The US has carried out a missile strike against a Syrian air base in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town.
Fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from two US Navy ships in the Mediterranean. Six people were killed, the Syrian army said.
It is the first direct US military action against forces commanded by Syria’s president.
The Kremlin, which backs Bashar al-Assad, has condemned the strike.
It comes just days after dozens of civilians, including many children, died in the suspected nerve gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province.
What action has the US taken?
On the orders of President Donald Trump, Navy destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross fired dozens of cruise missiles at Shayrat airfield in western Homs province at about 04:40 Syrian time (01:40 GMT).
They targeted aircraft, aircraft shelters, storage areas, ammunition supply bunkers and air defence systems at the Syrian government-controlled facility, according to the Pentagon.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr Trump said he had acted in America’s “vital national security interest” to prevent the use of chemical weapons.
Mr Trump branded President Assad a “dictator” who had “launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians”.
“Tonight I call on all civilised nations to join us in seeking to end this slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types,” he said.
Read more: President Trump’s statement in full
It is not known whether the six people killed were civilian or military.
What is different about this strike?
The US has led a coalition carrying out air strikes against jihadist groups in Syria since 2014 but this is the first time it has targeted government forces.
Source : BBC
