Julie Bishop joins world leaders in backing Syrian air strike

Julie Bishop says Australia will support a US airstrike in response to the Syrian chemical weapons attack.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Julie Bishop says Australia will support a US airstrike in response to the Syrian chemical attack after Donald Trump vowed there would be a “forceful” reaction, warning those behind the move would “pay a price”.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron also warned they would respond to the Syrian gas attack in Douma that has killed at least 60 people and injured more than 1000. The leaders said a response was necessary to uphold the global ban on the use of chemical weapons.

Anticipation of a strike was growing yesterday. European air traffic organisation, Eurocontrol, yesterday warned airlines to exercise caution over the Eastern Mediterranean due to a possible launch of air strikes into Syria over the next 72 hours.

US officials told ABC News the government was considering striking the Syrian military’s command and control headquarters or its chemical weapons stores. At a meeting yesterday, Russia used its veto to block a US proposal to the UN Security Council to set up an ­inquiry that would assign blame for the incident. Bolivia voted against the US proposal. China abstained.

Ms Bishop said Australia would back a US counter-attack.

“I am not going to comment on US military actions. But if the United States does carry out an airstrike in response to this use of chemical weapons against citizens then Australia would support any action that is targeted calibrated and proportionate,” she told the ABC.

Ms Bishop said Australia supported the US strikes in response to a major chemical attack last year. Last April the US fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase near Homs in response to the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack on April 4.

Bill Shorten said discussion of US airstrikes was “premature” while Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong declined to offer a view. “I’m not going to get into ­hypotheticals on a military ­response,’’ Senator Wong told the ABC.

On Tuesday night Labor defence spokesman Richard Marles suggested he would support an American strike.

“The Syrian regime used chemical weapons last year and there was a consequence which flowed as a result of that through the American missile strikes,’’ he said. “We supported them. That was the right action.”