US President Donald Trump announced that the US, along with France and Britain, launched precision strikes against the Syrian government on Friday evening. Natasha Hussain has the details.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "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, a combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway."

THERESA MAY BRITISH PRIME MINISTER "I have authorised British armed forces to conduct coordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian regime's chemical weapons capability and deter their use. This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change."

French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed his country's participation in the operation. The joint strikes are in response to last week's alleged chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma, which killed at least 60 people. Washington pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government. But Damascus denied the accusations, saying the attack was the work of terrorists.

Syria's ally, Russia, had earlier warned that Western military strikes would risk starting a war. Trump on Friday emphasized that the purpose of this strike was "to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons". Syrian state television confirmed strikes on the capital city and the country's air defenses have been deployed. The ongoing tension on this region -- which already suffered from seven years' war -- seems to be escalating once more. Natasha Hussain, CGTN.