding that she was in Washington at least once if not twice a week for the president&#39;s National Security Council meetings and was also working to keep US senators informed.

Her conversation with a television anchor spanned just over 20 minutes and was several times interrupted by an apparent heckler. She was applauded for remarks in support of veterans and military families.

(AFP)

US and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after a chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in northern Syria

President Donald Trump does consider Russia a problem, his ambassador to the United Nations and rising US administration star Nikki Haley insisted before an often-hostile New York audience Wednesday. "I have hit Russia over the head more times than I can count and it's because if they do something wrong we're going to call them out on it," she told the annual Women in the World Summit. "The things they've done with Crimea and Ukraine... and how they've covered up for (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad, those types of things we're not going to give them a pass on," she said. "So I have had conversations with the president where he very much sees Russia as a problem." The Republican president has come under sustained fire from political opponents for not voicing tougher criticism of Russia at a time when US law enforcement agencies and lawmakers are probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin. "Everybody wants to hear his (Trump's) words, but look at his actions," said Haley, adding that Russia opposed strengthening of the US military and US energy expansion. "The president has done both of those," she told the opening night of the eighth annual summit that was founded by journalist Tina Brown. The remark was met by jeers from an, at times, hostile crowd in a largely Democratic-voting city where many dislike the president. The United States and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after an horrific chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria. Trump came to office promising both to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin but earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad. Haley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina who endorsed Trump's primary election rival Marco Rubio last year, said she had "a lot" of interaction with the president. "I talked to him this morning," she said, adding that she was in Washington at least once if not twice a week for the president's National Security Council meetings and was also working to keep US senators informed. Her conversation with a television anchor spanned just over 20 minutes and was several times interrupted by an apparent heckler. She was applauded for remarks in support of veterans and military families. (AFP)

Trump does see Russia as 'problem': US envoy

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