LONDON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday linked the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Government with the attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain, saying the allied airstrike was meant to deter all such acts.
"These strikes are about deterring the barbaric use of chemical weapons in Syria and beyond," she said. "We would have preferred an alternative path but on this occasion, there is none. We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalized, either in Syria or in Britain or elsewhere."
She was referring to the suspected nerve agent poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last month.
The United States, France and Britain launched a joint military strike on Syria early on Saturday without the authorization of the United Nations.
At a press conference at 10 Downing Street, May said the military strikes were "limited and targeted," designed to degrade the Syrian regime's ability to develop and use chemical weapons.
"It was not about regime change. It was a limited, targeted, effective strike with clear boundaries," she said.
"This collective action sends a clear message that the international community will not stand by and tolerate the use of chemical weapons," she added.
The U.S. and British governments claim the military action will deter future use of chemical weapons, referring to an alleged chemical attack in Douma, a Syrian suburb northeast of capital Damascus, on April 7.
The U.S. and its allies allege Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military was behind the attack. But there is no evidence so far to support the suspicion. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which will be investigating the incident, is expected to move only on Saturday.
May said the British Government attempted to approach Syria through diplomatic channels but to no avail. "The UK Government has been working intensively with international partners to build (an) evidence picture," she remarked.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the strike Saturday, saying it violated international law and the UN Charter.
