Donald Trump has said America's missile strikes on a Syrian airbase were in "the vital national security interest" of the US.

In a brief statement, the President urged civilised nations to seek an end to the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.

President Trump warned that the US was determined to "prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly weapons".

He said there was "no dispute" that the Syrian government had used banned chemical weapons during this week's attack in Idlib, which killed more than 80 people - including many children.

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Mr Trump told reporters: "Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children.


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"It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of God should ever suffer such horror."

President Trump also warned that years of previous attempts at changing the Syrian president's behaviour have "all failed very dramatically" - causing the refugee crisis to worsen while further destabilising the Middle East.

His remarks were made from the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Image: Shayrat Airfield in Homs, Syria is seen in this DigitalGlobe satellite image. Pic: US Defense Department

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the missile strikes on the Shayrat airfield in Homs show that the Trump administration is prepared to take decisive action in response to heinous acts.

Mr Tillerson said he believed the strike was a "proportionate" response, and US officials have a high degree of confidence that sarin nerve gas was used in the chemical attack.

He also condemned Russia for failing to fulfil a four-year-old agreement to secure Syria's chemical weapons - describing Moscow as either "simply incompetent" or complicit.