Was the US missile strike on Syria legal?

When the US carried out a missile strike on a Syrian airbase, it did so without warning and without permission. But did it break the law? Short answer — yes.

When the US fired Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase near Homs, it did so without warning and without permission.

It was a dramatic intervention triggered by a horrific gas attack on civilians, which the US says was carried out by the Syrian Government led by President Bashar al-Assad.

So, were the strikes illegal?

Short answer — yes, according to international law expert Professor Ben Saul from the University of Sydney.

Here’s why:

‘Retribution’ isn’t an excuse

When Malcolm Turnbull threw Australia’s support behind the US, he said the strike had sent “a vitally important message, that we will not tolerate — the world will not tolerate — the use of chemical weapons”.

Source: Syria missile strike: Did the Trump administration break the law? – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)