:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today Reporting from Washington,
:00:08. > :00:17.President Trump's rhetoric in action - Russia condemns US air strikes
:00:18. > :00:24.in Syria and promises to strengthen the country's air defence systems.
:00:25. > :00:27.A barrage of tomahawk missiles hits Syria's second largest airbase -
:00:28. > :00:29.from where the chemical weapons attack's believed
:00:30. > :00:38.Tonight, I call on all civilized nations join us in seeking
:00:39. > :00:44.to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.
:00:45. > :00:48.The dramatic reversal of his previous policy
:00:49. > :00:50.on Syria eclipses the visit of China's President Xi -
:00:51. > :01:15.At least three people are killed and many injured as a lorry ploughs
:01:16. > :01:18.into showers in the Swedish capital Stockholm.
:01:19. > :01:23.I could see bodies lying in the street and I could see the police
:01:24. > :01:33.covering a body with a orange blanket.
:01:34. > :01:35.The first American military strike against President Assad's regime -
:01:36. > :01:43.With much of the west lining up behind Washington -
:01:44. > :01:45.and President Trump's apparent restoration of the US
:01:46. > :01:48.being the world's policeman - Russia has condemned the attack
:01:49. > :01:51.as an "act of aggression against a sovereign nation".
:01:52. > :01:55.President Trump authorised the missile strike on the Shayrat
:01:56. > :01:57.air base, from where it's believed this week's deadly
:01:58. > :02:00.chemical weapons attack in northern Syria was launched.
:02:01. > :02:02.Nine civilians, including four children, and seven soldiers
:02:03. > :02:07.Our north America editor Jon Sopel reports on the strike and what it
:02:08. > :02:11.says about a dramatic change in the Trump administration's
:02:12. > :02:21.It was after dark on the east coast of America and before the sun had
:02:22. > :02:23.risen in the Middle East when the commander in
:02:24. > :02:33.From two US war ships, a volley of cruise missiles
:02:34. > :02:39.were fired at a military air base, that has been used, say
:02:40. > :02:43.the Americans, to launch the chemical weapons attack on Idlib.
:02:44. > :02:48.It is in the vital security interest of the
:02:49. > :02:51.United States to prevent and to deter the spread and use of deadly
:02:52. > :03:01.There can be no dispute that Syria used banned
:03:02. > :03:03.chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical
:03:04. > :03:04.weapons convention and ignored the urging
:03:05. > :03:22.The grotesque after-effects of the attack, the United States believe
:03:23. > :03:24.a nerve agent was used, horrified the world and
:03:25. > :03:28.A line had been crossed and unlike his
:03:29. > :03:37.Assad choked the lives of men, women and children.
:03:38. > :03:43.It was a slow and brutal death for so many.
:03:44. > :03:48.Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this
:03:49. > :04:03.No child of God should ever suffer such horror.
:04:04. > :04:05.What is astonishing is the speed with which this administration has
:04:06. > :04:08.changed its policy to Syria and decided to act.
:04:09. > :04:11.At the start of week, President Trump saw Bashar
:04:12. > :04:14.al-Assad as a useful ally against Islamic State.
:04:15. > :04:24.But the chemical weapons attack changed everything and
:04:25. > :04:27.within two days, targets had been identified and struck.
:04:28. > :04:35.Here is what we know about the attack.
:04:36. > :04:37.59 Tomahawk missiles were issued from the eastern Med.
:04:38. > :04:47.It is deep in government-held territory.
:04:48. > :04:49.Targets included, aircraft, fuel depots and radar.
:04:50. > :04:51.Because Russian forces are also at the base, Russia
:04:52. > :04:56.was informed of the attack in advance.
:04:57. > :05:04.The aftermath shows damage at the base, but hardly devastation.
:05:05. > :05:09.The Pentagon said it didn't target the runways,
:05:10. > :05:12.the aim was to destroy the infrastructure that allows the base
:05:13. > :05:14.to function and the attack has brought the president support.
:05:15. > :05:16.The president was authorised to conduct
:05:17. > :05:21.the strike, he is not asking for a declaration of war,
:05:22. > :05:35.he was dealing with circumstances and as
:05:36. > :05:38.the commander in chief not only did he have the right,
:05:39. > :05:42.Despite the enthusiasm we can see, to quote Churchill, it is
:05:43. > :05:45.the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end.
:05:46. > :05:47.Donald Trump who didn't want to get embroiled in
:05:48. > :05:49.foreign conflict has just ordered US forces
:05:50. > :05:54.address last night he didn't sound like an isolationist.
:05:55. > :05:58.Good night and God bless America and the entire world.
:05:59. > :06:04.The president, not yet 100 days in, has travelled a
:06:05. > :06:13.Our Correspondent, Barbara Plett Usher is in Florida
:06:14. > :06:20.where President Trump is meeting the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
:06:21. > :06:28.Dramatic reversal of strategy. Also potentially, Barbara, in message
:06:29. > :06:35.that won't be lost on his guest for the past few days. Now, I suppose
:06:36. > :06:38.not in the sense that President Trump are strong that he is ready
:06:39. > :06:44.and willing to use military force when he feels he needs to and there
:06:45. > :06:48.is a discussion about a potential conflict with the Chinese offered
:06:49. > :06:53.effective North Korea. President Trump has sounded at times quite
:06:54. > :06:56.bellicose about North Korea suggesting even obliquely that they
:06:57. > :07:07.might be willing to oblige a creative strike. I would be careful
:07:08. > :07:14.about comparisons. It had a particular objective about deserving
:07:15. > :07:22.observing chemical weapons. North Korea would be a vastly different
:07:23. > :07:27.situation. The risks are in love -- are a lot higher. The risks of war
:07:28. > :07:32.are quite high. It would be quite destructive. The message is that Mr
:07:33. > :07:37.Trump is prepared to be militarily when he feels it's necessary and
:07:38. > :07:40.possible. Drawing comparisons between different conflict zones is
:07:41. > :07:49.not the correct way to see it. The United States has said it
:07:50. > :07:51.could take further military action against the Syrian government
:07:52. > :07:54.after firing missiles at a Syrian airbase, from which Washington
:07:55. > :07:56.believes a chemical weapons Our correspondent Laura Trevelyan's
:07:57. > :08:06.on Capitol Hill, where Senators have The senators have just about
:08:07. > :08:11.everything when they receive more detail on the strike last night.
:08:12. > :08:14.Possible next steps. I've only spoken to one senator that was
:08:15. > :08:21.completely opposed to what happened. He is a Republican from Kentucky's
:08:22. > :08:23.Angie says that the president should always get authorisation from
:08:24. > :08:27.Congress before lodging in military strike. I have been taking the
:08:28. > :08:35.temperature on both sides of the aisle. I asked for reaction to last
:08:36. > :08:37.night 's right. What we know happened here was for the second
:08:38. > :08:42.time and probably multiple other times. Is that basically killed
:08:43. > :08:48.thousands of people, little children, Jordan to death on glass.
:08:49. > :08:56.Defence who responded in this way and simply went after the field from
:08:57. > :09:01.from which these chemicals were lodged was the right thing to do.
:09:02. > :09:11.She made the point that a number of lawmakers have been making the same
:09:12. > :09:16.point that they must be consulted if the west escalate the conflict. I've
:09:17. > :09:20.also spoken to any Republican senator who was very critical last
:09:21. > :09:24.week when it seemed that members of the Trump administration were
:09:25. > :09:27.suggesting that it was a political reality that President Assad would
:09:28. > :09:33.stay in office and he said to me that he is worried about the wider
:09:34. > :09:37.Middle East strategy from the White House. My concern is that the banner
:09:38. > :09:43.demonstration and the first months of the club administration, there
:09:44. > :09:49.hasn't been a clear strategy from either Eddie Obama or from
:09:50. > :09:55.administration. We need to address some of the specific issues, whether
:09:56. > :10:01.it is Aleppo, the chemical attacks or whether it is the migration flows
:10:02. > :10:10.that have affected your work, Turkey and Jordan and other allies. --
:10:11. > :10:15.affected Europe. It has been hailed as a critical first step and asking
:10:16. > :10:18.what the administration will do next. The big question is what is
:10:19. > :10:20.the next strategy? Russia, which supports
:10:21. > :10:22.President Assad, has reacted angrily -
:10:23. > :10:24.accusing the United States There would be negative
:10:25. > :10:27.consequences, it said, the US strike, according
:10:28. > :10:31.to Prime Minister Medvedev, "on the verge of engaging
:10:32. > :10:39.in military encounters with Russia". Moscow also accused President Trump
:10:40. > :10:42.of damaging the fight against terrorism and so-called
:10:43. > :10:44.Islamic State group in Syria. Our Moscow Correspondent,
:10:45. > :10:46.Steve Rosenberg, has this report Until recently, the Russian
:10:47. > :10:51.media have been singing Today, state TV accused him
:10:52. > :11:00.of an unprovoked show of force with the missile strike he ordered
:11:01. > :11:08.on a civilian air base. Moscow said it was a gross,
:11:09. > :11:11.groundless violation It's definitely an aggressive act
:11:12. > :11:14.against international law, against a sovereign country,
:11:15. > :11:16.and without any true evidence of the Assad regime
:11:17. > :11:23.using chemical weapons. It is Russian military
:11:24. > :11:25.power that's been keeping Russia's air force and navy
:11:26. > :11:39.is helping Syria's leader turn the tide of the country's civil war
:11:40. > :11:41.and boosting Moscow's Today, the Kremlin accused
:11:42. > :11:45.Washington of inventing a pretext Those American Tomahawks may have
:11:46. > :11:58.been targeting the Syrian military, but judging by what the Kremlin has
:11:59. > :12:00.been saying, it's US-Russia relations that will take
:12:01. > :12:03.a real battering out as a result The Russians had been hoping
:12:04. > :12:06.that with Donald Trump in the White House relations
:12:07. > :12:08.with America would improve. So far, there's been
:12:09. > :12:10.no sign of that. Today, Moscow suspended a deal
:12:11. > :12:14.designed to prevent incidents between US and Russian
:12:15. > :12:26.warplanes over Syria. Which means that we have two big
:12:27. > :12:29.military powers in the area operating without any contact
:12:30. > :12:30.and any coordination, The Russians are hoping that this US
:12:31. > :12:37.strike was a one-off, but tonight, they are strengthening air defence
:12:38. > :12:42.systems across Syria, just in case. Until this week's chemical
:12:43. > :12:46.attack in northern Syria, President Trump had appeared set
:12:47. > :12:49.against any intervention against Our Middle East Editor,
:12:50. > :12:55.Jeremy Bowen, reports now on the implications of the US strike
:12:56. > :13:02.for the six-year Syrian war. The war crime that killed so many
:13:03. > :13:06.in a village pushed the Americans The long-term impact
:13:07. > :13:14.on the war itself depends More chemical attacks would provoke
:13:15. > :13:19.a tougher American response. But the US might accept a return
:13:20. > :13:23.to conventional killing. The Syrian regime denies it has ever
:13:24. > :13:26.used chemical weapons. I think President Trump himself
:13:27. > :13:30.knows that Syria did not use any chemical weapons,
:13:31. > :13:36.it does not have any chemical weapons, as it has given
:13:37. > :13:38.all its stock pile too the international organisation
:13:39. > :13:41.responsible for that. The Americans say they have clear
:13:42. > :13:44.that the proof that the Syrian forces carried out war crimes,
:13:45. > :13:56.they're certain of that, that is why they carried
:13:57. > :13:58.out this raid. 14 years after the invasion of Iraq,
:13:59. > :14:01.we see Iraq has been destroyed. Syria is the second secular state
:14:02. > :14:05.after Iraq that is being targeted by the west,
:14:06. > :14:10.simply because it is secular and it has an army and it is against
:14:11. > :14:27.the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In one of the Damascus suburbs,
:14:28. > :14:30.people stopped believing the regime years ago and want more military
:14:31. > :14:35.action from the Americans. TRANSLATION: We hope that any
:14:36. > :14:37.foreign intervention will be an intervention to bring an end
:14:38. > :14:40.to the suffering of the Syrian TRANSLATION: The solution
:14:41. > :14:44.is for the Assad regime The end of massacres,
:14:45. > :14:53.the end of targeting of civilians. A reason why the war is so hard
:14:54. > :14:56.to stop is that so many With different interests
:14:57. > :14:58.and objectives. President Assad's main allies
:14:59. > :15:12.are Russia and Iran. These days the rebels still fighting
:15:13. > :15:14.the regime are mainly Some approved by the west and some
:15:15. > :15:22.are jihadists. There is also the war
:15:23. > :15:24.against so-called Islamic State. Think of it all as
:15:25. > :15:28.layers of conflict. And sometimes they intersect
:15:29. > :15:34.and now Donald Trump has The events at Khan Sheikhoun
:15:35. > :15:50.and the US response will force the Syrian regime to take
:15:51. > :15:53.American threats more seriously, Force equals influence in Syria
:15:54. > :15:56.and more foreign intervention I'm joined now by former
:15:57. > :16:02.State Department official Vali Nasr, who is now dean
:16:03. > :16:15.of the Johns Hopkins School What does this tell us about
:16:16. > :16:24.President Trump's international doctrine? Driven on a motion? It's
:16:25. > :16:27.driven on domestic consideration. He had no option to act on the red line
:16:28. > :16:32.that President Obama didn't because otherwise he would be accused of
:16:33. > :16:36.being no different than President Obama. He has found that his America
:16:37. > :16:39.first strategy does not work and he is acting as the policeman of the
:16:40. > :16:49.world and gone back to the of the United states upholding
:16:50. > :16:52.international law. This was a one-off strike. What happens if
:16:53. > :17:01.another chemical attack or another atrocity? He has said -- set the
:17:02. > :17:07.precedent. He is also already crossed the line in which he now
:17:08. > :17:21.owns this conflict more than he did before. His allies in the Middle
:17:22. > :17:28.East, it be expected that the US will set order in Syria. The problem
:17:29. > :17:34.with President Trump is that he's never said what is interested in
:17:35. > :17:43.Syria. The consequences of this in terms of blowback potentially, the
:17:44. > :17:48.relations with Russia, they are now dead, I do? They are not where they
:17:49. > :17:52.were. The two may find a way to get back to the middle but the Russians
:17:53. > :18:02.are clearly not happy with any American action in serve that would
:18:03. > :18:10.chose injury week or forced the Russians to reassert their imperial
:18:11. > :18:15.grandeur. This is viewed as a challenge and they would have to
:18:16. > :18:19.react. He might have a cycle that reflect itself in Ukraine and
:18:20. > :18:25.elsewhere as well. -- you might have a cycle. This is a man who many
:18:26. > :18:34.pupils are at an amateur. Now he looks like a world leader. He is
:18:35. > :18:38.eclipsing some domestic problems. We always knew he was decisive. He was
:18:39. > :18:51.decidedly non-in favour of intervention.
:18:52. > :18:58.This has forced in this direction. Asset created a situation in which
:18:59. > :19:02.Trump could not say no to the general is already traditional
:19:03. > :19:08.foreign policy people. We should not offer a bridge into this. Trump was
:19:09. > :19:14.not driven by the facts or conflict by what it would mean domestic
:19:15. > :19:20.league defeated the same as what President Obama did. Russia, Iran
:19:21. > :19:27.are completely against him and the coalition behind. Russia and Iran
:19:28. > :19:32.are supporters of assets. Even if they think that President Assad
:19:33. > :19:36.roentgen four and jeopardise their position, they still cannot publicly
:19:37. > :19:44.criticise the other or condone any American punishment of Assad.
:19:45. > :19:45.Privately, I suspect they are pretty furious with Assad.
:19:46. > :19:48.You can get much more on the US attack on Syria
:19:49. > :19:50.on the BBC News website, but now it's back to
:19:51. > :19:53.London where Kasia has the rest of the day's news.
:19:54. > :19:56.One other story dominating the news today -
:19:57. > :19:59.a lorry has been driven into a crowd of pedestrians in Stockholm,
:20:00. > :20:01.killing at least three people and injuring many others.
:20:02. > :20:02.The Swedish Prime Minister said everything suggested
:20:03. > :20:09.The incident happened outside a department store on a busy
:20:10. > :20:13.pedestrian shopping street at around two o'clock local time.
:20:14. > :20:16.The driver of the truck is still at large and police
:20:17. > :20:21.Our security correspondent, Frank Gardner, has the latest.
:20:22. > :20:27.A moment of panic in a peaceful city.
:20:28. > :20:31.This was Stockholm this afternoon, as people fled in terror
:20:32. > :20:34.from a truck which appeared to drive deliberately into crowds of shoppers
:20:35. > :20:41.TRANSLATION: I saw exactly where the lorry went in, just there.
:20:42. > :20:43.There wasn't much of a reaction, then the police arrived.
:20:44. > :20:50.The police just said, you have to run.
:20:51. > :20:52.Initial reports said two people were killed,
:20:53. > :20:54.then at least three, and several injured.
:20:55. > :21:02.Stockholm has seen nothing like this for years.
:21:03. > :21:04.The truck crashed into a department store and caught fire.
:21:05. > :21:07.The brewery company that owned it said a man hijacked it
:21:08. > :21:13.You could actually see bodies lying on the street and I could see
:21:14. > :21:20.the police covering the body with an orange blanket.
:21:21. > :21:22.There were lots of police around, lots of people standing around
:21:23. > :21:25.There was a lady laying with a severed foot,
:21:26. > :21:33.there was blood everywhere, there were bodies on
:21:34. > :21:42.People standing by their loved ones, but also people running away.
:21:43. > :21:45.The Swedish authorities say they had no warning of this attack.
:21:46. > :21:47.The question now is, who did it and why?
:21:48. > :21:49.The police have issued these pictures of a man
:21:50. > :21:52.they want to question, while the Prime Minister says Sweden
:21:53. > :21:59.TRANSLATION: The government is informed of the situation
:22:00. > :22:05.We support all the authorities that are working on this,
:22:06. > :22:08.and we are asking the public to be alert and listen to police advice.
:22:09. > :22:14.At least two people are dead and our thoughts are with their families.
:22:15. > :22:17.Whoever was behind today's attack, this has been a huge shock,
:22:18. > :22:22.not just for Sweden, but for all of Scandinavia.
:22:23. > :22:25.Security is now being tightened in neighbouring Norway and Finland.
:22:26. > :22:35.Already, some are saying this has been a wake-up call.
:22:36. > :22:41.Our correspondent, Maddy Savage, is live at the scene of the attack
:22:42. > :22:48.He can speak to the former Prime Minister of Sweden. Sweden is in
:22:49. > :22:55.shock. Do you have any indication as to who is behind this? No, nothing.
:22:56. > :23:05.The police are searching for that. There are right behind me. Along the
:23:06. > :23:08.pedestrian street, where the man was driving before he crashed into the
:23:09. > :23:13.department store. I think we will just have to wait for the police to
:23:14. > :23:19.do their work and eventually find out who was responsible. We.... The
:23:20. > :23:27.cover and Swedish minister has said that everything poised to visiting
:23:28. > :23:36.an act of terrorism. Do you agree? Yes, certainly. We saw this pattern
:23:37. > :23:40.in Berlin and London. A single man. Hijacking a lorry and driving into
:23:41. > :23:47.pedestrians with a clear intention of killing as many as possible. That
:23:48. > :23:52.is what we call terrorism. Is Sweden prepare for some thing like this? We
:23:53. > :23:59.live in the world where we live but no one has been killed by terrorists
:24:00. > :24:05.in this city since 1975. That was the German terrorist blowing up the
:24:06. > :24:13.embassy. We had a man who attempted to do suicide attack in virtually
:24:14. > :24:18.the same area in December, 2010. He ended up just blowing up himself.
:24:19. > :24:26.Apart from that, the other chapters. Swedish people know the world in
:24:27. > :24:30.which we live because of the media. Because of these particular types of
:24:31. > :24:36.attacks, it is difficult to guard yourself. Our security correspondent
:24:37. > :24:41.has been to Sweden and says there is not the same sense of security you
:24:42. > :24:45.have in the centre of London, not as many crash barriers and not as much
:24:46. > :24:58.CCTV. You think that'll after these events? London is unique with all of
:24:59. > :25:02.the CCTV, because of the IRA. Whether that will change, I don't
:25:03. > :25:07.know. There are privacy issues on board with that as well. Clearly,
:25:08. > :25:12.they will have to be a review of whether anything further can be
:25:13. > :25:17.done. Pedestrians are ever cars everywhere, the sorts of things are
:25:18. > :25:23.very, very difficult to have 100% guarantee against. Slowly the public
:25:24. > :25:27.transport is becoming operational again. The subway is cleared and
:25:28. > :25:34.beginning to open. Life is beginning to return to normal. Yes, the
:25:35. > :25:39.reaction in the street is immediately after attack and has
:25:40. > :25:46.been amazingly calm. There has been an amount of time while. When you
:25:47. > :25:51.close down the subway system and worldly system, this prevents
:25:52. > :25:57.anybody from running away primarily. Apologies recording of blood were
:25:58. > :26:03.out of time. -- apologies for cutting you off but we are running
:26:04. > :26:05.out of time. That's all from the problem.