United States will 'definitely consider' further action against Syria
The United States will "definitely consider" further action against the Syrian government if there is a repeat of last Tuesday's chemical attack which killed more than 80 innocent civilians, the White House has said.
US President Donald Trump ordered a surprise airstrike of cruise missiles on a Syrian airfield last week in retaliation for the attack on the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers are believed to have been responsible for carrying out the chemical attack, in which the nerve agent Sarin was used.
In a news conference on Monday afternoon, the Trump administration's press secretary Sean Spicer said: "When you watch babies and children being gassed and suffer under barrel bombs you are instantaneously moved to action.
"This president has made it pretty clear that if those actions were to continue, further action will definitely be considered by the United States."
Mr Spicer told reporters that taking action to "deescalate the situation in Syria" is the "greatest aspect of humanitarian relief that we can provide".
He also said that America's "number one priority is to defeat ISIS", but added: "from a humanitarian standpoint ensuring that we create an environment that provides a safe place for (civilians in Syria) to remain."
Mr Trump received a backlash after he reiterated his "respect" for Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview in February and appeared to suggest that Russia and the US are morally equivalent.
However Mr Spicer insisted it "speaks pretty loudly" how many countries have "stood shoulder to shoulder" with Mr Trump.
"Russia, on the other hand, stands with Syria, North Korea and Iran," he said. "When you contrast the two groups of countries, it's pretty clear that we're on the right side of this issue."