Britain fully supports US missile strike against Syria: Spokesman

The British government says it “fully supports” the US missile strike against a Syrian army airbase.

According to Press TV, a government spokesman said on Friday "The UK government fully supports the US action which we believe was an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime and is intended to deter further attacks."

The show of support was a departure from a warning the day before by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson after US President Donald Trump raised the specter of unilateral action.

Johnson warned against rushing into a war with the Syrian government, and said the top priority should be peace talks and passing a United Nations resolution to investigate the April 4 chemical attack.

"It is very important to try first to get out a UN resolution," the foreign secretary insisted.

The US military fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the al-Shayrat Airbase in Homs Province in western Syria on Thursday night. The missiles were launched from the destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the eastern Mediterranean.

President Trump said the operation was in response to the chemical attack in Idlib Province. The Syrian government has strongly denied responsibility for that attack.

The Pentagon claimed the airfield was used to store chemical weapons and Syrian aircraft.

Several members of Congress urged caution after the strike, saying Trump needed congressional authority for military action.

ME