Theresa May prepares to give order for revenge strike on Syria after deadly gas attacks
BRITAIN was last night within hours of launching airstrikes on Syria in response to President Assad’s deadly gas attacks.
Theresa May was preparing to give the order to join the US-led revenge mission for gasman Assad’s attack that left up to 70 of his country’s citizens dead.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley tore into Russia for defending Syria’s use of chemical weapons, saying: “At some point you have to say enough is enough.”
In a dramatic day of developments:
- Sources revealed the furious PM has vowed to stop Assad ever using chemical weapons again;
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned “the Cold War is back with a vengeance”;
- Russia’s defence ministry claimed Britain staged and directed the chlorine gas attacks in Syria;
- Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin spoke and vowed to do their all to “de-escalate” the crisis;
- Jeremy Corbyn sparked uproar by refusing to blame Assad and called for a vote on any strikes;
- Security advisers said Russia had been hacking Salisbury victim Yulia Skripal’s emails for five years.
Mrs May’s Cabinet gave the green light to join the US military action after a two-hour meeting.
The PM told senior ministers that Britain must act to stop the “abhorrent” use of nerve agents and deadly gases to kill and maim innocent civilians.
Sources say Mrs May used her Downing Street summit this week to express her disbelief that the use of chemical weapons — outlawed after the Great War 100 years ago — was “becoming the norm”.
One said: “There was a strong feeling that the use of chemical weapons was creeping back in and something had to be done.”
Insiders yesterday said the PM’s passionate address on Thursday afternoon appeared to be a private rehearsal of a public statement she will have to give within minutes of any military action this weekend.
It is claimed the US, Britain and France could launch a revenge attack against the Syrian regime within a matter of hours.
US officials were said to be meeting at the White House last night to discuss targets amid claims President Donald Trump and Pentagon chiefs had disagreed on how far any military action should go.
Mrs May spoke to Mr Trump late on Thursday and agreed the need to “deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime”.
Nikki Halley, the US ambassador to the UN, echoed the PM’s comments in Washington DC last night, saying that the use of chemical weapons was becoming an “international norm”.
She also blasted Russia for defending the Syrian regime despite claims it launched gas attacks up to 50 times during its civil war.
Up to 70 were killed in Douma last week by a combination of sarin and chlorine gas.
Ms Halley said: “We know who did this. Our allies know did this.
“Russia can complain all it wants about fake news, but no one is buying its lies and cover-ups.”
Moscow’s Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “We have evidence that proves Britain was directly involved in organising this provocation.”
Britain’s UN ambassador Karen Pierce immediately shot back at the “bizarre” allegation.
She stated categorically that Britain had “no invol-vement and would never be involved in the use of a chemical weapon”.
Ms Halley told the UN Security Council that America didn’t want to “rush” into revenge attacks given the huge risks. But she said at some point “you have to do something”.
The USS Donald Cook — a guided missile destroyer with up to 60 Tomahawks — is already within range and is part of the biggest air and naval strikeforce since the Iraq War in 2003.
With action on Syria imminent, the PM could address MPs on the matter on Monday when Parliament returns after the Easter break.
But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has demanded that she delay any action until MPs have their say.
Tory MPs and the DUP last night signalled they would back targeted strikes if it came to a vote in the Commons.
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