UK gives 'full support' to US missile strikes in Syria

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - Britain has given its full support to the U.S. missile strikes on a military base under the Syrian regime’s control.

In a statement released Friday, the government said the attack was an “appropriate gesture” to the Bashar al-Assad regime’s “barbaric" chemical attack.

The U.K. government also offered its full support to U.S. President Donald Trump's targeted assault on the Syrian base, from where he said a nerve agent strike on civilians was launched.

Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Friday morning the U.K. had been in "close contact" with the U.S. over the last few days and the government had been "informed throughout".

"We fully support this strike, we've been in close contact with the American government over the last couple of days in preparation for this,” Fallon said.

"The Americans believe they've exhausted all possible diplomatic and peaceful ways of dealing with the use by the regime of chemical weapons and they have been determined to try to prevent future attacks like this so they've taken this action today," he added.

The U.S. fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military airbase that American officials believe was used to carry out a deadly suspected chemical attack on civilians, the Pentagon confirmed.

The Pentagon said initial indications are that the strike "severely damaged or destroyed Syrian aircraft and support infrastructure and equipment at" the Shayrat Airfield.

More than 100 civilians were killed and 500 others -- mostly children -- were injured in an attack allegedly carried out by Assad regime warplanes in the town of Khan Shaykhun, Idlib province, earlier this week.