US strikes on Syria: How the world reacted

From strong messages of support to fierce condemnation, here are the main global reactions to a US strike on a Syria air base in response to a suspected chemical attack.

– Against –

In this image released by the US Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter conducts strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea, April 7, 2017.
US President Donald Trump ordered a massive military strike on a Syrian air base on Thursday in retaliation for a “barbaric” chemical attack he blamed on President Bashar al-Assad. The missiles were fired from the USS Porter and the USS Ross, which belong to the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet and are located in the eastern Mediterranean. / AFP
RUSSIA: Unsurprisingly, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was robust in its opposition to teh strike.

The strikes were an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms,” the Kremlin said.

In addition, the action has inflicted “considerable damage” to already “lamentable” US-Russia ties, the Kremlin warned in a statement.

IRAN: The Iranian regime said it “strongly condemned” the strike as it condemns “all unilateral military action”. It said the action was taken under the “pretext” of the chemical strike.

– For –

BRITAIN: The close American ally said it “fully supported” the strikes, judging them an an “appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack”. It said the strikes were “intended to deter further attacks.”

TURKEY: NATO ally Turkey, which is a key player in the Syria conflict and has endured choppy relations with Washington recently, welcomed the strikes as “positive.”

The deputy foreign minister added: “We believe that the Assad regime must be punished completely in the international arena.”

SAUDI ARABIA: A foreign ministry official hailed US President Donald Trump as “courageous” for taking action when “the international community has failed to put a halt to the regime’s actions.”

ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “fully supports” the “strong and clear message” sent by the air strikes. He added that the message should “resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere.”