The UN Security Council will hold an open meeting on the latest developments in Syria at 15:30gmt/11:30edt.

Some of Trump's most vocal supporters are panning his decision to launch missile strikes on a country that he had previously pledged to not get involved in militarily.

The BBC has spotted that some Syrians have changed their profile images on Twitter to the photo below of US President Donald Trump. 

The text on the image says "“we love you”.

Vitaliy Shevchenko from BBC Monitoring brings us this roundup of Russia media reaction today:

The US air strike quickly became top news on Russian TV. Much of the reporting took its cue from official criticism of the attack.

"The US staged an absolutely unmotivated show of force," said state-run Rossiya 1, repeating a Foreign Ministry statement almost word-for-word, but without attribution. 

This was followed by a despatch from a correspondent, who recounted what Russian state-controlled media traditionally sees as the worst examples of US foreign policy.

"No coordination with the global community, no Security Council mandate, no approval from the UN. A night-time bombing akin to the attacks on Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya," the correspondent said.

Another government-run TV station, Channel One, also lashed out at Washington. 

"It is obvious that the USA resorted to this act of aggression without bothering to get to the bottom of things. They used the first possible pretext to mount a show of force," the TV said.

Within 10 minutes, the headline on Gazprom-owned NTV television changed from "Radical decision" to "Manifestation of aggression". A later caption said "No hope for cooperation", referring to comments by MP Konstantin Kosachev on what’s in store for the Russia-US relations.

"It all looked so good in the beginning. What a shame," Kosachev said.

Russia's government-funded foreign broadcaster RT, which is also known as Russia Today, accused Washington of jumping to conclusions after the alleged Idlib attack.

"Apparently the Trump administration decided not to wait for the result of the investigation. In their view, Assad did it, and the US acted as judge, jury and executioner in this case," the channel's correspondent said.

Image source, Reuters

UK opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the US missile attack, saying that it "risks escalating the war in Syria still further".

Mr Corbyn warned that US President Donald Trump's decision to take military action could further intensify a conflict that has already left hundreds of thousands of people dead. 

He went on to press the government to "urge restraint on the Trump administration" and push for peace negotiations. 

Earlier, the UK's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the UK government "fully supports" the US missile strike in Syria and has urged Russia to put more pressure on the Assad regime to end the civil war. 

Image source, Ge

The BBC's correspondent in Beijing, John Sudworth, brings us what the Chinese government is saying ahead of their president's meeting with Trump in Florida, which will occur in a little over an hour's time.

"At most it could be read as a mild rebuke. In international relations China has 'all along opposed the use of force' a foreign ministry spokesman said during a regular press briefing when asked about the US action. 

"And while condemning the use of chemical weapons 'for any reason or purpose' she was at pains not to point the finger at the Syrian government, calling instead for an independent investigation that would stand 'the test of history'. But questions about the timing - and whether it placed President Xi Jinping in an awkward position during his visit to President Trump's Florida resort - were all sidestepped.

"China regards President Assad as Syria's legitimate ruler and, as with both Iraq and Libya before, it is firmly opposed to talk of regime change as a dangerous breach of the principle of non-interference in sovereign states."

Image source, EPA

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said the attack by the USA was "understandable in view of the extent of the war crime, the suffering of innocent people and the blockade in the UN Security Council". 

But she added: "At the same time, and I stress it more today than ever, it remains right and important to focus all strength on political talks in the UN Security Council and Geneva, in order to reach a political transition solution in Syria." 

Syrians sympathetic to the regime are posting photos of the Air Defense Brigade soldiers said to have been killed by the US airstrike.

These photos have not been confirmed by the BBC.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senator McCain defended the strikes, saying that he felt “it was appropriate" adding that this is “the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end".

He also called on the international community to move forward with safe zones and the arming of the Free Syrian Army.

He also felt that US military action was going to gain support both at home and abroad.  

"A lot of the Arab countries are willing to be partners with us as long as they think they can rely on us."

"I think you’re going to have more enthusiastic partners in this effort."

"I think he’s going to see that the American people probably approve of this."

McCain also told MSNBC this morning about how the Obama administration made a mistake in not acting years ago.

"When the President [Obama] drew the red line and didn’t act, we all knew what the results were. Now, the President [Trump] has reversed that action and restored credibility."

Image source, EPA

President Vladimir Putin has held a Russian security council meeting to discuss the US strike on the Shayrat air base in Syria. 

Russian news agency Interfax quoted presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying: 

"There was a detailed discussion of the situation in Syria following the US missile strike." 

"Washington's actions were once again qualified as an act of aggression which contravenes international law." 

"At the meeting, deep concern was expressed over the unavoidable negative impact which such aggressive actions have on joint efforts to fight terrorism." 

"Regret was also expressed over the damage that has been done to bilateral Russian-US relations by the strikes on facilities in Syria." 

"Various issues were also discussed relating to continuing the operation by Russian Aerospace Forces to provide support for the Syrian armed forces' anti-terrorist operation." 

The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, State Duma (parliament lower house) speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Kremlin administration chief Anton Vayno, Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Serviche chief Sergei Naryshkin, and the presidential envoy for environment and transport, Sergei Ivanov, Interfax said. 

Cruise missiles are launched at land targets over a long distance, usually with high precision. Fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from American navy ships in the Mediterranean on Thursday.

This diagram shows the size, weight and range of a Tomahawk.

The Pentagon said that aircraft, aircraft shelters, storage areas, ammunition supply bunkers and air defence systems were targeted. A BBC News producer shared reports, external of the impact that described "total devastation".

You can ask more questions here, external . 

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released a statement:

"Canada fully supports the United States' limited and focused action to degrade the Assad regime's ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against innocent civilians, including many children. President Assad's use of chemical weapons and the crimes the Syrian regime has committed against its own people cannot be ignored."

The BBC's Jessica Murphy, external in Toronto gives us this analysis:

Canada pulled out of airstrikes in Syria and Iraq in 2016.  

However, it increased the involvement of Canadian Armed Forces personnel advising and assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting against the so-called Islamic State.

Ottawa recently extended that mission to 30 June.

Canada also helped push through a resolution last year at the UN General Assembly demanding an

immediate end to hostilities in Syria and action to help civilians.

First reports suggest the Syrian airbase at Shayrat has been very heavily damaged by the US strike - hardly surprising given the destructive power of over 50 cruise missiles fired from two US Navy destroyers. 

That was the Americans' aim. The Pentagon say they targeted aircraft, aircraft shelters, storage areas, ammunition supply bunkers and air defence systems at the Syrian base. 

Washington apparently warned the Russians the strike was imminent, and Moscow has not so far reported any of its personnel among the casualties. The Americans are stressing this was a limited strike in response to a grave breach of the global prohibition of chemical weapons. 

President Trump said there could be no doubt the Syrian military used such weapons. But the Syrian government denies any involvement in Tuesday's gas attack in Idlib. 

President Assad's office in Damascus has called the American missile strikes "foolish and irresponsible".

Across the Arab world, opponents of the Syrian regime are showering US President Donald Trump with thanks and praise on Twitter.

Some are referring to the president as “Abu Ivanka” – “Father of Ivanka” - as a sign of respect and endearment. 

Memes of the president, complete with a Photoshopped religious beard, are circulating online.

But others questioned the president’s motives. One blogger commented: “Trump has discovered the magic principle of US politics: when things go wrong at home, start a military venture in the Middle East.”

BBC Trending has a roundup of all the latest social media chatter.

Image source, Getty Images

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who drew criticism when she traveled to Syria in February to meet Assad, has reacted angrily to the news of airstrikes.

"This administration has acted recklessly without care or consideration of the dire consequences of the United States attack on Syria without waiting for the collection of evidence from the scene of the chemical poisoning," she said in a statement.

"It angers and saddens me that President Trump has taken the advice of war hawks and escalated our illegal regime change war to overthrow the Syrian government. This escalation is short-sighted and will lead to more dead civilians, more refugees, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other terrorists, and a possible nuclear war between the United States and Russia."

On Thursday, before the attacks began, she had called for Assad to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.

Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton tells Fox News that these strikes are not just about Syria. 

"When countries enter agreements with the US, they better be prepared to honour their commitments," he says.