UK will back strike on Syria

Britain will support any fresh retaliation by the US for the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said.

The White House has said it has “potential” evidence the Syrian military is preparing for another chemical attack against rebel forces.

Sir Michael said that Britain had backed the US administration of President Donald Trump when it mounted missile strikes against the regime following a chemical attack last April and was prepared to do so again.

“As always in war, the military action you use must be justified, it must be legal, it must proportionate, it must be necessary. In the last case it was,” Sir Michael said yesterday.

“If the Americans take similar action again, I want to be very clear – we will support it.”

Earlier, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the US had identified “potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children”.

Mr Spicer said the activities were similar to preparations taken before the attack in April on Khan Sheikhoun in the rebelheld Idlib province which killed dozens of men, women and children.

He warned that if “Mr Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price”.

Sir Michael said the US had not shared specific evidence with the British Government about the regime preparations.

He said he expected to discuss the position with US defence secretary General James Mattis at a gathering of Nato defence ministers tomorrow. “Jim Mattis did review the various options with me last time before the final meeting with the president. I shall be seeing General Mattis at the Nato meeting. This is one of the matters we expect to review,” he said.

Sir Michael also revealed that Britain had been using cyber warfare capabilities against Islamic State – also known as Daesh – in Syria and Iraq.

“I am confirming that we have been using offensive cyber against Daesh in Raqqa just as we have previously used it in Mosul,” he said.

PUNISHMENT: The US bombed a Syrian air base in April after the regime used chemical weapons