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The United States launched dozens of cruise missiles on Thursday into Syria, in the first direct military action by the US on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime since the civil war began.

The strike came in response to a chemical attack that struck a town in northern Syria on Tuesday which killed around 80 people.

The US fired dozens of Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat air base in the Syrian city of Homs, from which the aircraft that carried out the chemical strikes took off.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that he ordered the unilateral military action against the Syrian government in response to Tuesday’s attack.

“It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,” he said.

The US president also called on “all civilized nations” to work to end the “slaughter and bloodshed” in Syria.

Just minutes before the missile attack, Russia warned the United States of the “negative consequences” of military strikes on Syria.

“We have to think about negative consequences, negative consequences, and all the responsibility if military action occurred will be on shoulders of those who initiated such doubtful and tragic enterprise,” Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Vladimir Safronkov, told reporters.

Members of the UN Security Council are still negotiating a resolution in response to the chemical attack.

The US ambassador to the council, Nikki Haley, had already warned in the previous meeting that Washington could initiate a unilateral strike on Syria if the UN still refrained from taking military action.

Thursday’s strike marked Trump’s first military order since his inauguration in January, as other US military operations in Syria, Yemen and Iraq were carried out under the authority of his commanders.

NATOS Position :

NATO blamed on Friday the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad for the United States bombing of Syria’s Shayrat airbase in Homs, justifying it as a reaction to the alleged chemical attack carried out this week against civilians.

“The Syrian regime bears the full responsibility for this development. NATO has consistently condemned Syria’s continued use of chemical weapons as a clear breach of international norms and agreements,” NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Stoltenberg stressed that “any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, cannot go unanswered, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

“NATO considers the use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security,” he added.

At the same time, he emphasized that NATO “supports all international efforts aimed at achieving peace and a political solution in Syria.”

NATO described the attack that struck in northern Syria, killing at least 86 civilians including children, as “horrendous chemical weapons attacks.”

The US launched dozens of cruise missiles into Syria in response to a chemical attack that struck Khan Shaykhun town in northern Syria on Tuesday.

In line with NATO’s reaction, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande laid the blame for Tuesday’s chemical attack solely on al-Assad.

The Syrian president was responsible for the subsequent decision by the US to carry out the strike on the airbase that killed six people and caused material damage.

Israel’s Position :

The prime minister of Israel Friday praised the president of the United States for ordering the first airstrikes against military positions in Syria in response to a recent chemical attack.

In a statement, Benjamin Netanyahu said Donald Trump has “sent a strong and clear message today that the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated”.

Israel, according to Netanyahu’s statement, fully backs Trump’s decision and “hopes that his message of resolve in the face of the Assad regime’s horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere”.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, too, called the use of chemical arms against innocent civilians horrifying, and hailed Trump’s action as a “fitting response to such unthinkable brutality,” in a statement from his office.

He added the US has set an example for the entire world, which, he added, must support all necessary steps to end atrocities in Syria.

The chemical attack had killed around 80 civilians in northern Syria.

Japans Position :

The Japanese Prime Minister Friday backed the attack carried out by the United States on the Syrian air base of Shayrat and said that the military intervention was to prevent a further deterioration of the situation in the country.

The Japanese government supported the US decision of not allowing the dissemination and use of chemical weapons, said Shinzo Abe who added that Tokyo highly valued the commitment of US President Donald Trump to maintaining order and safety among the allies and the world.

“Japan will coordinate with the United States and the rest of the international community and properly play the role it should play for the peace and stability of the world”, said Abe in statements to the media following a National Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Syria.

The leader stressed that the country has lost many innocent lives because of the use of chemical weapons and reiterated Trump’s words on the impact of this chemical attack on children, something that he described as extremely serious and contrary to human rights.

Australias Position : 

The prime minister of Australia on Friday expressed his support for the strike launched by the United States against a Syrian airfield in response to this week’s chemical attack attributed to the Bashar Al-Assad regime.

“This was a calibrated, proportionate and targeted response,” Malcolm Turnbull said at press conference in Sydney, referring to the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles targeting the Shayrat air base near the Syrian city of Homs.

Turnbull stressed that although it was a major attack against the airbase, “we are not at war with the Assad regime and the US has made that clear also.”

He said the US government had informed Australia about the strike shortly before it was carried out in response to the chemical attack Tuesday against a town in northern Syria, which Washington attributed to the Assad regime and which left around 80 civilians dead.

“Australian was not involved but we remain committed to our ongoing military operations in Iraq and Syria,” said Turnbull.

He also said he regretted the fact that the United Nations Security Council failed on Thursday to condemn the chemical attack because of Russia’s veto power and its support of Assad.

Russia had already warned the US of negative consequences over any military action in Syria in response to the chemical attack.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said at the press conference that Australian air operations are confined to activities in eastern Syria, including Raqqa, targeting Islamic State militants.

Australia has deployed some 400 troops, including 200 special force members, in Iraq as well as aircraft Super Hornet, Wedgetail and C-30A, as part of its contribution to the airstrikes led by the coalition fighting against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

Russias Position :

The Russian president described on Friday an attack by the United States on Syria’s Shayrat air base as an aggression on a sovereign state under a far-fetched pretext.

Vladimir Putin also warned that Washington’s military action was seriously damaging to US-Russian relations.

“President Putin regards the US attacks on Syria as an aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law, and under a trumped-up pretext at that,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.

“Putin also sees the attacks on Syria by the US as an attempt to divert the international community’s attention from the numerous casualties among civilians in Iraq,” he said.

Peskov warned that “this move by Washington is causing substantial damage to Russian-US relations, which are in tatters as it is,” which creates a major obstacle in the fight against terror.

The Kremlin defended the Syrian army against accusations of its use of chemical weapons in the town of Khan Sheikhoun earlier in the week, insisting that “the fact of the destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles has been recorded and confirmed by the OPCW, a specialized UN unit.”

“At the same time, in Putin’s opinion, total disregard for the use of chemical weapons by terrorists only drastically aggravates the situation,” concluded Peskov.

The United States launched dozens of cruise missiles on Syria’s Shayrat air base, in the first direct military attack by the US on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime since the civil war began.

Minutes before the strike, Russia warned the US of the negative consequences of military strikes on Syria in response to the chemical attack.

Irans Position :

The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned on Friday the bombing of a Syrian airbase by the United States, which it described as destructive and dangerous.

Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that Tehran considered that the US using a chemical attack in Syria as a pretext for unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violation of the peremptory principles of international laws.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as the biggest victim of chemical weapons in modern history, condemns any application of such weapons regardless of the perpetrators and victims,” said Qasemi in a statement on FARS news agency website.

Syrias Position :

The Syrian presidency described on Friday the United States attack on one of its air bases as an “irresponsible and reckless” act that reflects “short-sightedness, a narrow horizon, and political and military blindness.”

In a statement, the president’s office said that the US was drawn into a propaganda campaign, alluding to the alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, which Washington used as justification for its bombing.

Propaganda, according to the Syrian presidency, fueled the “unjust and arrogant aggression.”

The statement added that by attacking a sovereign country, the US maintains its policy of “targeting states, subjugating peoples and the attempt to dominate the world”.

The Syrian presidency declared that “this shameful act” increased Syria’s determination in its fight against terrorism in any part of the country.

The US launched dozens of cruise missiles on Syria’s Shayrat airbase, in response to the chemical attack that struck Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria on Tuesday.

According to the official SANA news agency, at least nine civilians, including four children, were killed and seven others wounded in the US bombing of a Syrian military base.

North Koreas Position  :

North Korea on Sunday strongly condemned the US bombing in Syria as an “absolutely unacceptable aggression” against a sovereign state and said this justifies Pyongyang’s further military development.

“The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it,” a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry released Sunday by the KCNA state news agency said.

The text, dated April 8, adds that North Korea, which regards Syria as an ally, is not surprised that this US military attack has been seen “as a warning to us” and that it is another example that “we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions.”

“The reality today is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice,” the statement said. EFE