LONDON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain on Saturday joined the United States and France in carrying out airstrikes on Syrian installations alleged to be involved in the use of chemical weapons, Britain's defense ministry said.
Prime Minister Theresa May said Saturday she authorized the British Armed Forces to conduct "coordinated and targeted strikes" in response to the alleged April 7 chemical weapons attack in Syria.
The ministry said four Tornados combat aircraft of the Royal Air Force fired Storm Shadow missiles at a former missile base 15 miles (about 24.1 km) west of Homs in Syria. The Bashar al-Assad regime is thought to be stockpiling items there to make chemical weapons, the ministry said.
British authorities said while a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the strike is underway, the initial indications are that the precision of the Storm Shadows and meticulous target planning have resulted in a successful attack.
The Syrian state TV said the Syrian military used its anti-aircraft weapons to combat the airstrike and destroyed 13 missiles.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the strike Saturday, saying it violated international law and the UN Charter, the state-run news agency SANA reported.
Britain's defense ministry said the action was "proportionate," specifically aimed at "degrading the regime's ability to use chemical weapons and deterring further such appalling acts." It said the attack was focused on the regime's facilities linked to the production and use of chemical weapons.
The ministry also said the strike was in response to the April 7 attack in Syria's Douma, in which up to 75 people were killed. A significant body of information indicates that the Syrian regime was responsible for this latest attack, the ministry said.
However, there has been no disclosed evidence till now that the Syrian Government was behind the chemical attack. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which will be investigating the incident, is expected to arrive in Damascus only on Saturday.
