Prime Minister Bill English and Foreign Minister Murray McCully said this afternoon the American attacks on a Syrian airbase were understandable given the lack of action by the United Nations Security Council. McCully said it was becoming clear that Syrian Government forces were responsible for "outrageous" attacks in which chemical weapons were used. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was briefed on the military strike this morning, according to Australian media. The US missile strike was a "hot-headed" and "knee-jerk" reaction, he said. Waikato University international law expert Alexander Gillespie said the significance of the missile attacks could not be understated.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 07, 2017 02:55 UTC