Saudi king congratulates Trump on US military strikes in Syria

Saudi Arabia fully supports military strikes carried out by the United States "against specific military targets in Syria", Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud told US President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Friday.

The Saudi king said it was a "courageous decision" by President Donald Trump in response to "the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians".

"President Trump briefed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the military operation carried out by the United States against a specific military targets in Syria.

King Salman "congratulated the US President on this courageous decision which serves the regional and world interest," said a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

The Saudi king and the US President also discussed US-Saudi bilateral relations and reviewed the situations in the region and the world, said the SPA.

The statement said Riyadh holds the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responsible for the military strikes.

US ready to 'do more'

Earlier on Friday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned at an emergency session of the UN Security Council that the country was ready to hit Syria again. "The United States took a very measured step last night," Haley told the council. "We are prepared to do more, but we hope it will not be necessary."

Assad's ally Russia, meanwhile, has declared President Donald Trump's first strike against the Damascus regime a violation of international law and an "act of aggression."

Haley told the UN Security Council that the strike destroyed an airfield from which Washington believes Damascus launched the attack on rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, where 86 people, including 27 children, died this week.

A video earlier had depicted limp bodies and children choking while rescuers tried to wash off the poison gas.

"The United States will no longer wait for Assad to use chemical weapons without any consequences," Haley said. "Those days are over."

Rights monitors warned, however, that the Syrian jets were already flying sorties from the base again as night fell Friday.

Assad's office called the strike "foolish and irresponsible," and Moscow announced a series of retaliatory steps including plans to strengthen Syrian air defences.