Theresa May and Donald Trump have agreed that the use of chemical weapons must not go unchallenged after the Prime Minister won the backing of her Cabinet for action to prevent their further use in Syria.

The two leaders also said there was a need "to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime", as they pledged to work together on the international response to the suspected chemical weapons attack.

Meanwhile, Russia has been granted a request for the United Nations Security Council to meet on Friday for fresh discussions on Syria.

US President Donald Trump says an "attack" on Syria could be "very soon or not so soon at all".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned the West against air strikes, saying they risk causing further instability in the region and upsetting international peace and security.

Mrs May held an emergency Cabinet meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss Britain's response to a chemical weapons attack allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime on its own people.

Mr Trump has previously warned Russia's ally to "get ready" for missiles while the White House refused to rule out direct conflict with Moscow.

EasyJet and other airlines have re-routed flights near the conflict zone after Europe's air traffic control agency warned of possible missile strikes in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Stay here for the latest updates.