Allies reined back but the message is loud & clear

CLAIM YESTERDAY’S strikes were probably one of the least offensive military options considered by America, France and Britain.

It may seriously degrade Assad’s chemical capability and crucially sends a message worldwide that the use of such weapons will not be tolerated.

But enormous efforts appear to have been made to avoid hitting Russian and Iranian interests, while also avoiding Assad’s power base and his key personnel.

Col Gen Sergei Rudskoi claimed the strikes caused only minor damage as Russia went into “fake news” overdrive.

President Putin might respond with an offensive against Syrian Democratic Forces, trained by Britain and the US.

Or he may step up his aggression towards Britain, seen as America’s weaker partner, escalating further into a new Cold War.

It is almost impossible to predict what Putin will do. But he has warned of “consequences.”

And he rarely makes empty threats.