KABOOM! US threatens new Syria strikes for gas attacks and barrel bombs

The Trump administration has warned Syria that the use of chemical weapons or barrel bombs could bring fresh US military action.

"If you gas a baby or drop a barrel bomb onto innocent people, you will see a response from this president," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

He also said Syrian president Bashar al Assad must go, adding: "You can't imagine a stable and peaceful Syria with Assad in charge."

The warning came as G7 foreign ministers gathered in Lucca, Italy to consider a response to the chemical attack in Idlib province which killed more than 80 people, including many children.

That attack prompted US President Donald Trump to hit a Syrian airbase with 59 cruise missiles, destroying 20% of the country's working jets, according to US defence secretary James Mattis.

"The assessment of the Department of Defence is that the strike resulted in the damage or destruction of fuel and ammunition sites, air defence capabilities, and 20 percent of Syria's operational aircraft," he said.

"The Syrian government would be ill-advised ever again to use chemical weapons," he added.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, have said the airstrikes crossed "red lines" - echoing US Mr Trump's condemnation of the gas attack itself.

But Moscow's unwavering support for Syrian president Assad has brought mounting condemnation and the threat of sanctions against senior Russian military officers working with the Syrian army.

Speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Moscow must now decide whether to stick with the "toxic" Syrian president or work with the G7 nations to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

"Do they want to stick with a toxic regime? Do they want to be eternally associated with a guy who gases his own people?" he asked.

Mr Tillerson is expected to deliver a "clear and coordinated" message to the Kremlin later this week after Mr Johnson cancelled his own visit to the Russian capital following conversations with Mr Trump's team.

Mr Trump later spoke to Theresa May by phone and the pair agreed to act quickly to persuade Russia to drop its support for Mr Assad.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The President thanked the Prime Minister for her support in the wake of last week's US military action against the Assad regime.

"The Prime Minister and the President agreed that a window of opportunity now exists in which to persuade Russia that its alliance with Assad is no longer in its strategic interest.

"They agreed that US Secretary of State Tillerson's visit to Moscow this week provides an opportunity to make progress towards a solution which will deliver a lasting political settlement.

"They also discussed the broader Middle East, including the threat posed by Iran throughout the region.

"The Prime Minister and President also stressed the importance of the international community, including China, putting pressure on North Korea to constrain the threat it poses."

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Mr Tillerson would be meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and not the Russian president.

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