Syria strike: UK, US and France punish chemical attack
Theresa May says the West ‘cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised’

Britain, France and the US attacked Syrian targets early this morning, seeking to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad for its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians last weekend.
The Ministry of Defence said four Tornado jets fired missiles at a military site near the city of Homs, which was believed to be storing precursor materials for chemical weapons. US Tomahawk missiles struck another target in Homs, and one near the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Theresa May said she had authorised a “limited and targeted strike” that was “not about intervening in a civil war” and “not about regime change”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Referring to the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury last month, she said: “We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised - within Syria, on the streets of the UK, or anywhere else in our world.”
However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the strikes were “legally questionable”.
Last night’s wave of strikes “is the most significant attack against President Bashar al-Assad's government by Western powers in seven years of Syria's civil war,” says the BBC.
It involved about twice the fire-power of last year’s US cruise missile attack on a Syrian airbase, prompted by a previous chemical attack.
“Great care was taken to avoid Russian or Iranian personnel or military hardware,” says The Times, but Moscow was not notified of the strikes before they began. Before last year’s attack, Washington gave the Russian government advance warning.
Nevertheless, says The New York Times, “the strikes risked pulling the United States deeper into the complex, multisided war in Syria and raised the possibility of confrontation with Russia and Iran.”
The Russian ambassador to the US said last night that the attack “will not be left without consequences”.
Donald Trump accused Russia of associating itself “with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children” and raised the prospect of more strikes.
“We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents,” he said.
But the Pentagon described the operation as a “one-time shot”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is the pro-Assad insurgency a threat to the new Syria?
Today's Big Question Interim leader accuses regime loyalists and 'foreign backers' of trying to 'divide and destroy' the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
The challenge facing Syria's Alawites
Under The Radar Minority sect that was favoured under Assad now fears for its future
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published