May Summons Cabinet to Debate Syria Strike

She says use of chemical weapons 'cannot go unchallenged'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 12, 2018 12:10 AM CDT
UK PM Summons Cabinet to Discuss Syria Strike
A lineup of Russian troops is held before withdrawal at Hemeimeem air base in Syria.   (Vadim Grishankin/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

British Prime Minister Theresa May summoned her Cabinet back from vacation Thursday to discuss military action against Syria over an alleged chemical weapons attack. May has indicated she wants Britain to join in any US-led strikes in response to the attack in Douma. She has said "all the indications" are that President Bashar Assad's forces were responsible, and the use of chemical weapons "cannot go unchallenged," the AP reports. The US, France, and Britain have been consulting about launching a military strike, and President Trump tweeted Wednesday that missiles "will be coming."

Britain's Ministry of Defense refused to comment on reports that Royal Navy submarines armed with cruise missiles have been dispatched into range of Syria. British opposition lawmakers are calling for Parliament to be given a vote before any military action. May isn't legally required to do that, though it's conventional for lawmakers to be given the chance to vote. Kuwait's national carrier, meanwhile, says it's suspending flights to Lebanon in line with security warnings from airline authorities concerning a possible strike on neighboring Syria. On Wednesday, European airspace authorities warned aircraft to be careful over the next few days when flying close to Syria because of the possibility of air strikes.

(More Syria stories.)

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