how can we do that? >> all right. thank you. >> thank you very much and have a good evening. >> we appreciate your time. this is a fox news alert. >> congressional leaders backing the president for his decision to launch air strikes against syria for its purported chemical weapons attack on civilians in the town of douma. house speaker paul ryan praising the president's decisive action adding we are united in our resolve. >> chuck schumer calling the air strike appropriate but adding the u.s. has to be careful not to get involved in a bigger war in syria. precision missile strikes hitting various locations in the country. the attack coming in response to the suspected chemical attack

last saturday in the town of douma. the latest report estimate the number of dead civilians 75 this morning including women and children. the president giving the assad regime a warning. listen. >> the purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons. establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the united states. the combined american, british and french response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power -- military, economic, an diplomatic. we are prepared to sustain this response until the syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents. >> the strikes carried out by u.s. navy ships and b-1 bombers

and british tornado fighter jets. joseph dunfort had more. >> we conducted strikes that will result in a long-term degradation of syria's ability to deploy chemical weapons. important information was destroyed. they will lose years of research and development data, expensive equipment and chemical weapons precursors. it's not only a strong message to the regime but inflected maximum damage without unnecessary risk to innocent civilians. >> for the latest let's go to conner powell live from the jerusalem bureau this morning. what is the latest there? >> a short while ago, a syrian military official giving a

statement on camera out of syria responding to the trump administration strike on his government and on his country. according to the syrian official he said that the strikes obviously did happen, that two facilities were hit in damascus and in homs, these are two areas under control of the assad regime. he however said they have no impact on their ability, the syrian government impact ability to carry out attacks and wage the war against opposition fighters and rebels. he described them as terrorists, essentially saying while the strikes did occur they're not going to have much of an impact on the syrian military capabilities to continue fighting opposition groups. also we're hearing that at least three people have been injured in the strikes. we're not hearing reports of anyone being killed. but at least three people were

injured. among the sites the pentagon said were targets were a chemical research facility in damascus and a storage facility near homs. the pentagon painted these as places that are active and part of the syrian chemical weapons organization and set up. however, several of the sites have been struck in -- as the last few months by israeli jets. these are targets that have been targeted by israelis in the past because of the capabilities. it's not how much of the chemical weapons facilities these were in terms of how much they were up and running. chlorine is not a highly sophisticated chemical and doesn't take much production facility to produce it. that's what people think was used in douma a week ago. it's not clear how important

these facilities were in terms of the ability to carry out future chemical attacks if they use chlorine as the main agent. we're also hearing from leaders in the region. an israeli official saying that president trump made clear the use of chemical weapons was a red line. tonight under red line, the united states, france and the united kingdom enforced that red line. we are hearing praise from israeli leaders. what we haven't heard yet is anything from gulf arab countries but there is a lot of support in the region among america's sunni gulf arab allies for action against the assad regime. there is a lot of hope that the united states and the trump transportation will confront iran and russia in syria. there is a concern about the sh shia crescent, this is something that the gulf arab states want

to see the trump administration push back against. >> it will be interesting as daylight breaks there. it is currently, to see what kind of damage was done. >> and joining us now from washington, d.c. is fox news chief national correspondent ed henry, burning the midnight oil like many of us tonight. what do we make of what took place there tonight in terms of this giant military strike and going to connor powell's point of the larger picture in the arab world? >> this is something that the trump administration is trying to sort out. in 2013 when donald trump was a businessman, donald trump used twitter then and said it would be a big mistake if barack obama moved forward with military action without getting congressional approval as you heard from a democratic

congressman, that approval was not sought and that is controversial among democrats and some republicans on the hill. the president campaigned on the platform he would not be an interventionist but this is the second time he launched u.s. strikes against syria after a chemical weapons attack. he was itching to decide within 24 to 48 hours and tweeting a warning that u.s. missiles would be on the way to their partner in syria. tonight the president addressed the nation and the world with a declaration he had to act in this case because president bashar al assad is a monster, in his words and called out iran and russia for being associated with mass murder. still vowing he would not get involved in a long-term war and officials saying it was a targeted strike. and defense secretary james mattis noted the military used little over double the number of weapons they used last year in

the strike after a chemical weapon attack. and mattis added this is a one-time shot. the president made his case for why he acted. >> this was a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very terrible regime. the evil and despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children, thrashing in pain and gasping for air. these are not the actions of a man. they are crimes of a monster instead. >> clearly the assad regime did not get the message last year. this time our allies and we have struck harder. together we have sent a clear message to assad and his murderous lieutenants they should not perpetrate another

chemical weapons event for which they will be held accountable. >> in terms of what justification the administration is using in terms of the use of force, no specific authorization from congress. remember, that there was an authorization for the use of military force after 911 passed. with a big majorities in both chambers of congress used by the bush administration for the global war on terror but was also used by the obama administration to continue the wars in iraq and afghanistan. other military action around the world. again, this is something that donald trump railed against as a candidate but now as commander in chief is likely to use the same justification that the long-ago use of military force is still active and being used by this administration. >> it's a different picture inside the oval office and you see what is going on to see something unfold. want to go back to something he said that you played earlier

basically talking about mothers and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. we were told that visibly moved the president of the united states causing him to take action that would be deemed like an intervention. >> this president gets a lot of criticism for watching a lot of television and reacting to world events and what he sees on the cable tv screen but it's this may be where he can push back and say, he's somebody whose instincts are not to be an interventionist but when he sees women and children being targeted by bashar al assad, the dictator, basically, in syria, targeting his own people, women and children in particular, those images, the president noted, moved him last year. it's very clear as you noted from his remarks this year, it moved him as well. critics are going to say that's not how you design u.s. foreign

policy, based on images. but this is someone who is trying to say as commander in chief he's not going to let this stand and wants to act tonight but it's the key question moving forward of course, kelly is will this stop assad from acting again? the u.s. launched air strikes as we have been noting all night just about a year ago because of a chemical weapon attack and here we are again. >> getting back to secretary mattis stating that the apparently assad did not learn his lesson. we'll continue to follow the developments to see if he learned anything this particular time. but critics of assad say he will continue to thumb his nose to everyone throughout the world. >> absolutely. >> good to have you with us and good to have your perspective and your report. joining us from the d.c. bureau, jim terafano, a security and foreign policy analyst. thanks for joining us.

>> good to be with you. >> this happened about five hours ago. we got word three areas were targeted in syria. what do you make of it? >> well, clearly, what the administration is trying to do is do a proportional strike to demonstrate that it was linked to a specific behavior, this unrestrained use of chemical weapons. they intentionally avoided the russian. russia's core interests weren't threatened at all. they are interested in keeping assad in power and they have business dealings and they don't want that messed with. the strikes didn't deal with any of that. so the russians were happy to sit on their hands. >> all eyes are on russia right now. they promised -- putin promised the world he would guarantee the elimination of those chemical weapons in syria. clearly that's not the case.

we're waiting to see what happens in the next coming hours. >> putin lies a lot. and certainly in this case. and i think the reality is, is, you know, okay, obama said we got all the weapons out. we say we blew -- the reality is with this primitive infrastructure we will never know if we have 100% of this stuff but it's that's not the point. we're in syria to protect our interests. what matters is assad stays out of our way while we do the things that are important to us. >> putin lies a lot do. we need to be worried about retaliation? >> so they stood there and waved as the cruise missiles went by. look, russia has an ally in syria and iran. but they have very different

interests. russia is interested in protecting its equities in syria. the syrians want their country back. but putin doesn't really care. the iranians want to be able to strategically threaten israel. that's good for the iranians. the russians don't really care about that. so the russians are perfectly willing to fight this war to the last syrian but they have limited interests and they're going to protect their interests and i don't think putin is going to stick his neck out for anybody. >> what kind of message do you think this sends to north korea? he has been flexing his muscles toward north korea. what do you think? >> i think syria, north korea, and iran are all bundled together. and there's a consistent message there in that the united states is going to protect its interests and unlike the last administrations we're not going to cut a deal for the sake of cutting a deal. the president is going to be

tough on the iranians. and he means it not just because of the iranian threat. if the north koreans think they're going to cut a deal, that's not going to happen. and you know, i think if he's saying i'm going to stand up for my interest in syria i'm going to push back on iran, i don't care if my european allies disagrees, i am going to do what is in the best interest of my country if the north koreans think they're going to get a sweetheart deal, they'll be disappointed. >> what do you think is going to stop assad? >> i don't know. and frankly, i don't care. all i care about is america's interests. you know, we don't want -- we don't want the conflict to spin up out of control, which these chemical attacks can contribute to. we don't want refugee populations pouring into other countries and western europe. we don't want this to

destabilize iraq or jordan. we don't want to leave a space for isis to come back in. we don't want a war spread out to the region. as long as we are accomplishing those goals we don't care about assad. a terrible genocidal dictator and we will never recognize him as a legitimate ruler. hopefully some day he will burn in hell or sit in a court somewhere. but that's not our problem. >> you're a man that gets to the point. i appreciate that. >> thanks for having me. >> we're going to take a quick break and be back to monitor the situation in syria tonight. don't go anywhere. .

this is a fox news alert. the u.s. military attacking syria tonight together with our allies, great britain and france. the air assault lasting for less than an hour. joining us from our washington bureau is the director of the syrian emergency task force. i would like you to if you could explain what your reaction was when you saw president trump as well as our allies, the uk and france, conduct this limited strike. >> i think the first thing that i felt was a feeling -- a cathartic feeling. you know, i grew up in arkansas, and i know the servicemen and women that serve in the united states military and i'm so proud and so thankful to the men and women of the united states military and those of our allies that punished this evil that deserved this important move.

and i think president donald trump showed leadership tonight and i want to thank him for taking this difficult decision that must be made. >> speaking of john bolton, who of course is a friend of ours here at fox news, a former contributor, now working with the president in his cabinet as national security adviser. you said something about evil and i want to get to something the president said earlier, he said the nations of britain, france and the united states have marshalled -- the words mean a lot here. the president may have been sending a message by saying marbled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality. what do you think about that particular statement from the president? >> i think the president is absolutely right. and i think the president right now has sent a clear message to iran, to russia, and to the

murderous assad regime by taking this very important action and now he has the initiative. he has the initiative to help destroy the remaining chemical weapons that president obama failed to get rid of in the russia deal that was struck when he did not act on the red line that he put there. and i think it's important that when the united states presidents makes statements they follow through with action. what the president did today did a service to humanity and is the right thing for u.s. national interests. >> you grew up in arkansas and are proud of the united states military and the president would support you in that. he went on to say that god will bring comfort to those suffering in syria. we pray that god will guide the whole region toward a future of dignity and a peace. what will it take for bashar al assad to relinquish his command, if you will, or find a peaceable

solution other than carrying out these heinous atrocities? >> i would like to say amen to the president's pair and it's a prayer that is shared by the american people and by those who have watched the horrible events unfold in syria over the last seven years. i think that bashar al assad thought he could have a military victory. he has displaced half the population of syria, 23 million people that -- half of them displaced inside the country and outside. and he thinks he can have a military victory. but if the united states steps up as the president has stepped up tonight, i believe that assad could be forced back to the negotiating table if there is a credible threat of force and the united states and its allies are serious about ending the killing in syria and i think the message sent tonight is an important one but one that must be followed with a broader strategy that

ends the barbarism of the assad regime and hezbollah, iran and the russian air force. >> that's a lot. and the president also stated they were trying to approach dealing with assad and his supporters in syria by basically going after a three-prong approach, militarily and diplomatically and economically. will that three-legged stool work in bashar al assad's mind? >> i believe that bashar al assad is a coward. he has seen now what the united states is capable of. and he understands now that there is a president in the white house that will act on his threats. and so, i think going forward, if this strategy is one that includes sanctioning the assad regime and limiting its ability to kill civilians. there is a bill in the senate foreign relations committee today that has passed the house

of representatives that will increase pressure on the assad regime and become conducive to a political solution. i think if congress supports this president and his strategy going forward and if the president, you know, brings back political initiatives, led by him and his allies, i think that assad will -- and will be -- will be dealt with in the right way. and i think then he will start thinking of a political transition if he understands he no longer has the ability to kill civilians at will using chemical weapons or any other weapons for that matter and the syrian people deserve democracy and value that this great country has been built upon and i'm so proud of the military and the president for taking these important steps and hoping the sustained initiative can continue and the assad regime tested again that there are more punitive strikes. we should get rid of all the chemical weapons and assad's

military must be grounded from killing civilians. >> it is daylight in homs and dm damascus, the two cities struck by the joint air strike by the uk, the u.s. and france. it's daybreak and reporters are saying that some in support of assad are cheering due to the fact it was a limited strike and didn't do as much damage to rob the city. but that's a strategy that the united states wanted to follow to send him a message. now, the other message that has to go out would be a message to russia as well as iran do. you think the president is being tough enough on russia to call them out and say what kind of -- what kind of regime are they supporting to support this kind of regime that could commit these kind of atrocities and basically telling russia as well as iran to get on the right

path? >> i think the president was clear in his message to russia and iran today. i believe the president's instinct first this strike to be -- and even more powerful strike and i think you know, there was some advice and some delay on secretary mattis' part in terms of getting to the strike and doing it on a certain scale. but that being said, i think the president should continue to follow his instincts and the instincts of the national security adviser when it comes to syria. and that message was received by russia and iran. russia sat on its hands today and has a lot of explaining tomorrow. >> thank you for being here and staying up with us tonight to bring us instincts on your perspective of what is going on there in syria. we'll continue to follow breaking developments as they unfold. it is daylight in syria. we'll bring you pictures of that when it becomes available to us. you are following the continuing

coverage on fox news channel of the joint military air strike against syria. i'm very proud of the fact that i served. i was a c130 mechanic in the corps, so i'm not happy unless my hands are dirty. between running a business and four kids, we're busy. auto insurance, homeowner's insurance, life insurance policies. knowing that usaa will always have my back... that's just one less thing you have to worry about. i couldn't imagine going anywhere else. they're like a friend of the family. we are the cochran family, and we'll be usaa members for life. save by bundling usaa home and auto insurance. get a quote today.

this is a fox news alert. i'm kelly wright in washington. >> and i'm jackie ibanez in new york. president donald trump announced the u.s. military along with france and the uk have launched

air strikes against syria in retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians one week ago. >> a short time ago i ordered the united states armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of syrian dictator bashar al assad. >> and the president says last week's attack on civilians there, it wasn't the actions of a man but those of a monster, listen. >> the evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. these are not the actions of a man. they are crimes of a monster, instead. >> president trump said the united states would sustain this military response until the assad regime stops using these prohibited chemical weapons and

warned syria's allies, specifically addressing russia and iran about their continued association with syria. >> to iran and to russia, i ask, what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children? the nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. >> for the latest on this, let's go to connor powell who joins us live now from our jerusalem bureau. connor? >> the assad regime trying to paint a picture this morning that the strikes really had no impact. just a few minutes ago the presidential count of the bashar al assad on twitter putting out video of him walking to the office like it was just some normal day. and a few minutes before that, a syrian military personnel giving a press conference confirming the air strikes but also saying

they had no impact and the facilities they targeted were educational and research facilities. these were not chemical weapons facilities. and the official for the syrian government saying that these strikes will not limit the capabilities of the syrian military in its effort to defeat opposition forces. he referred to those as terrorists. but the image painted is that these strikes did not do much harm to the syrian government. we know that three places were targeted in damascus and in the city of homs. according to the pentagon these were chemical weapons facilities. one is a research and development place. another was a storage facility. at least three people appear to have been injured in the strikes. the u.s. firing more than 100 mitchel missiles just after 4:00 a.m. local time here in the region.

among the targets were these chemical research facilities. one of them was struck by israeli jets some time ago. it's not clear how active these facilities were. the pentagon trying to stress it will degrade the assad regime's ability to carry out these attacks in the future. the last time the trump administration carried out these attacks a year ago, they struck aircraft and airport facilities as a way to limit the assad regime's ability to carry out these attacks in the future. that obviously did not have the desired, intended consequence because the assad regime has been accused of carrying out chemical weapons strikes several times in the last year, including this weekend in douma. iran issued a statement a short while ago saying there will be regional consequences for these strikes and comes as the israeli

government issued a statement saying that last year, president trump made it clear that the use of chemical weapons crosses a red line and last night under american leadership, united states, france and the united kingdom enforced that red line. we're going to see some statements coming out from the region, not only from the israelis but the syrians and iranians as well. >> thanks for the update. >> meanwhile, back here at home, a busy night at the pentagon following the air strikes in syria. christen fisher has the latest from washington. >> reporter: at this point we are not expecting a second night of strikes. but last night sure was a big one. defense secretary james mattis called it a heavy strike that lasted for an hour starting at 9:00 eastern time. he was quick to point out several key differences from the strikes last night and the strikes last year. last year the target was just one target, a single syrian air

base. last night there were at least three targets that were chemical weapons facilities and all hit. two were storage facilities. and the third target was something called the scientific research center which was allegedly used to produce and test chemical weapons. another key difference. last night the u.s. and its allies used twice the amount of munitions that were used last year in which 59 tomahawk missiles were fired. >> clearly the assad regime did not get the message last year. this time, our allies and we have struck harder. together we have sent a clear message to assad and his murderous lieutenants they cannot perpetrate another kmels event for which they will be held accountable. >> that was secretary mattis at the pentagon joined by the chairman of the joint chief of

staff who said that syrian surface-to-air missiles did try to engage but there were no allied losses and the u.s. and its allies did not give syria a head's up about the targets. >> going to the russia concerns we specifically identified these targets to mitigate the risk of russian forces being involved. and we used our normal decon flix channels. those were active this week to work through the air space issues and so forth. we did not coordinate with the russians on the strikes. >> the defense minister says that russia was warned ahead of the attack but was not clear if they were warned about the targets or just that an attack was coming. >> we appreciate it. thank you. we'll have more of our special coverage of the night's events in syria and washington. stay with us.

president trump announcing late last night that the u.s., great britain and france had joined forces to launch air strikes in syria. let's listen in to what he had to say. >> our fellow americans, a short time ago i ordered the united states armed forces to launch precision strikes on tarpggets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of syrian dictator bashar al assad, a combined operation with the armed forces of france and the united kingdom is now underway. we thank them both. tonight, i want to speak with you about why we have taken this action.

one year ago, assad launched a savage chemical weapons attack against his own innocent people. the united states responded with 58 missile strikes that destroyed 20% of the syrian air force. last saturday, the assad regime again deployed chemical weapons to slaughter innocent civilians, this time in the town of douma, near the syrian capital of xm damascus. this massacre was a significant escalation in a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very terrible regime. the evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. these are not the actions of a man. they are crimes of a monster,

instead. following the horrors of world war i a century ago, civilized nations joined together to ban chemical warfare. chemical weapons are uniquely dangerous not only because they inflin inflict gruesome suffering but because they can -- the purpose of the actions tonight is to deter the spread and use of chemical weapons. establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the united states. the combined american, british, and french response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power -- military, economic, and

diplomatic. we are prepared to sustain this response until the syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents. i also have a message tonight for the two governments most responsible for supporting, equipping and financing the criminal assad regime. to iran and to russia, i ask, what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children? the nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. no nation can succeed in the long run by promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants and murderous dictators. in 2013, president putin and his government promised the world

they would guarantee the elimination of syria's chemical weapons. assad's recent attack and today's response are the direct result of russia's failure to keep that promise. russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilized nations as a force for stability and peace. hopefully some day we'll get along with russia and maybe even iran. but maybe not. i will say this. the united states has a lot to offer. with the greatest and most powerful economy in the history of the world. in syria, the united states, with but a small force being used to eliminate what is left of isis, is doing what is necessary to protect the american people. over the last year, nearly 100%

of the territory once controlled by the so-called isis caliphate in syria and iraq has been liberated and eliminated. the united states has also rebuilt our friendships across the middle east. we have asked our partners to take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including contributing large amounts of money for the resources, equipment, and all of the anti-isis effort. increased engagement from saudi arabia, the united arab emirates, qatar, egypt, and others can ensure that iran does not profit from the eradication of isis. america does not seek an indefinite presence in syria,

under no circumstances. as other nations step up their contributions, we look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors home, and great warriors their are. looking around our very troubled world, americans have no illusions. we cannot purge the world of evil or act everywhere there is tyranny. no amount of american blood or treasure can produce lasting peace and security in the middle east. it's a troubled place. we will try to make it better, but it is a troubled place. the united states will be a partner and a friend, but the fate of the region lies in the hands of its own people. in the last century, we looked straight into the darkest places of the human soul. we saw the anguish that can be

unleashed and the evil that can take hold. by the end of world war i, more than 1 million people had been killed or injured by chemical weapons. we never want to see that ghastly specter return. so today, the nations of britain, france, and the united states of america have marbled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality. tonight i ask all americans to say a prayer for our noble warriors and our allies as they carry out their missions. we pray that god will bring comfort to those suffering in syria. we pray that god will guide the whole region toward a future of dignity and of peace. and we pray that god will continue to watch over and bless the united states of america.

thank you. and good night. thank you. >> and that right there was our president addressing the nation earlier tonight. joining us now from our washington bureau is lester munson, he is the former staff director of the foreign relations committee. and you have been with us all night. we appreciate you, sir, for that. >> thanks, jackie. >> what do you make of the president's comments there? was he strong enough? is he saying america is back again and don't mess with people because we'll come after you if you do. >> i thought it was a strong statement. it was well delivered and i would note his message to russia is so different than what he was saying two years ago. he has come a long way and to the right place. recognizing the maligned role that russia has in syria where it is aiding and abedding these horrible crimes against the

syrian people it's important coming from him. so i thought it was a very good statement. >> and speaking of russia, here's part of his statement, quote, to iran and to russia i ask what kind of nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of men, women, and children? the nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. strong words. >> strong words. they're good words. they're accurate words. and if those are the influence of john bolton, then bully for him. he's doing a terrific job this week. >> unlike last year when we attacked syria after the chemical attack there on their people. this time we're doing it with allies. what does that say about president trump's ability to bring the world together to bring together other countries, nations, what does that say?

>> well, obviously that's definitely a step in the right direction, you know, the united kingdom and france being some -- two of our most important and oldest allies, having them with us adds credibility. france has had a long-standing role in syria. their support makes a difference. and it shows that president trump is not just a go it alone president, that he's willing to work with our allies when he should and that's a very good thing. >> and we should point out there are people who are not happy about what is happening in syria and we should not be over there and they are worried about the future. what would you say to them? >> i understand the instinct but i think we should point out the crisis in syria that is seven years old has led to half a million deaths. it's a slow-rolling genocide that's produced 10 million displaced persons and refugees including a million who have

moved to europe. it's led to the creation of isis, in part, which is a -- which was a new and terrifying terror organization, now on the run. and it is also been attracting foreign fighters coming to join isis. so it is me fatastacized terror. >> there is much more to come as our special coverage of the night's air strikes against targets in syria continue. stay with us. we'll be right back.

. syria's state run tv says three civilians were wounded in air strikes on a military facility in the city of homs and supporters of bashar al assad gather in the streets of damascus in defiance of the joint attack by the u.s., france and the uk. jamil jofford joins us now. he is a former senior adviser to

the house intelligence committee as well as former white house counsel to president bush. thanks for joining us. it's really early in the morning. thanks for staying up with us. we are used to this all-nighter thing that we do. but this is for a very difficult situation. this is what to do about bashar al assad and his penchant for using chemical weapons. did the u.s., uk, and france send a message that enough is enough? >> we have made the point this is not an acceptable form of behavior. it violates all sorts of international norms and we will stand up and do something about it. this is not a one-off thing. it will be a sustained campaign and we will do what it takes until bashar al assad gets the message this is not acceptable. and frankly until the russians and iranians that their support cannot stand if he continues to do this activity.

>> let me read for you the statement by the u.n. secretary-general about syria. he says i have been following closely the reports of air strikes in syria conducted by the united states, france and the united kingdom. there is an obligation particularly when dealing with matters of peace and security to act consistently with the charter of the united nations and with international law in general. and i'm going to go down here and he says any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent, the suffering it causes is horrendous and i expressed my deepest disappointment that the security council failed to agree on a mechanism of accountability and urges the security council to fill this gap. do we go back to the table? we've heard nikki haley repeatedly say that russia has to actually do the right thing? >> this is one of the channels

of the u.n. you have five permanent members. it includes us but also includes russia. and pretty much indicated they would do so if the security council sought to act against bashar al assad and take action. i think there's no reason not to try once again. and put this before the security council making it clear that russia is the problem here. the reality is as the president said forth rightly today. russia and iran are part of the problem. >> you go back to 2013, right? and russia was given the tact of ensuring to the world, which they stated they would do, they would help get rid of the chemical weapons that had been amassed over years and under bashar al assad's control in -- with his regime there in syria. so what happens when secretary

of state john kerry says all those weapons are gone and we trust them but we didn't verify it? >> this goes back to kelly saying the reagan doctrine of trust by verify. the obama administration's position on this was a mistake. they thought the threat of use of force would bring them to the table and get rid of the chemical weapons. john kerry said they were gone. but just as soon thereafter, bashar al assad started to attack with chlorine and sarin. so we continued the false narrative. and part of the challenge was the desire to get the jcpoa and keep that in place. but you know, we're back where we thought we'd be because the deal would never -- was never a real deal with the russians or the iranians backing hezbollah. >> so, my time is running short

here. so what is the next step? give me the next steps here. >> i think the big thing is we have to be prepared to take more action. we have to penalize russia and iran for their support of syria. the assad regime does not survive if russia and iran do not back him. they have paid no price for the support. and we have to exact a price for them too. >> we'll leave it there. thanks, sir. we will be back with more of our continuing coverage of the air strikes, the joint military air strikes that took place in the joint nations, uk, france and the united states conducting the syrian missile strike. you're looking at the area where they struck, damascus and homs, two major cities in syria. we'll be back with more of our continuing coverage here at the

fox news channel.

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>> fox news alert. >> syrian state tv says 3 civilians were wounded in the us-led missile attack on its military base, donald trump announced the joint operation late friday night with precision missile strikes hitting targets at various locations in the country. >> beer strikes were successful, explosions lighting up the skies over the capital, damascus, this in response to the chemical attack in duma, the presiden