Theresa May is moving on Syria without consulting MPs. Her justification won't wash with her critics.

China has criticised the actions of the US, France and the UK, saying that unilateral military action which bypasses the Security Council "violates the principles of international law".

In a government statement, China called for a "comprehensive, impartial investigation" into the suspected chemical weapons attack and urged all parties to engage in dialogue.

The statement added that strikes such as those conducted overnight would "further complicate the Syrian issue".

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Hamas, the largest of several Palestinian Islamist groups, has condemned what it called "US aggression" on Syria.

The group, which controls Gaza, said the targeted strikes were "aimed at confiscating [Syria's] lands and destroying its capabilities", according to the Palestinian Information Centre, a pro-Hamas news website.

Hamas also called for an end to Arab conflicts and the "unification of their ranks".

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Kuwait has expressed concern at the US-led strikes on Syria, saying it is following the situation closely.

"The State of Kuwait has followed with great interest and concern the serious developments in Syria," a Foreign Ministry official said, quoted by the official news agency KUNA.

Kuwait "affirms that these developments resulted from the disruption of efforts by the international community, represented by the (UN) Security Council, to reach a political solution to the bloody conflict in Syria".

The official further pointed to Kuwait's efforts as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, alongside Sweden, to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Syria.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a total of 8 Storm Shadow cruise missiles were fired. Two were fired by each of the 4 Tornado GR4 jets.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to praise the Syria strikes.

He called it a "perfectly executed" strike, and thanked France and the UK for their involvement.

The United Nations Security Council will meet at 1100 New York time (1500 GMT) on Saturday at Russia's request following air strikes by the US, Britain and France on Syria.

They say they hit chemical weapons sites in the biggest military action against President Assad so far.

British journalist Danny Makki, who is based in Damascus, has described the moment he woke to the sound of explosions as missiles struck targets near to his home in the west of the city.

He told the BBC: "The entire neighbourhood shook, my house shook, the windows were shaking for up to several minutes."

Image source, Reuters

The UK-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says the Syrian army's air defences intercepted more than 65 missiles fired by the US, the UK and France.

It said the targets fired at included:

• Two research centres in Jamraya in northern Damascus and Barzeh in north-western Damascus
• Storehouses affiliated to the fourth division of the Republican Guard in Mezzeh military airfield
• Storehouses in the Kiswah area to the south of the capital
• Scientific research centre in the suburbs of Homs city

Earlier the Russian defence ministry said 71 out of a total of 103 missiles fired were intercepted by Syrian air defence systems.

No Western missiles entered the areas covered by the newer air defence systems Russia has installed in Syria around a port and an airfield it uses and the Russian air defence systems were not used, Russia said.

This is the full text of the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn's letter to UK Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to publish the legal basis for the UK's air strikes on targets in Syria:

Dear Prime Minister,

I want to thank you for speaking to me last night regarding the bombing raids in Syria overnight, and for the security briefing you shared. I am very glad that all British military personnel have returned home safely, and hope too that there have been no civilian casualties in Syria.

As I said I believe that Parliament should have been consulted and voted on the matter. The UK Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament, not to the whims of a US President. I believe the action was legally questionable, and this morning the UN Secretary General has said as much, reiterating that all countries must act in line with the UN Charter.

You assured me that the Attorney General had given clear legal advice approving the action. I would therefore be grateful if you would publish this advice in full today.

Given that neither the UN nor the OPCW has yet investigated, it is clear that diplomatic and non-military means have not been fully exhausted. It is now vitally important that the OPCW inspectors, who are due to arrive in Douma today, are allowed to do their work and publish their report into their findings - and report to the United Nations Security Council.

I would therefore welcome your assurance that there will be no further bombing raids while OPCW inspectors are on the ground. They must be allowed to complete their inspections without hindrance.

Acting through the United Nations, I believe Britain should now take a diplomatic lead to negotiate a pause in this abhorrent conflict in which hundreds of thousands of Syrians have already been killed and millions displaced.

The refugee crisis places a responsibility on all countries and I the government will now increase its commitment to take additional refugees.

Hundreds of unaccompanied children remain in Europe and the UK must do more through the Dubs amendment. This means engaging with all parties that are involved in the conflict - including Iran, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US - to ensure there is an immediate ceasefire.

We have the grotesque spectacle of a wider geopolitical proxy battle being waged with the Syrian people used as pawns by all sides. I would welcome your assurance that Britain will embark on renewed diplomatic efforts to end this conflict.

Our only priority must be the safety and security of the Syrian people - which is best served by de-escalating this conflict, so that aid can get in.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Corbyn MP Leader of the Opposition

Image source, AFP/Getty

The justifications put forward by the US, UK and France for the air strikes in Syria have focused on the need to maintain the international prohibition against the use of chemical weapons, to degrade President Assad's chemical weapons arsenal and to deter further chemical attacks against civilians in Syria.

Prime Minister Theresa May argued that the UK has always stood up for the defence of global rules and standards in the national interest of the UK and of the organised international community as a whole.

Legally, this position returns the world to the era before the advent of the UN Charter. The Charter allows states to use force in self-defence and, arguably, for the protection of populations threatened by extermination at the hands of their own government. The use of force for broader purposes of maintaining international security is also possible. However, such action is subject to the requirement of a mandate from the UN Security Council.

Read more:

Syria air strikes: Were they legal?

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China has consistently opposed the use of force in international relations and that any military action that bypassed the UN Security Council violated the principles and basic norms of international law.

Read more:

Syria air strikes: Were they legal?

Britain's opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said there was no legal basis for British air strikes against Syria.

He said that Prime Minister Theresa May should have sought parliamentary consultation before sending British jets to join the US-led military attack.

Mr Corbyn also revealed that he had written to Mrs May, asking her to publish the legal advice she had sought before taking action.

He said that when parliament returns on Monday he would be demanding that the government goes back to the UN to "get a new UN resolution" and "bring Russia and US together" along with neighbouring states.

He said he'd had a "late night conversation with the PM" and said his "whole point" was that parliament should be consulted.

"Parliament should be allowed to take a view on this but instead the strikes were launched last night," he said.

Mr Corbyn questioned why the Prime Minister hadn't "heeded" the words of the UN General Secretary who, Mr Corbyn said, had called for strikes to be stopped.

The Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is to continue with its deployment to Syria to investigate last week's suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, it says, external.

Officials from Syria, Russia and Iran have suggested that the Western air strikes may have been designed to derail the OPCW investigation. Russia says the suspected attack in Douma was staged with the help of Western powers.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Israel has closed the airspace over the occupied Golan Heights east of the Jordan river following the Western strikes on Syria, reports in Israel say.

The airspace will reportedly remain closed until the end of April, with airlines having been informed that they are not allowed to fly in the area at more than 5,000 feet attitude, Ynet reported.

France says it analysed information from publicly available sources and "reliable intelligence" to arrive at its conclusion that the suspected chemical attack on Douma last week was carried out by Syrian government forces.

It has declassified an intelligence report, which has been providedby the French foreign ministry in English, external. The report contains images that some may find distressing.

BBC World Service

There had been some muted hope among various anti-Assad factions inside and outside Syria that the air strikes might be big enough to weaken the Syrian government's battlefield capability.

But based on what's known so far, at least one leading rebel figure, Mohammad Alloush, has dismissed the attack as insignificant, saying it only hit the instrument of the crime - not the criminal behind it.

Alloush is a member of Jaish al-Islam - the final buses taking its fighters out of Douma have left.

After victory in eastern Ghouta, Government forces have been moving towards other targets - including a jihadist-held pocket in southern Damascus.

But it's the major rebel-held province of Idlib in the north, as well as what had been a relatively quiet zone in the south that are now bracing for possible attack.

You can almost hear the sigh of relief in Tehran. The missile attacks against targets in Syria have been much on a much smaller scale than they feared.

But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was nevertheless keen to project an unwavering image of himself and Iran under his rule.

He said the attack today on Syria was a crime. And he went on to say that the presidents of the US and France and the prime minister of Britain were criminals. He said they would gain no benefit from this attack.

Some hardliners have posted twitter messages talking about the action of paper tigers.

Meanwhile President Rouhani is reported to have spoken to President Bashar al-Assad offering him Iran's full support.

But the attacks signal to Iran that the cost of its involvement in Syria and its deeper alliance with Russia is growing fast - an involvement and alliance that is not very popular at home.

Image source, Reuters

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has responded to the US, UK and French air strikes by saying that they have made Syria and its people more determined than ever to crush terrorism in the country.

In remarks made during a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and published on the Syrian presidency's Twitter account, Mr Assad said: "This aggression will only increase Syria and the Syrian people's determination to continue to fight and crush terror in every inch of the country."

He accused Western countries of supporting terrorism in Syria.

During the phone call Mr Rouhani reaffirmed Iranian support for Syria, the Syrian presidency said. Iran is believed to have supplied troops and funds to Mr Assad's government during the conflict.