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US President Donald Trump has received praise from his allies and criticism from countries that support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, following his decision to launch America's first missile strikes against Syrian Government forces.
Key points:
- Russia and Iran said the strikes were against international law and "destructive"
- Turkey and Saudi Arabia praised Mr Trump
- China has urged both sides to work towards a political solution
Russia and Iran condemned the strike on a Syrian airbase while Australia, Britain and Turkey gave their support, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calling it a "proportionate" response to the use of chemical weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the strikes broke international law and seriously damaged US-Russia relations, news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying.
The Russian leader, a staunch ally of Mr Assad, regarded the US action as "aggression against a sovereign nation" on a "made-up pretext", Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's spokesman, was cited as saying.
Mr Assad's office in a statement described the missile strike as "reckless", "irresponsible" and "short-sighted".
The statement said the move reflected a continuation of US policy based on targeting and "subjugating people", and claimed the dawn attack was not based on facts.
Iran meanwhile also denounced the "destructive and dangerous" strike, the Students News Agency ISNA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.
"Iran strongly condemns any such unilateral strikes ... such measures will strengthen terrorists in Syria ... and will complicate the situation in Syria and the region," ISNA quoted Bahram Qasemi as saying.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey praised Mr Trump's decision to attack Syrian forces, describing it as "courageous" and "important and meaningful" respectively.
Both Russia and Iran have supported the Syrian Government throughout the bloody conflict, while the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have supported various opposition militant groups.
'Stay calm, exercise restraint,' China says
China urged all parties in Syria to try to find a political settlement to the six-year-old war.
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping is currently visiting the United States, where he has met with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort.
China also hoped that "relevant parties stay calm, exercise restraint and avoid doing anything that might raise tensions", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
"The latest developments in Syria again speak to the urgent need for a political settlement to resolve the Syria issue," she said.
"We call on all relevant parties to resolutely stick to promoting a political settlement and not abandon efforts to find a political settlement."
China has routinely sided with Russia in blocking action by the UN Security Council on Syria, and Beijing's special envoy for the Syrian crisis has praised Russia's military role there as effective in combating international terrorism.
While relying on the region for oil supplies, China tends to leave Middle Eastern diplomacy to the other permanent members of the UN Security Council.
But China has urged that a diplomatic resolution to the violence there be found and has hosted Syrian Government and opposition figures.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile expressed support for Mr Trump, describing the attack as a "strong and clear message" that the "use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated".
"Israel fully supports President Trump's decision and hopes that this message of resolve in the face of the Assad's regime horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere," he said.
European allies throw support behind strike
The leaders of Germany and France said Mr Assad brought the missile strikes upon himself by using chemical weapons.
"President Assad alone carries responsibility for these developments," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in a joint statement, citing Mr Assad's "repeated use of chemical weapons and his crimes against his own people".
Britain said it "fully supported" the attack, and that it had been told about the plans in advance.
"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," a government spokesman said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Russia and Iran needed to understand that supporting Assad made no sense and that the escalation of the US military role in Syria was a "warning" to "a criminal regime".
"Use of chemical weapons is appalling and should be punished because it is a war crime," Mr Ayrault said.
Reuters/AP
How can Australians help people in Syria?
According to the Red Cross, the most efficient way of helping people caught in the crossfire in Syria is with monetary support. Here are some of the organisations helping people in the region:
UNHCR runs camps for people displaced in Syria, has provided shelter, blankets, heating stoves and aid items to more than 2.3 million people. Since conflict began, Australia for UNHCR has raised $10.8 million to close UNHCR's funding gap in Syria
UNICEF has been providing Syria's children shelter, nutrition, clean water and sanitisation, temporary learning spaces and psychosocial services
Red Cross donations reach 5 million Syrians each month with food, water, first aid, hygiene kits, blankets and cash grants
World Vision are providing food, clean water, sanitation, health care and winter essentials directly to people in Syria. It's also helping displaced Syrians in Lebanon and Jordan
In Syria, Save the Children are also providing food, clean water, medicines and shelter. It's supporting schools and teachers to ensure children are able to continue their education
CARE Australia is delivering emergency aid, shelter kits and food parcels in Syria to displaced families in areas under siege
Medecins Sans Frontieres Australia (Doctors Without Borders) operates medical facilities inside Syria, as well as directly supporting more than 150 medical structures throughout the country- Oxfam is on the ground in Syria and in Jordan and Lebanon providing emergency assistance for Syrians
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic, united-states
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