Russia consulted as Syria air strikes loom

Kremlin says it has a hotline with West as May and her Cabinet agree to join international response

Planned air strikes on Syria are being co-ordinated with Russia, it has emerged, as Theresa May reassured her Cabinet that any military response to last week’s chemical attack will not escalate into war. The US has identified eight potential targets, it was reported last night, as the Kremlin claimed a secure hotline for the US and Russia to communicate over their operations in Syria was “active”. The strikes come in response to last Saturday’s attack on Douma, the last rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta.

PLANNED air strikes on Syria are being co-ordinated with Russia, it has emerged, as Theresa May reassured her Cabinet that any military response to last week’s chemical attack will not escalate into war.

The US has identified eight potential targets in Syria, it was reported last night, as the Kremlin claimed a secure hotline for the US and Russia to communicate over their operations in Syria was “active” and being used by both sides.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, expects allied forces to reveal the location of the targets in advance, to avoid bloodshed and restrict damage to legitimate military assets.

According to reports in the US, the targets selected include two Syrian airfields, a research centre and a chemical weapons facility. The strikes would be in response to last Saturday’s attack on Douma, the last rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta, where Syrian government forces raised their flag yesterday, taking full control in a major victory for Bashar al-assad, the president.

The dialogue between Washington and Moscow is understood to have enabled the Prime Minister to assure her Cabinet that adequate plans are now in place to restrict the fallout from any British participation in military strikes on Syria. During a two-hour emergency Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mrs May secured the backing of ministers to join an international response “to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime”, Downing Street said.

In America, Donald Trump chaired a meeting of the National Security Council yesterday. As it ended, the White House said that “no final decision has been made” over Syria.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Trump last night after his meeting.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “They agreed it was vital that the use of chemical weapons did not go unchallenged, and on the need to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. They agreed to keep working closely together on the international response.”

David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, who voted against military action in Syria in 2013, signalled before the Cabinet meeting that Mrs May had satisfied him adequate planning had been carried out. The Cabinet also agreed on “the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress”, helping make the legal case for taking military action without the backing of the UN. The US is moving 10 warships and two submarines into position armed with up to 700 Tomahawk cruise missiles, while Theresa May has ordered at least one British submarine to the area with a capability to fire up to 38 Tomahawks against regime targets.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, insisted yesterday that Parliament must be “consulted”. He said: “Surely the lessons of Iraq, the lessons that came there from the Chilcot report, are that there has to be a proper process of consultation.”