What the international community says about US missile strikes on Syria

US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) conducting strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea. The US Defense Department said this was part of a cruise missile strike against Syria on April 7, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON - A decision by US President Donald Trump to order Tomahawk missile strikes on military targets in Syria following a chemical attack has drawn both support and criticisms from the international community.

Here are some of the responses so far:

Britain

"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.

Australia

PHOTO: REUTERS

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he supported the US air strike on a Syrian airbase, calling it a "proportionate and calibrated response". In a televised statement, he also called on Russia to play its part in bringing peace to Syria.

Israel

PHOTO: AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supports the "strong and clear message" sent by a US strike in Syria. "In both word and action, President (Donald) Trump sent a strong and clear message today that the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

"Israel fully supports President Trump's decision and hopes that this message of resolve in the face of the Assad regime's horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Teheran, Pyongyang and elsewhere."

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia said it "fully supports" the US strikes on military targets in Syria, saying the decision was a "courageous decision" by President Donald Trump in response to the use of chemical weapons against civilians.

"A responsible source at the foreign ministry expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's full support for the American military operations on military targets in Syria, which came as a response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians...," a statement carried by state news agency SPA said.

Russia

PHOTO: REUTERS

President Vladimir Putin believes the US missile strikes broke international law and seriously hurt US-Russia relations, news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying that the Russian leader, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, regarded the US action as "aggression against a sovereign nation" on a "made-up pretext" and as a cynical attempt to distract the world from civilian deaths in Iraq.

Iran

Iran condemned the US strike on a Syrian airbase, describing it as a "proportionate and calibrated response" to the use of chemical weapons. "Iran strongly condemns any such unilateral strikes... Such measures will strengthen terrorists in Syria ... and will complicate the situation in Syria and the region," the Students News Agency ISNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.

Indonesia

Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, said it also strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"At the same time, Indonesia is concerned with unilateral actions by any parties, including the use of Tomahawk missiles, in responding to the chemical weapon attack tragedy in Syria,"Foreign Ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said in a text message.

"Military actions, undertaken without prior authorisation of the UN Security Council, are not in line with international legal principles in the peaceful settlement of disputes, as stipulated in the UN Charter."

SOURCE: AFP, REUTERS

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