A visit by chemical weapons inspectors to the site of a suspected gas attack in Syria was delayed on Monday, British and Russian officials said, as Western powers and Russia traded accusations in the aftermath of retaliatory US-led missile strikes.

Moscow, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on Sunday condemned the United States, Britain and France for refusing to wait for the findings of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspection team on the alleged attack on Douma before they launched the strikes.

OPCW inspectors arrived in Damascus on Saturday and had planned to head to Douma, on the outskirts of the capital, on Monday. But the British delegation to the OPCW said Russia and Syria had not yet allowed inspectors access to Douma.

Britain's Ambassador Peter Wilson said at a news conference in The Hague that the United Nations had cleared the inspectors to go but they had been unable to reach Douma because Syria and Russia had been unable to guarantee their safety.

"Unfettered access (is) essential," a British statement said. "Russia and Syria must cooperate."

Russia's deputy foreign minister said the delay was due to the Western strikes.

The US&nbspenvoy to the global watchdog said Russia may have tampered with the site of the April 7 attack, which aid organisations say killed dozens of men, women and children.

"It is long overdue that this council condemns the Syrian government for its reign of chemical terror and demands international accountability of those responsible for these heinous acts," US&nbspAmbassador Kenneth Ward said in comments seen by Reuters.

The inspectors for the Hague-based OPCW met Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official in Damascus for about three hours on Sunday.

Washington, meanwhile, prepared to increase pressure on Russia with new economic sanctions, and European Union foreign ministers threatened similar measures.

In London and Paris, British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their decisions to take part in the air strikes against Syria.

Horrible, miserable

The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in retaliation for the suspected poison gas attack in Douma.

The Western countries blame Assad for the attack, which thrust Syria's seven-year-old conflict into the forefront of global concern once again and heightened a diplomatic confrontation with the Kremlin. The Syrian government and its Russian ally deny involvement in any such incident.

Douma, in the eastern Goutha district, was one of the last bastions near Damascus of rebels fighting to topple Assad, and the alleged attack took place amid a ferocious government offensive.

In the aftermath, the remnants of a rebel army evacuated, handing Assad one of the biggest victories in a war that has killed about half a million people and laid waste to whole cities.

The US-led strikes did nothing to alter the strategic balance or dent Assad's supremacy and the Western allies have said the aim was to prevent the further use of chemical weapons, not to intervene in the civil war or topple Assad.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made this clear on Monday as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, telling reporters: "I'm afraid the Syrian war will go on in its horrible, miserable way. But it was the world saying that we've had enough of the use of chemical weapons."

The 28 ministers endorsed the missile strikes and considered steps to deepen Assad's isolation.

"The European Union will continue to consider further restrictive measures against Syria as long as the repression continues," they said in a statement after their talks.

The US&nbspambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday the United States would announce new economic sanctions aimed at companies dealing with equipment related to Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons.

Responding to Haley's remarks, Evgeny Serebrennikov, deputy head of a Russian parliamentary defence committee, said Moscow was ready for the penalties.

"They are hard for us, but will do more damage to the USA and Europe," RIA news agency quoted Serebrennikov as saying.

Although US&nbspPresident Donald Trump had declared: "Mission accomplished" after the strikes, US&nbspLieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon acknowledged that elements of the program remained and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which fights alongside the Syrian army, said the US&nbspmilitary had kept its strikes limited because it knew a wider attack would bring retaliation from Damascus and its allies and inflame the region.

Domestic opposition

The Western leaders were also facing scrutiny at home over their actions.

Britain's May will make a statement to parliament on Monday on her decision and will repeat her assertion that Assad's forces were highly likely responsible for the attack.

The allies could not wait "to alleviate further humanitarian suffering caused by chemical weapons attacks", according to excerpts of her speech.

But she will be questioned over why she did not seek parliamentary approval for the action, a decision that she and her ministers say was driven by the need to act quickly.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has questioned the legal basis for Britain's involvement.

Britain has said there are no plans for future strikes against Syria, but Johnson warned Assad that all options would be considered if chemical weapons were used against Syrians again.

In France, the conservatives, the far-left and the far-right have all criticised the strikes.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday will respond to their criticism in a debate in parliament on Monday afternoon. The French Constitution bars presidents from going to parliament and President Emmanuel Macron will therefore not be questioned by law-makers.

A visit by chemical weapons inspectors to the site of a suspected gas attack in Syria was delayed on Monday, British and Russian officials said, as Western powers and Russia traded accusations in the aftermath of retaliatory US-led missile strikes

A visit by chemical weapons inspectors to the site of a suspected gas attack in Syria was delayed on Monday, British and Russian officials said, as Western powers and Russia traded accusations in the aftermath of retaliatory US-led missile strikes. Moscow, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on Sunday condemned the United States, Britain and France for refusing to wait for the findings of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspection team on the alleged attack on Douma before they launched the strikes. OPCW inspectors arrived in Damascus on Saturday and had planned to head to Douma, on the outskirts of the capital, on Monday. But the British delegation to the OPCW said Russia and Syria had not yet allowed inspectors access to Douma. Britain's Ambassador Peter Wilson said at a news conference in The Hague that the United Nations had cleared the inspectors to go but they had been unable to reach Douma because Syria and Russia had been unable to guarantee their safety. "Unfettered access (is) essential," a British statement said. "Russia and Syria must cooperate." Russia's deputy foreign minister said the delay was due to the Western strikes. The US&nbspenvoy to the global watchdog said Russia may have tampered with the site of the April 7 attack, which aid organisations say killed dozens of men, women and children. "It is long overdue that this council condemns the Syrian government for its reign of chemical terror and demands international accountability of those responsible for these heinous acts," US&nbspAmbassador Kenneth Ward said in comments seen by Reuters. The inspectors for the Hague-based OPCW met Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official in Damascus for about three hours on Sunday. Washington, meanwhile, prepared to increase pressure on Russia with new economic sanctions, and European Union foreign ministers threatened similar measures. In London and Paris, British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their decisions to take part in the air strikes against Syria. Horrible, miserable The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in retaliation for the suspected poison gas attack in Douma. The Western countries blame Assad for the attack, which thrust Syria's seven-year-old conflict into the forefront of global concern once again and heightened a diplomatic confrontation with the Kremlin. The Syrian government and its Russian ally deny involvement in any such incident. Douma, in the eastern Goutha district, was one of the last bastions near Damascus of rebels fighting to topple Assad, and the alleged attack took place amid a ferocious government offensive. In the aftermath, the remnants of a rebel army evacuated, handing Assad one of the biggest victories in a war that has killed about half a million people and laid waste to whole cities. The US-led strikes did nothing to alter the strategic balance or dent Assad's supremacy and the Western allies have said the aim was to prevent the further use of chemical weapons, not to intervene in the civil war or topple Assad. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made this clear on Monday as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, telling reporters: "I'm afraid the Syrian war will go on in its horrible, miserable way. But it was the world saying that we've had enough of the use of chemical weapons." The 28 ministers endorsed the missile strikes and considered steps to deepen Assad's isolation. "The European Union will continue to consider further restrictive measures against Syria as long as the repression continues," they said in a statement after their talks. The US&nbspambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday the United States would announce new economic sanctions aimed at companies dealing with equipment related to Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons. Responding to Haley's remarks, Evgeny Serebrennikov, deputy head of a Russian parliamentary defence committee, said Moscow was ready for the penalties. "They are hard for us, but will do more damage to the USA and Europe," RIA news agency quoted Serebrennikov as saying. Although US&nbspPresident Donald Trump had declared: "Mission accomplished" after the strikes, US&nbspLieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon acknowledged that elements of the program remained and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which fights alongside the Syrian army, said the US&nbspmilitary had kept its strikes limited because it knew a wider attack would bring retaliation from Damascus and its allies and inflame the region. Domestic opposition The Western leaders were also facing scrutiny at home over their actions. Britain's May will make a statement to parliament on Monday on her decision and will repeat her assertion that Assad's forces were highly likely responsible for the attack. The allies could not wait "to alleviate further humanitarian suffering caused by chemical weapons attacks", according to excerpts of her speech. But she will be questioned over why she did not seek parliamentary approval for the action, a decision that she and her ministers say was driven by the need to act quickly. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has questioned the legal basis for Britain's involvement. Britain has said there are no plans for future strikes against Syria, but Johnson warned Assad that all options would be considered if chemical weapons were used against Syrians again. In France, the conservatives, the far-left and the far-right have all criticised the strikes. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday will respond to their criticism in a debate in parliament on Monday afternoon. The French Constitution bars presidents from going to parliament and President Emmanuel Macron will therefore not be questioned by law-makers.

Inspectors' visit to suspected Syria gas attack site delayed

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

Syrian government forces used deadly nerve gas in Khan Sheikhun and in three other recent attacks, Human Rights Watch said Monday, describing a &quot;clear pattern&quot; of chemical weapons use that could amount to crimes against humanity.

President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces are also stepping up chlorine gas attacks and have begun using surface-fired rockets filled with chlorine in fighting near Damascus, the US-based rights group said in a new report.

&quot;The government&#39;s use of nerve agents is a deadly escalation -- and a part of a clear pattern,&quot; said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch.&nbsp;

&quot;In the last six months, the government has used warplanes, helicopters, and ground forces to deliver chlorine and sarin in Damascus, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.&quot;

&quot;That&#39;s widespread and systematic use of chemical weapons,&quot; he said.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 60 witnesses and collected photos and videos providing information on the suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4 and on three other alleged uses of nerve gases in December 2016 and March 2017.

At least 92 people including 30 children died in the suspected sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4, according to local residents and activists. Hundreds more were injured.

Residents said a first bomb believed to be carrying the deadly agent sarin was dropped near the town&#39;s central bakery and was followed by three or four high-explosive bombs a few minutes later.

Dozens of photos and videos provided by residents of a crater from the first bomb showed a green-colored metal fragment that Human Rights Watch said was likely the Soviet-produced KhAB-250 bomb.

Three suspected attacks in Hama&nbsp;

Human Rights Watch said 64 people died from exposure to nerve agents after warplanes attacked territory controlled by the Islamic State in eastern Hama on December 11 and December 12.&nbsp;

Activists and local residents provided names of the victims, while Human Rights Watch interviewed four witnesses and two medical personnel about the alleged attack.

A third suspected nerve agent attack in northern Hama on March 30 caused no deaths but injured dozens of civilians and combatants, according to residents and medical personnel, the report said.

All four suspected nerve agent attacks were in areas where anti-government fighters were threatening government military air bases, according to Human Rights Watch.

The alleged attacks were systematic and in some cases directed against civilians, which would meet the legal criteria to be characterized as crimes against humanity, the rights group said.

Last month, Assad told AFP in an interview that the suspected sarin attack in Khan Sheikhun was &quot;100 percent&quot; fabricated, serving as a pretext for US missile strikes on a Syrian air field.

The rights group said the string of suspected attacks cast doubt over Syrian and Russian claims that toxic agents were released in Khan Sheikhun after a bomb struck a chemical weapons depot on the ground.

&quot;It would not be plausible that conventional bombs struck chemical caches repeatedly across the country,&quot; said in the report titled &quot;Death by Chemicals.&quot;

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is investigating allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria along with the joint UN-OPCW panel (JIM) which is tasked with assigning responsibility for the attacks.

Citing mounting evidence of repeated chemical weapons use, Human Rights Watch said the UN Security Council should once again ask the International Criminal Court to open a war crimes investigation.

Such a move by the council in 2014 was blocked by Russia, Assad&#39;s top ally, and China.

(AFP)

Assad's forces are also stepping up chlorine gas attacks and have begun using surface-fired rockets filled with chlorine in fighting near Damascus

Syrian government forces used deadly nerve gas in Khan Sheikhun and in three other recent attacks, Human Rights Watch said Monday, describing a "clear pattern" of chemical weapons use that could amount to crimes against humanity. President Bashar al-Assad's forces are also stepping up chlorine gas attacks and have begun using surface-fired rockets filled with chlorine in fighting near Damascus, the US-based rights group said in a new report. "The government's use of nerve agents is a deadly escalation -- and a part of a clear pattern," said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch. "In the last six months, the government has used warplanes, helicopters, and ground forces to deliver chlorine and sarin in Damascus, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo." "That's widespread and systematic use of chemical weapons," he said. Human Rights Watch interviewed 60 witnesses and collected photos and videos providing information on the suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4 and on three other alleged uses of nerve gases in December 2016 and March 2017. At least 92 people including 30 children died in the suspected sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4, according to local residents and activists. Hundreds more were injured. Residents said a first bomb believed to be carrying the deadly agent sarin was dropped near the town's central bakery and was followed by three or four high-explosive bombs a few minutes later. Dozens of photos and videos provided by residents of a crater from the first bomb showed a green-colored metal fragment that Human Rights Watch said was likely the Soviet-produced KhAB-250 bomb. Three suspected attacks in Hama Human Rights Watch said 64 people died from exposure to nerve agents after warplanes attacked territory controlled by the Islamic State in eastern Hama on December 11 and December 12. Activists and local residents provided names of the victims, while Human Rights Watch interviewed four witnesses and two medical personnel about the alleged attack. A third suspected nerve agent attack in northern Hama on March 30 caused no deaths but injured dozens of civilians and combatants, according to residents and medical personnel, the report said. All four suspected nerve agent attacks were in areas where anti-government fighters were threatening government military air bases, according to Human Rights Watch. The alleged attacks were systematic and in some cases directed against civilians, which would meet the legal criteria to be characterized as crimes against humanity, the rights group said. Last month, Assad told AFP in an interview that the suspected sarin attack in Khan Sheikhun was "100 percent" fabricated, serving as a pretext for US missile strikes on a Syrian air field. The rights group said the string of suspected attacks cast doubt over Syrian and Russian claims that toxic agents were released in Khan Sheikhun after a bomb struck a chemical weapons depot on the ground. "It would not be plausible that conventional bombs struck chemical caches repeatedly across the country," said in the report titled "Death by Chemicals." The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is investigating allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria along with the joint UN-OPCW panel (JIM) which is tasked with assigning responsibility for the attacks. Citing mounting evidence of repeated chemical weapons use, Human Rights Watch said the UN Security Council should once again ask the International Criminal Court to open a war crimes investigation. Such a move by the council in 2014 was blocked by Russia, Assad's top ally, and China. (AFP)

Syrian regime used deadly nerve agent in four recent attacks: HRW

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

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN draft resolution demanding the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation of a suspected chemical attack that the West blames on President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces.

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Russia vetoes UN resolution that condemns Syria chemical attack and calls for swift investigation. <a href="https://t.co/6LM13G8xpf">https://t.co/6LM13G8xpf</a>
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It was the eighth time that Russia has used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block action directed at its ally in Damascus.

Britain, France and the United States put forward the measure in response to the suspected sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that left 87 dead, including 31 children.

China, another veto-holding power at the council, abstained in the vote, as did Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.&nbsp;

Bolivia voted against the measure and 10 other council members supported it.

Russia imposed its veto as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after talks in Moscow that there was a &quot;low level of trust&quot; between the United States and Russia.

The proposed resolution would have condemned the alleged attack and expressed the council&#39;s full backing to investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The draft specifically would have demanded that the Syrian government provide flight plans, flight logs and other information on its military operations on April 4, hand over the names of commanders of any aircraft and provide access to air bases to UN investigators.

(AFP)

It was the eighth time that Russia has used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block action directed at its ally in Damascus

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN draft resolution demanding the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation of a suspected chemical attack that the West blames on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Russia vetoes UN resolution that condemns Syria chemical attack and calls for swift investigation. https://t.co/6LM13G8xpf — The Associated Press (@AP) April 12, 2017 × It was the eighth time that Russia has used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block action directed at its ally in Damascus. Britain, France and the United States put forward the measure in response to the suspected sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that left 87 dead, including 31 children. China, another veto-holding power at the council, abstained in the vote, as did Kazakhstan and Ethiopia. Bolivia voted against the measure and 10 other council members supported it. Russia imposed its veto as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after talks in Moscow that there was a "low level of trust" between the United States and Russia. The proposed resolution would have condemned the alleged attack and expressed the council's full backing to investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The draft specifically would have demanded that the Syrian government provide flight plans, flight logs and other information on its military operations on April 4, hand over the names of commanders of any aircraft and provide access to air bases to UN investigators. (AFP)

Russia vetoes UN draft resolution on Syria gas attack probe

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

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

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?

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

The United States and Russia were on a collision course over Syria on Wednesday after a horrific chemical attack so shocked President Donald Trump that Washington threatened unilateral US action.

At least 86 people were killed early on Tuesday in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria and dozens more were being treated after they were found convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

After previous major chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, Trump strongly urged then-president Barack Obama not to order military intervention against Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime.

And he came to office promising both to improve ties with Assad&#39;s ally President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to focus US efforts in Syria solely on the defeat of the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

But on Wednesday -- as footage emerged of Syrian children choking to death in agony -- he declared that his view of the conflict had been changed by an attack that &quot;cannot be tolerated.&quot;

&quot;It crossed a lot of lines for me,&quot; Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Jordan&#39;s King Abdullah, alluding to Obama&#39;s failure to enforce his own 2013 &quot;red line.&quot;

&quot;When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines,&quot; he warned.

&quot;I will tell you, it&#39;s already happened, that my attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much... You&#39;re now talking about a whole different level.&quot;

Trump did not go into detail about what any US response to the atrocity would be -- and he has previously opposed deeper US military involvement in Syria&#39;s civil war.

Rethink support

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral action and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

&quot;There is no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for this horrific attack,&quot; Tillerson told reporters.

&quot;And we think it is time for the Russians to really think carefully about their continuing support for the Assad regime.&quot;

Tillerson is due in Moscow next week for talks that will now be clouded by the Khan Sheikhun controversy.

At the United Nations, Haley was equally forthright.

&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; she said.

The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack.

Haley, lashing out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, showed photographs of lifeless children choked in the attack.

&quot;How many more children have to die before Russia cares?&quot; she demanded. &quot;If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it.&quot;&nbsp;

&#39;Categorically unacceptable&#39;

Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack.

Russia -- along with Iran -- is Syria&#39;s main diplomatic and military partner. And Moscow, true to form, said the draft text was &quot;categorically unacceptable.&quot;

Failure to agree on a compromise text could prompt Russia to use its veto to block the draft resolution. Moscow has used its veto seven times to shield Syria from UN action.

The Western-backed draft text backs a probe by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands Syria provide information on its operations.

Russia&#39;s deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the UN council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry.

&quot;The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened,&quot; he said.

Russia turned up at negotiations with a rival draft resolution that made no reference to specific demands that Damascus cooperate with an inquiry, diplomats said.

Negotiations were continuing on the draft text and diplomats said there would not be a vote before Thursday at the earliest.

&quot;We are talking about war crimes here, war crimes on a large scale, war crimes with chemical weapons,&quot; said French Ambassador Francois Delattre.

The British ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, told reporters he hoped council members would agree on a draft resolution by Thursday, but vowed to press for a vote regardless.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad&#39;s forces, defended the government against accusations of responsibility for the attack.

It claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian strike hit a &quot;terrorist warehouse&quot; for bombs containing &quot;toxic substances&quot; and pledged to maintain its military support for Assad.

Western experts have dismissed this claim as implausible, given the scale and nature of the casualties.

And a senior State Department official said: &quot;Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot is not true.&quot;&nbsp;

A gas so lethal&#39;

Doctors said victims showed symptoms consistent with the use of a nerve agent such as sarin -- suspected to have been used by government forces in deadly attacks outside Damascus in 2013.

US officials have not said what kind of agent they think was used, but Trump said it was &quot;a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was.&quot;

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria&#39;s civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since.

(AFP)

Trump alluded?to Obama's failure to enforce his own 2013 'red line'. Nikki Haley warned of unilateral action

The United States and Russia were on a collision course over Syria on Wednesday after a horrific chemical attack so shocked President Donald Trump that Washington threatened unilateral US action. At least 86 people were killed early on Tuesday in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria and dozens more were being treated after they were found convulsing and foaming at the mouth. After previous major chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, Trump strongly urged then-president Barack Obama not to order military intervention against Bashar al-Assad's regime. And he came to office promising both to improve ties with Assad's ally President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to focus US efforts in Syria solely on the defeat of the Islamic State group. But on Wednesday -- as footage emerged of Syrian children choking to death in agony -- he declared that his view of the conflict had been changed by an attack that "cannot be tolerated." "It crossed a lot of lines for me," Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah, alluding to Obama's failure to enforce his own 2013 "red line." "When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines," he warned. "I will tell you, it's already happened, that my attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much... You're now talking about a whole different level." Trump did not go into detail about what any US response to the atrocity would be -- and he has previously opposed deeper US military involvement in Syria's civil war. Rethink support The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral action and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad. "There is no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson told reporters. "And we think it is time for the Russians to really think carefully about their continuing support for the Assad regime." Tillerson is due in Moscow next week for talks that will now be clouded by the Khan Sheikhun controversy. At the United Nations, Haley was equally forthright. "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," she said. The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack. Haley, lashing out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, showed photographs of lifeless children choked in the attack. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she demanded. "If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it." 'Categorically unacceptable' Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack. Russia -- along with Iran -- is Syria's main diplomatic and military partner. And Moscow, true to form, said the draft text was "categorically unacceptable." Failure to agree on a compromise text could prompt Russia to use its veto to block the draft resolution. Moscow has used its veto seven times to shield Syria from UN action. The Western-backed draft text backs a probe by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands Syria provide information on its operations. Russia's deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the UN council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry. "The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," he said. Russia turned up at negotiations with a rival draft resolution that made no reference to specific demands that Damascus cooperate with an inquiry, diplomats said. Negotiations were continuing on the draft text and diplomats said there would not be a vote before Thursday at the earliest. "We are talking about war crimes here, war crimes on a large scale, war crimes with chemical weapons," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre. The British ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, told reporters he hoped council members would agree on a draft resolution by Thursday, but vowed to press for a vote regardless. Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, defended the government against accusations of responsibility for the attack. It claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" for bombs containing "toxic substances" and pledged to maintain its military support for Assad. Western experts have dismissed this claim as implausible, given the scale and nature of the casualties. And a senior State Department official said: "Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot is not true." A gas so lethal' Doctors said victims showed symptoms consistent with the use of a nerve agent such as sarin -- suspected to have been used by government forces in deadly attacks outside Damascus in 2013. US officials have not said what kind of agent they think was used, but Trump said it was "a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was." If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011. Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since. (AFP)

Syria chemical attack: United States warns of 'own action'

The United States said it would take unilateral action against Syria if the United Nations couldn&#39;t rein in the Syrian regime, a day after an alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held town left scores dead, including children.

The deadly attack in Idlib province in Syria has also changed US President Donald Trump&#39;s opinion about the Bashar al-Assad regime. Trump condemned the attack, saying it had crossed &quot;many, many lines&quot; by &quot;killing innocent children&quot;.

The warnings by the US administration were made a day after at least 86 people, including 30 children, died due to the possible gas attacks, while several others were left gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth.

Speaking during the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US would act on its own if the United Nations failed to tackle the protracted conflict in Syria.

&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; Haley said.

She also urged Russia to use its influence to end the &quot;horrific acts&quot;&nbsp;in Syria.

&quot;How many more children have to die before Russia cares? If Russia has the influence in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;that it claims to have, we need to see them use it,&quot; she said.

The US and the west have blamed Assad for overseeing the deadliest attack since 2013. They have also accused Russia and Iran of aiding Assad in the years-long civil war that has left around 320,000 people&nbsp;dead.

Both Syria and Russia have denied carrying out the attack, with Moscow suggesting that toxic agents were released after an air strike by the US coalition hit a rebel arsenal.&nbsp;

&#39;Terrible affront to humanity&#39;

Trump&#39;s condemnation of the possible gas attack has also pivoted the administration&#39;s agenda in Syria.

Trump had previously spoken about how defeating Islamic State and not removal of Assad was seen as a priority by his administration.

The shift in stance was evidenced when White House press secretary Sean Spicer admitted that the US administration was now being driven by a new &quot;reality&quot;, Independent reported.

Trump also assailed the Syrian regime by dubbing the attack as a &quot;terrible affront to humanity&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;That attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me ... my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much,&quot; the 70-year-old president said.

France urges US to back&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;solution&nbsp;

Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack, but Russia said the text was &quot;categorically unacceptable&quot;.

&quot;If we are not prepared to act, then this council will keep meeting, month after month to express outrage at the continuing use of chemical weapons and it will not end,&quot; Haley said.

&quot;We will see more conflict in&nbsp;Syria. We will see more pictures that we can never unsee.&quot;

French Ambassador Francois Delattre called on Russia to ratchet up pressure on Assad but also had a message for the Trump administration.

&quot;Frankly we also need an American that is seriously committed to a solution in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;and puts all its weight behind it. If not now, when?&quot; Delattre told reporters.

The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;cooperate to provide information on its military operations on the day of the assault.

Russia&#39;s Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry.

&quot;The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Negotiations were continuing on the draft text, but diplomats said they hoped it could be put to a vote later on Wednesday.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The US also urged Russia to exert its influence and rein in the Syrian regime, who it blames for the deadly attack in Idlib province

The United States said it would take unilateral action against Syria if the United Nations couldn't rein in the Syrian regime, a day after an alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held town left scores dead, including children. The deadly attack in Idlib province in Syria has also changed US President Donald Trump's opinion about the Bashar al-Assad regime. Trump condemned the attack, saying it had crossed "many, many lines" by "killing innocent children". The warnings by the US administration were made a day after at least 86 people, including 30 children, died due to the possible gas attacks, while several others were left gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth. Speaking during the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US would act on its own if the United Nations failed to tackle the protracted conflict in Syria. "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," Haley said. She also urged Russia to use its influence to end the "horrific acts" in Syria. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares? If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it," she said. The US and the west have blamed Assad for overseeing the deadliest attack since 2013. They have also accused Russia and Iran of aiding Assad in the years-long civil war that has left around 320,000 people dead. Both Syria and Russia have denied carrying out the attack, with Moscow suggesting that toxic agents were released after an air strike by the US coalition hit a rebel arsenal. 'Terrible affront to humanity' Trump's condemnation of the possible gas attack has also pivoted the administration's agenda in Syria. Trump had previously spoken about how defeating Islamic State and not removal of Assad was seen as a priority by his administration. The shift in stance was evidenced when White House press secretary Sean Spicer admitted that the US administration was now being driven by a new "reality", Independent reported. Trump also assailed the Syrian regime by dubbing the attack as a "terrible affront to humanity". "That attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me ... my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much," the 70-year-old president said. France urges US to back Syria solution Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack, but Russia said the text was "categorically unacceptable". "If we are not prepared to act, then this council will keep meeting, month after month to express outrage at the continuing use of chemical weapons and it will not end," Haley said. "We will see more conflict in Syria. We will see more pictures that we can never unsee." French Ambassador Francois Delattre called on Russia to ratchet up pressure on Assad but also had a message for the Trump administration. "Frankly we also need an American that is seriously committed to a solution in Syria and puts all its weight behind it. If not now, when?" Delattre told reporters. The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that Syria cooperate to provide information on its military operations on the day of the assault. Russia's Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry. "The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," he said. Negotiations were continuing on the draft text, but diplomats said they hoped it could be put to a vote later on Wednesday. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria 'gas attack': US threatens to take unilateral action if UN talks fail

A Syrian air strike hit a &quot;terrorist warehouse&quot; containing &quot;toxic substances&quot;, Moscow said Wednesday, a day after a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwest Syria that killed scores of civilians.

&quot;According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun,&quot; the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

It housed &quot;a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances&quot;, said the ministry, without stating if the strike was voluntary or deliberate.

&quot;The arsenal of chemical weapons&quot; was destined for fighters in Iraq, the ministry said, adding that the information was &quot;completely reliable and objective.&quot;

The use of such weapons &quot;by terrorists has been repeatedly proved by international organisations as well as official authorities&quot; in Iraq.

The statement did not specify whether the Syrian regime knew there were chemical weapons there and pointed the finger at &quot;terrorists&quot; who they say hold the toxic arms.&nbsp;

At least 72 civilians including 20 children died in a suspected chemical attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province in the northwest.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the attack also left dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth.

Syria&#39;s opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.

The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming &quot;terrorist groups&quot; for using &quot;chemical and toxic substances&quot;.

Rebel groups led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front vowed revenge for the attack.

The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain presenting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation.

(AFP)

The death toll from Tuesday's attack has risen to 72, including 20 children

A Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances", Moscow said Wednesday, a day after a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwest Syria that killed scores of civilians. "According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. It housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", said the ministry, without stating if the strike was voluntary or deliberate. "The arsenal of chemical weapons" was destined for fighters in Iraq, the ministry said, adding that the information was "completely reliable and objective." The use of such weapons "by terrorists has been repeatedly proved by international organisations as well as official authorities" in Iraq. The statement did not specify whether the Syrian regime knew there were chemical weapons there and pointed the finger at "terrorists" who they say hold the toxic arms. At least 72 civilians including 20 children died in a suspected chemical attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province in the northwest. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the attack also left dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth. Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks. The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances". Rebel groups led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front vowed revenge for the attack. The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain presenting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation. (AFP)

Syria strike hit rebel 'toxic' weapons depot: Moscow

At least 34 people in Palmyra have been killed in a suspected gas attack and heavy bombardment, according to a war monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing local sources near the site of the attack in eastern Hama province, northwest of the ancient city of Palmyra, said there were dead bodies with no visible injuries.

This comes a day after Islami State recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra.

The reported attack came from the air and took place near the town of Uqairabat, which lies on a main road leading south into Palmyra from government-held territory, the Observatory said, without specifying who might have been responsible.

Amaq, a news service linked to Islamic State, said in an online statement that 20 people had died and around 200 were injured from breathing problems &quot;as a result of a Russian air attack with sarin gas&quot;.

Both the Syrian army and Russia have denied using chemical weapons. A United Nations investigation this year found that the Syrian military had used chlorine in attacks on rebels and that Islamic State had also used chemical weapons in attacks.&nbsp;

Damascus has said that the conclusions of that investigation were wrong.

On Sunday Islamic State militants recaptured Palmyra despite dozens of Russian air strikes attempting to push them back. It had previously been driven from the city in March.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were cases of suffocation and that dozens had been wounded during heavy rocket fire

At least 34 people in Palmyra have been killed in a suspected gas attack and heavy bombardment, according to a war monitor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing local sources near the site of the attack in eastern Hama province, northwest of the ancient city of Palmyra, said there were dead bodies with no visible injuries. This comes a day after Islami State recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra. The reported attack came from the air and took place near the town of Uqairabat, which lies on a main road leading south into Palmyra from government-held territory, the Observatory said, without specifying who might have been responsible. Amaq, a news service linked to Islamic State, said in an online statement that 20 people had died and around 200 were injured from breathing problems "as a result of a Russian air attack with sarin gas". Both the Syrian army and Russia have denied using chemical weapons. A United Nations investigation this year found that the Syrian military had used chlorine in attacks on rebels and that Islamic State had also used chemical weapons in attacks. Damascus has said that the conclusions of that investigation were wrong. On Sunday Islamic State militants recaptured Palmyra despite dozens of Russian air strikes attempting to push them back. It had previously been driven from the city in March. (With inputs from Reuters)

Suspected gas attack near IS-held Palmyra: Monitor

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