Tomahawk missile
In picture: U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea which U.S. Defense Department said was a part of cruise missile strike against Syria on April 7, 2017.Reuters

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the US attacks on a Syrian airfield allegedly the base from where the Syrian Air Force carried out chemical attacks on civilians in Khan Shiekhun, killing more than 70 people. US warships fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the air base, which resulted i the deaths of 11 civilians, according to Syrian state TV. Stay tuned to www.ibtimes.co.in for more updates

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

  • Syrian state news agency claims US attack killed nine civilians, including four children
  • Airstrikes reported in chemical attack town
  • NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "bears full responsibility"

 

Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, condemns US missile attack in tweet

6:30am EST: Putin has held a meeting of the security council to discuss the US airstrike. "The participants expressed deep concern at the inevitable negative consequences of these aggressive actions for the joint efforts to fight terrorism," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

6:09am EST: And the penny drops: A Pentagon spokesman has said there is no need for further strikes unless Syria resorts to chemical weapons. So was this just a statement aimed at Trump's opponents back home aiming to prove he isn't in Russia's pocket, or was it just another "I'm more decisive than Obama" move? 

Nigel Farage, one of Donald Trump's most vociferous allies in the UK seems to be distancing himself from the missile strikes...

 6:03am EST:  Russia has suspended a 2015 deal with the US aimed at avoiding mid-air collisions in Syria, and the Kremlin now says the risk of such a collision couldn't be higher. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Taking into account there were missile strikes, I think it's hard to say that the risk can get any higher. The risk is already significantly increased."

5:51am EST: Members of the Russian armed forces at a Syrian airbase bombed by US Tomahawks were given warning of the impending military action, the Pentagon has confirmed. "Russian forces were notified in advance of the strike using the established deconfliction line. US military planners took precautions to minimise risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield," spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said on Friday.

5:43am EST: According to the Associated Press, the Russian military claims it will help Syria strengthen its air defences after the US strike. 

5:41am EST: RT has just brought up this Donald Trump tweet from 2013.

Trump Tweet
RT

5:37am EST: Reuters is reporting that Australia, Britain and Turkey have given the US strike their support, with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calling it a "proportionate" response to the use of chemical weapons.

5:32am EST: According to the Russian military only 23 of 59 cruise missiles launched by the US reached their target on a Syrian air base. There is no information on the whereabouts of the others.

Here's footage of Tomahawk cruise missiles being launched from the USS Porter

5:30am EST Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting of his security council on Friday to discuss the US missile attack on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.