"When our president draws a red line, our president enforces the red line", Haley said on Saturday. "This persistent pattern of behavior must be stopped - not just to protect innocent people in Syria from the horrific deaths and casualties caused by chemical weapons, but also because we can not allow the erosion of the global norm that prevents the use of these weapons". And Russia, which has backed President Assad since before the start of the conflict in Syria, alleged early Friday that the attack was staged by Britain, a charge rejected by both Britain and the United States.

Haley's message came after her Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, said he would ask the Security Council to condemn the pre-dawn military strikes on Syria by the United States, France and Britain - calling the attacks a violation of worldwide law and the U.N. Charter. "The Assad regime must not be allowed to commit such crimes with impunity", Mr Turnbull said in a statement on Saturday.

The limited airstrikes came at a time when the Assad government is feeling empowered after having secured the region near the capital following other military victories backed by Russian Federation and Iran in seven years of civil war.

A Russian ally on the Council, Bolivia, rapped Haley for her comments, adding that global law would "prevail" and that he'd listened to her comments with "a great deal of concern and a great deal of sadness". What happens next, she said, is up to Assad and to his Russian and Iranian allies. In the meantime, the people of Syria continue to suffer through an endless war, as the United States all but closes its doors to them.

"The United States and its allies continue to demonstrate blatant disregard for worldwide law", he said.

The demonstration began in front of the USA consulate.

President Donald Trump is warning Russian Federation and Iran about their association with Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad's government, as he announces the launch of retaliatory strikes after an apparent chemical weapons attack last week.

American cruise missiles flattened a research center on the edge of Damascus and destroyed another site used as a command center and storage facility in the Syrian capital.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

US President Donald Trump announces military strikes on Syria at the White House in Washington.

In 2012, Israel accused Syria of having one of the world's largest chemical weapons stockpiles, including sulfur, mustard, sarin and VX nerve agents.

Several diplomats at the Security Council warned of the potential danger that the Syrian crisis could spiral out of control and engulf the region and beyond.

Syria must return to so-called Geneva peace talks and agree to a substantial agenda put forward by the UN Special Envoy. "They just determine the substance", Ms Nauert added.

Syrian television called the attacks a "flagrant violation" of worldwide law, and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, derided them as a "military crime".

Syrian state media reported only three people injured, while Russia's defence ministry said there were "no victims" among Syrian civilians and military personnel.

McKenzie countered that "the Syrian response was remarkably ineffective in all domains". As we've seen in recent years, that strategy proved ineffective. "It has never been so urgent".

Hadash has been criticized for its apparent support of the Assad regime in the past. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the strikes were about making sure that chemical weapons can not be used with impunity.

Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, said the allied airstrikes "took out the heart" of Assad's chemical weapons arsenal.

Haley, who spoke after the Russian, was disdainful. "We hit our sites", White said. Adulsalam Abdulrazek said Saturday that the joint strikes were unlikely to curb the government's ability to produce or launch new attacks.

"The United Kingdom, France, and the United States acted, not as revenge, not as punishment, not as a symbolic show of force", she said.

France declassified a report on Saturday laying out evidence that officials said proves that a chemical attack in Syria last week was carried out by the government of President Bashar Assad.

The United Nations Security Council rejected a resolution Saturday from Russian Federation that would have condemned "the aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic by the U.S. and its allies in violation of global law and the UN Charter".

Protesters gathered in Chicago Saturday to condemn the United States' strike against Syria.

"While Russia was busy protecting the regime, Assad took notice", she said. "And hence, they think that they are above the law, above worldwide law".

"Again, we are being threatened", Antonov continued.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says military strikes in Syria are "directed at the Syrian regime" and they have "gone to great lengths to avoid civilians and foreign casualties".

"With yesterdays military action, our message was crystal clear".

Vice President Mike Pence also said Trump carried out the strikes armed with USA intelligence that at "a minimum it was the chemical weapon of chlorine", noting investigators still might prove sarin was used.