A man. They are crimes of a monster instead in twenty gene Prime Minister who reason may defend britains role in the strikes she points finger at russia for failing to call the Syrian Government accountable for its use of weapons. And residents taking to the streets of damascus in a show of defiance says syrias president says the strikes will only increase his resolve to quote crush terrorism in every inch of the country. Im dr thomas thanks so much for being with us the United States and its allies britain france of carried out air strikes on suspected chemical weapons facilities in syria present trump says they were in response to last weeks alleged gas attack in the syrian town of duma was left dozens of civilians that missiles began hitting targets in and around the cities of damascus and holmes within minutes of his announcement. Lights flare over the syrian capital damascus as western missiles fall. In a wave of strikes launched from naval vessels and the year the us backed by french and British Forces bombed syria. They were aiming to not count three targets related to syrias chemical weapons program. To facilities in the capital damascus and one in the western city of homs. Syria state t. V. Broadcast footage of the building it said was a Research Center hit by a mistrial the joint military action came a week after a gas attack on civilians which was though it was being carried out by the forces of syrian president Bashar Al Assad. We are prepared to sustain this response or until the Syrian Regime stops or choose of prohibited chemical agents i also have a message tonight for the two governments most responsible for supporting equipping and financing the criminal assad regime to iran and to russia i ask what kind of a nation wants to be associated with a mass murder of innocent men women and children. This is the largest display of joint force by western nations against the assad regime and more significantly bigger than u. S. Strikes on syria a year ago. Set up at us your visit is objective this operation targeted objectives belonging to the clandestine Chemical Program of syria plus the main Research Center of this program and to important production science has been struck. Three days time gets we have heat the capacity of syria to develop and to produce chemical weapons metal poor dippold you design a machine mcgillis heat heat that dont. Despite the strikes britains Prime Minister made it renewed calls for diplomacy. There is a wider question on the future political solution for syria and that is a matter that we will continue to pursue in diplomatic channels and diplomatic and political channels with International Partners and allies after the strikes some assad supporters hold noisy demonstrations of defiance in damascus meanwhile syria rebels fighting the assad regime and the western strikes were a fast as long as assad stayed in power. Lets get an assessment now what happened overnight im joined in the studio by the Aspen Institute tyson barker writes about american politics and by yakob a weiss writer and journalist on the middle east thanks to both of you for coming in although if we could start with you weve been seeing crowds celebrating on the streets of damascus and other cities in syria what are they celebrating remember that this is a place where you cannot go as an independent journalist im not sure exactly what theyre celebrating celebrating the state and poet and this this was not the thought initially adaptation of a set foot being get off guard who do you think the sites that have been hit have been a setback for him militarily i dont that i dont think that its all a fake admitted that it could be but its. To use his main tactic in this regime and the means that they will show which is that this criminal bombardment of civilian areas in this video deals with it by chemical weapons or by conventional weapons tyson what kind of firepower did america bring to bear in this operation but we know. Secretary mabus said that this is twice the size of the april twenty second. Tiene attack which was fifty nine tomahawk missiles used we also know that there was a movement of an Aircraft Carrier to the region destroyers in the region as well as ten warships and and two submarines thats deployed in the mediterranean permanently there is also a french ship in the region the Us Government has not said where this attack came from but as we mentioned matta said twice the size of the attack and twenty seventeen ok now President Trump has been saying that hes prepared to continue the attacks that this might not be the end of the strikes but defense secretary matt as many were just talking about says this is it lets give a listen to what he had to say. That will depend on mr a fraud should he decide to use more chemical weapons in the future but right now this is a one time shot and i believe that it sent a very strong message to dissuade him to deter him from doing this again i said why the mixed signals coming out of washington im not necessary sara lee sure that these are mixed signals what secretary matta said was for in retaliation for the chemical the deployment of chemical weapons last week this is the response but if chemical weapons are deployed again there will be another targeted proportional response the goal of the u. S. Administration and its allies is to deter the further use of chemical weapons if it happens again there will be another attack ok now just before this attack President Trump said he was going to withdraw the two thousand american troops in the north of the country run affray why would then president Bashar Al Assad used chemical weapons if the americans are on their way out because he over estimated the thrum statement hes so its a sort of disengagement from syria and he over the beach but. Like Saddam Hussein if you dont these minority sixty eight in these genes are used to overreaching to give a signal to the mystical or the is that we out of the off and we we use force a will regardless of what the financial situation is owed with it its very difficult to rationalize it that he did but these are the genes have a motive the genes of so much spite against the majority population and they have little legitimacy digit them see other than being pulled into the sea the fall of and tyson what do you think will we be shifting strikes against the government i think that will likely depend on the Syrian Government itself i mean the u. S. Administration has made clear that they do have a red line in this case if there is more Chemical Attacks there will be a response from the United States and its allies but this is a. Point that minority regimes in the region governed by fear the source of legitimacy is fear and that is something that up to this point the trumpet ministration has not been willing to respond to ok is the trumpet ministration willing to keep american troops in the north of the country of following the strike in the promise was those troops coming home in his base wants to see that happen i think that that is still an open question because theyre proud to be of use in the United States he has a new National Security adviser john bolton who will definitely have an opinion about this might come pale was at his confirmation hearing this week he will soon be on board theoretically and he will have something to weigh in on this opinion of the department of defense is this will take a long time to withdraw these troops because the strategic the jetsons have not been consolidated i. E. Isis has not been completely wiped out from the region ok i said that isis is still as long as it is still very much there when you think about the americans troops are still in the north. Is and the turkish presence as well are you concerned that that syria is being in effect partitioned its not but fission this been divided into spheres of influence obesity and you have israel or so and these children front jordan which they have interests in syria so at least know its me but this in this field if it was if the u. S. With throws its risks also ending the region like it did in iraq fictive the two it on. A why its the least analyst and the Aspen Institutes tyson barker thanks very much thank you and in a statement defending her countrys role in this military operation the british Prime Minister trees and i called the strikes both quite right and legal she also had sharp words for russia saying it was moscows refusal to hold syria accountable that made the strikes necessary. And on each occasion when we have seen every sign of chemical weapons being used any attempt to hold the purpose it has to account has been blocked by russia at the Un Security Council with six such vetoes since the start of two thousand and seventeen just this week the russians vetoed a draft resolution that would have established an independent investigation into this latest attack even making the grotesque and absurd claim that it was staged by person so we have no choice but to conclude that diplomatic action will not be any more effective in the future than it has been in the past and therefore lets go straight to london correspondent kelly logan good morning kelly what else has been center. Shes been emphasizing that these are limited and targeted strikes she says she says that its justified that strikes were legal they were based on a cabinet decision last day shes emphasizing that they were targeted those chemical weapons facilities Storage Facilities in syria shes emphasizing that this is not a matter regime change but shes also talking generally about the use of chemical weapons saying that the use of chemical weapons cannot be tolerated she wants to send a strong signal that its interesting of course the timing there have been as we know many chemical weapons attacks in syria or at least allegations of chemical weapons attacks in syria in the past its interesting the timing but this time too is amazing speech that infer despite some opposition from politicians ok you know may has called these strikes right across have come out criticizing the decision saying pretty much the same thing the green party says this is not the way forward to peace in syria but if you think back a few years ago there was a vote in parliament apartment voted against strikes in syria and that was a very significant decision that has implications perhaps the u. S. As well so its interesting to see this time that turkeys a man has brought my cabinet together the cabinet has made the decision trees are made to see standing by that saying it is illegal and correct decision to make them to briefly if you could would theresa may have the support of the public for any additional strikes. An interesting question the British Public a cult has bitter memories of losses in afghanistan and iraq we saw during the iraq war massive demonstrations people taking to the streets that hasnt happened yet but i imagine the British Public will be to mind it is they will be asking questions for example about how effective these strikes really will be will they change anything in syria will be influence the governments position on chemical weapons and what is the british strategy in the Long Term Strategy for syria and those are the questions i think the public will be asking today and ones will be asking her as well did you news can you logan thanks very much for that from law. Here in berlin the german chancellor all a makeover has joined other western leaders in voicing her support for the strikes earlier today she said we support the fact that our u. S. British and french allies assume their responsibilities the military intervention was necessary and appropriate or russia saying that Syrian Forces successfully intercepted most of the missiles fired a Russian Military official also said the Coalition Strikes were designed to prevent International Inspectors from reaching the site of that alleged chemical attack in duma if the fork i mean it goes to d. C. So this american aggression is about the u. S. Seeking to undermine an objective investigation into the alleged attack in its goal is to destroy the Peace Process in syria and destabilize the situation across the middle east and rage in lets go straight to moscow now our correspondent your shadow or your you can you fill us in on some more of what moscows been saying about the strikes. Oh yes russian president putin denounced the strikes as aggression that would make the humanitarian crisis in syria even worse and he called for an emergency meeting of the United NationsSecurity Council but also south of that the strike had a destructive influence on the entire system of International Relations he once again the reaffirmed russias view that an alleged chemical attack in syria last saturday was a fake he said that Russian Military experts who inspected to dumas the syrian c. D. O. Do not have found no evidence of the attack just nowhere spocks a man of the russian minister of defense has saw him he. Sat at Russian Defense forces where now in standby mode Fighter Aircraft is in the air as to inspect the station but still none of the missiles in the zone of Russian Air Defense weapons wasnt included moscow believes that this strike was not an answer to an alleged chemical attack but their reaction to the successes of the Syrian Armed Forces in the struggle to free their territory from International Terrorism with the help of the russian army ok now should the United States and its allies