Paul Ryan Brushes Off Criticism That He Enabled Trump

WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) attempted in an interview airing

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Israel to free 200 African migrants awaiting deportation

Israel will release about 200 jailed African migrants in the absence of a final deal to deport them and thousands more Eritrean and Sudanese men who entered the country illegally, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The government has been trying to finalise an agreement with Uganda to take in the migrants, who came into Israel on foot through the Egyptian border over the past decade.

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Ex-FBI chief James Comey says Trump 'morally unfit to be president'

The ex-FBI chief says in a TV interview that Mr Trump treats women like "meat" and "lies constantly".

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Syria air strikes: Macron says he convinced Trump not to pull out troops

France's president also says he convinced his US ally to limit recent strikes to chemical sites.

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Air China plane 'pen' hostage drama suspect held by police

Police say the man who threatened Air China crew with a pen mid-flight has a history of mental illness.

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Barbara Bush, ailing ex-first lady, declines further hospital care

The former US first lady will now spend her time in "comfort care" with her family.

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Israel destroys 'longest and deepest' Gaza tunnel

The tunnel was heading towards an Israeli community near the Gaza border, Israel's military says.

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Full Metal Jacket drill instructor R Lee Ermey dies aged 74

R Lee Ermey, a drill instructor turned military character actor, was best known for the Kubrick film.

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Australia flesh-eating ulcer 'epidemic' a mystery, doctors say

Doctors say they are perplexed by a "worsening epidemic" in the state of Victoria.

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Sydney bushfire deemed 'highly suspicious' as threat eases

Arson is suspected as the cause of a large blaze that has threatened homes, authorities say.

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Starbucks apologises amid backlash over arrest of black men

The coffee chain offers "deepest apologies" after two men are handcuffed in one of their shops.

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Italian film-maker Vittorio Taviani dies

Alongside his brother, Vittorio Taviani became one of Italy's best-known directors over decades.

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Catch tonight's 'Next Revolution' special: 'The Trial of James Comey,' 9 pm ET on Fox News

04/15/18 8:02 PM

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Barbara Bush will not seek additional medical treatment: family spokesman

04/15/18 2:20 PM

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Nikki Haley warns Bashar al-Assad US is 'ready to go' if chemical weapons used again

04/15/18 10:45 AM

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

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Trump launches fresh attack on James Comey, claims ex-FBI boss' new tell-all book is full of 'lies' and 'fake' memos

04/15/18 9:31 AM

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G.O.P. Pollster Withdraws From Role Advising Both Pence and Haley

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James Comey’s ABC Interview: Five Highlights

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Pacers Hand LeBron James First Series-Opening Loss; Celtics Win in Overtime

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Nikita Kucherov’s Next Trick? Helping the Lightning Win the Stanley Cup

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Today, Go Say an Overdue Thank You. It’ll Make You Feel Better.

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A Guide to Getting Along in Putin’s Russia

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Word + Quiz: obligatory

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‘Women Here Have Been Waiting Years for a Time to Shine’

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What’s on TV Monday: ‘Amour’ and ‘I Am Evidence’

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Eyeing 2020, Trump Fund-Raisers Return to Familiar Well: Small Donors

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James Comey’s Interview on ABC’s ‘20/20’: Annotated Excerpts

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Quotation of the Day: Not Necessarily Thor. One Mets Ace Is Not Like the Other

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Review: An Elephant’s Ghost Stalks the World in ‘Mlima’s Tale’

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No Corrections: April 16, 2018.

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R. Lee Ermey, Profane Drill Sergeant in ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ Dies at 74

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He Called Out Sick, Then Apologized for Leaving This World

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Syria, James Comey, Iceland: Your Monday Briefing

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Somaliland poet jailed for Somalia reunification poetry

Pressure groups in Somaliland say poet Nacima Qorane's basic human rights have been violated.

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‘Billions’ Season 3, Episode 4: Sealed With a Kiss

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Syria 'chemical attack': Girl seen in hospital video speaks

This is the story of Masa, who survived the suspected chemical attack in Syria, in her own words.

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North Korea's secret slave gangs

North Korean workers are being exported to make money for the government, a BBC investigation finds.

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WWE stars John Cena and Nikki Bella announce split

The couple are breaking up just weeks before they planned to get married.

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Beyonce reunites Destiny's Child at Coachella

The girl band performed together for the first time since 2015 during Beyonce's set at the US festival

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Tourism pressures: Five places tackling too many visitors

A look at sites around the world that are at risk from becoming too popular for their own good.

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Things you might not know about the Commonwealth

As Commonwealth leaders meet in London, the BBC takes a look at the facts and figures behind this club of nations.

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Can Fitbit get itself back into shape?

The fitness tracking firm, co-founded by James Park, has been struggling in a more competitive market.

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Elon Musk Admits His Robot Problem Caused 'Production Hell'

Humans were the answer all along.

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Prominent LGBTQ Lawyer Sets Self On Fire In 'Protest Suicide' Of Climate Change

David Buckel, a prominent LGBTQ civil rights attorney, fatally set himself on

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Addressing North Korea Requires a Joint U.S.-Chinese Effort

When negotiating with North Korea, the aim should be a grand bargain instead of incremental solution. When President Donald Trump accepted the oral invitation to have a meeting sent with North Korea’s leader Kim Jung-un, China, like other countries, was very surprised. Now we have a very good chance of reaching a denuclearization agreement, in which China and the United States need to cooperate closely more than ever before.

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Legal fight lingers for man freed in 1980 murder case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — John Floyd spent 36 years locked up for a New Orleans murder he insisted he didn't commit. A federal judge sees things the same way and ordered his release from jail last year and a new trial. Her decision was backed by a federal appeals court.

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Mother Discovers Cancerous Tumor on Her Foot During Pedicure

She had to have her foot amputated.

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U.S. recalls more than 200 million eggs over salmonella fears

(Reuters) - Nearly 207 million eggs from a farm in North Carolina are being recalled from nine U.S. states after 22 people fell ill, the federal Food and Drug Administration has said. It is the largest recall of eggs in the United States since 2010, the Food Safety News website reported. The eggs may have been contaminated with salmonella braenderup, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems, the FDA said on Friday in a statement.

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Hear The 2019 Audi TT RS Play Its Five-Cylinder Symphony

Don't expect any major styling changes.

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American Airlines resumes flying over Russian airspace after one-day halt

(Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc on Sunday resumed flying routes that use Russian airspace after having rerouted flights on Saturday due to its monitoring of "global geopolitical issues", a spokesman said. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday evening announced military strikes targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons capabilities. On Saturday, American Airlines' Dallas-Beijing, Dallas-Hong Kong and Chicago-Beijing flights had stopped in Los Angeles to refuel because the routes cannot be flown non-stop without the use of Russian airspace. ...

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Syria strikes - as it happened: Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons capability 'set back for years' by bombing, Pentagon says

Joint air strikes by the US, UK and France have set back Syria’s chemical weapons capability “for years”, the US military said. Cruise missiles were fired at three sites in response to what Theresa May called the “despicable and barbaric” attack in Douma last week that is believed to have killed up to 75 people. Ms May said Bashar al-Assad could face even further strikes if chemical weapons are used again - and the US warned that they were "locked and loaded" if poison used again.

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Singapore photographer: 'I've lost the city I used to shoot'

An 81-year-old photographer is nostalgic for the long-vanished Singapore he used to capture.

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Grave of the Fireflies: The haunting relevance of Studio Ghibli's darkest film

Grave of the Fireflies is a haunting war anime with a message that resonates 30 years since its release.

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Woman's body found in California river where family vanished

LEGGETT, Calif. (AP) — Searchers looking for a family of four whose SUV plunged into a Northern California river have found the body of a woman believed to be from the vehicle, authorities said Friday.

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Trump Promised Senator No Federal Crackdown On Legal Weed, But Who Even Knows

President Donald Trump has assured a top Senate Republican that he will allow

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GM to cut more than 1,000 US jobs tied to small cars

General Motors will cut more than 1,000 jobs in the US tied to production of sedans that are in low demand, the automaker said Friday. The cuts will affect GM's factory in Lordstown, Ohio, where the biggest US automaker produces the Chevrolet Cruze. Sales of the vehicle have dropped 32 percent in the last four years, the company said, part of a broader trend in the US that has seen consumers ignore small cars in favor of sports utility vehicles and larger "crossover" cars amid low gasoline prices and a recovering economy.

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'Bombs won't save lives' in Syria, opposition leader Corbyn tells UK PM May

LONDON (Reuters) - British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Saturday that Prime Minister Theresa May should have sought approval from parliament before ordering cruise missile strikes against Syria. "Bombs won't save lives or bring about peace. This legally questionable action risks escalating further," Corbyn, a veteran anti-war campaigner, said. "Britain should be playing a leadership role to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict, not taking instructions from Washington and putting British military personnel in harm’s way. ...

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Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller Drop By ‘S.N.L.’ to Help Skewer Michael Cohen

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Four things to know about Telegram messenger

The popular messaging app Telegram has been blocked in Russia after refusing to give state security services access to private conversations. Known as Russia's Mark Zuckerberg after the Facebook boss, Pavel Durov has amassed a fortune of $1.7 billion (1.4 billion euros) at 33, according to Forbes magazine.

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Gun rights activists rally at state capitols nationwide

Pro-gun supporters wrapped in flags and carrying guns rallied at statehouses across the U.S.

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Jeremy Corbyn urged Theresa May to postpone 'legally questionable' Syria strikes at the eleventh hour

Jeremy Corbyn urged Theresa May to postpone what he described as the "legally questionable" Syrian air strikes during last-minute talks with Downing Street Friday night.  The Labour leader said the missile attack by Britain and the USA on Syria will make it less likely the Assad regime will be held accountable for war crimes. He also criticised Theresa May for “taking instructions from Washington” and said the Prime Minister should have obtained Parliament’s backing before launching the strikes. Speaking after the US, UK and France bombed multiple Syrian government targets in an early morning operation aimed at destroying alleged chemical weapons sites, Mr Corbyn said: "Bombs won't save lives or bring about peace. “This legally questionable action risks escalating further, as US defence secretary James Mattis has admitted, an already devastating conflict and therefore makes real accountability for war crimes and use of chemical weapons less, not more likely.” Mr Corbyn added: “Britain should be playing a leadership role to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict, not taking instructions from Washington and putting British military personnel in harm's way. Bombs won’t save lives or bring about peace. My statement responding to air strikes on Syria: https://t.co/R6Yqkk4MV3— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 14, 2018 "Theresa May should have sought parliamentary approval, not trailed after Donald Trump. The Government should do whatever possible to push Russia and the United States to agree to an independent UN-led investigation of last weekend's horrific chemical weapons attack so that those responsible can be held to account." The leader of the opposition was visiting to Huddersfield on Saturday and spoke to his Conservative counterpart late on Friday.  He said: "I had a late night conversation with the Prime Minister and my whole point is that Parliament should be consulted, parliament should be allowed to take a view on this but, instead, the strikes were launched last night. "Parliament is in session on Monday. She could have come to Parliament on Monday to discuss the whole situation. Instead, they've launched these strikes. "She claims there's a legal basis for it. "I've asked her in a letter I've just to sent her this morning to publish in full the legal basis and justification for it." During the Yorkshire visit, Mr Corbyn added: "Also, why she hasn't heeded the words of Antonio Guterres - the general secretary of the United Nations - who wanted the strikes to be stopped, who wanted the UN charter to be observed, and give time for the OPCW to do its inspection of chemical weapons in Syria? "And, also, to work again to get a ceasefire in Syria so that no more people are killed in this ghastly civil war in Syria." Profile | António Guterres He said: "We'll be pushing for publication of the legal advice that the government has given. "We will be demanding that the government goes back to the United Nations with the support of the Swedish government, or in support of the Swedish government in order the get a new UN resolution and bring Russia and the United States together along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey - all the neighbouring states there. This civil war is ghastly. It's killed hundreds of thousands. "It's driven millions into refuge in other countries and the chemical weapons are obviously appalling and disgusting and completely illegal within international law." Mr Corbyn said there was only a legal basis for action if there was a direct threat to the UK. He said: "You could only do it under the basis of self-defence - if there was a direct threat to us, and there wasn't." Intervention in Syria | Read more Stewart McDonald, the Scottish National Party spokesman for defence, said UK forces had been engaged in "gesture bombing with no major international consensus". "Most worrying is that she has acted at the behest of presidential tweets and sidelined Parliament," he said on Twitter. "What does this new bombing campaign do to help move Syria towards peace? Nothing. "Instead, it has the potential to dangerously complicate the war, making matters on the ground worse for the people that the strikes are supposed to help. There is no peace strategy." Owen Smith, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, also attacked the decision, writing on Twitter: "The House of Commons is elected to represent the people of our country and to hold our Executive to account. "Parliament should have been recalled and consulted before we engaged in this military action in Syria." But Carwyn Jones, Labour's First Minister of Wales, backed the action, as long as it was part of a wider plan to bring peace to the region. Mr Jones said: "I spoke with the PM late last night about the action in Syria. I offered my support to any intervention that could prevent a further atrocity, but it is vital that any action forms part of a wider long-term plan for the region. "I have urged the Prime Minister to do all she can to avoid civilian casualties given the complicated picture on the ground in Syria, and she has given me assurances in that regard. "Our thoughts today are with our service personnel and the people of Syria, who have endured beyond all measure." At a Pentagon briefing shortly after President Trump announced strikes had taken place, Gen Joseph Dunford said a scientific research facility in Damascus, allegedly connected to the production of chemical and biological weapons, had been hit, along with a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs and a chemical weapons equipment storage site and command post, also near Homs. Syrian state television said government forces had shot down more than a dozen missiles, and claimed only the research facility in Damascus had been damaged. It said three civilians had been injured in Homs.

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Jennifer Hart Was Drunk When She Drove Her Family of 8 Off a California Cliff

Her wife and two of her adopted children also had Benadryl in their system

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Assessing the damage of the airstrikes in Syria

CBS News' Seth Doane was the only U.S. network correspondent in Syria on Friday evening when the U.S., France and U.K. fired airstrikes at targets in Syria. Doane was in Damascus on Saturday and witnessed the aftermath.

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Kentucky teachers march on state capitol

Thousands of teachers rallied inside and outside Kentucky's capitol on Friday. The rally took on a festival-like atmosphere as some teachers sat in lawn chairs or sprawled out on blankets.

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ICYMI: A huge robot and presenter in the pool

Some stories you might have blinked and missed this week.

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David Buckel: US lawyer sets himself on fire in climate protest

David Buckel, known for his work for LGBT people, died after setting himself on fire in New York.

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Trump Orders Strikes On Syria In Retaliation For Chemical Attack

The United States, France and the United Kingdom on Friday conducted a wave of

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Swalwell: Congress was not consulted in Syria strike

Rep. Eric Swalwell says Congress was not consulted about the airstrikes launched in Syria.

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DOJ tinkers with immigration courts to speed deportations

The sequence of events that lead to immigration court vary from case to case, especially now, as even broader categories of people — ranging from convicted criminals to recent border crossers seeking asylum, longtime residents and even a few U.S. citizens — are getting caught up in the Trump administration’s sweeping enforcement dragnet.

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Yellow cabs and apartment houses: FBI is taking a broad look at Michael Cohen's business

Agents who raided the office and home of President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen weren’t only interested in hush-money payoffs to women, but were also investigating a broad range of his business dealings, including a taxi empire, New York City real estate and an aborted project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

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The Latest: Mayor calls for probe of Starbucks policies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks (all times local):

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Syria fired 40 missiles 'at nothing' after allied air strikes destroyed three Assad chemical sites

The Assad Regime fired 40 defensive missiles at thin air in a failed attempt to save the three Syrian chemical weapons sites destroyed by allied air strikes, the Pentagon said.  A total of 105 missiles rained down on a research centre in Damascus as well as a storage site and a bunker 15 miles west of Homs at 4am Syrian time.  Britain launched eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the sky as the US and France provided support from the sea and jets. France fired 12 cruise missiles, three from a frigate and nine from aircraft, while the US provided the bulk of the firepower with 85 missiles in total.   A Typhoon aircraft prepares for landing at the British Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, near costal city of Limassol, Cyprus. Syria's capital has been rocked by loud explosions as U.S. President Donald Trump announced airstrikes The attack targeted Syria from all angles, with ships and submarines firing from the Red Sea, North Arabian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean and jets which took off from Cyprus, France and, reportedly, Qatar.  Addressing the media in Virginia, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr, the director of joint staff, said he would pick three words to describe the attack: “Precise, overwhelming and effective".  He said Syria had launched 40 surface-to-air missiles in an attempt to shoot the allied weapons down, but that most of them had been fired after the last Syrian target had already been destroyed.  The three bases targeted were the Barzah Research and Development Centre in greater Damascus, the Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Storage Facility, west of Homs, and the Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Bunker Facility, just more than four miles from the storage facility. A map displaying areas targeted in U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria Credit: Department of Defense Britain's involvement comprised of the Royal Air Force sending four Tornado GR4s to attack the Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Storage Facility. With a maximum speed of Mach 1.3 and capable of carrying more than eight tonnes of weapons, the GR4 is the latest phase in the evolution of the Tornado - the RAF's strike aircraft of choice for the last three decades. The GR4s involved in the overnight attack deployed eight "bunker busting" Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Weighing in at 2,866lb (1,300kg), measuring 16.7ft (5.1m) in length and with a range in excess of 150 miles (240km), it has been described by the air force as "arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world". The range means that none of the GR4s would have been required to cross into Syrian airspace to launch the assault and they were provided with air support by four Typhoons. Intervention in Syria | Read more   Meanwhile, the French scrambled Mirage and Rafale fighter jets for their part in the Syrian air strikes together with four frigate warships, launching a total of 12 cruise missiles. The multi-purpose Rafale is used for reconnaissance, ground support as well as air strikes. It is capable of carrying missiles of a similar capability to the Storm Shadows used by the UK. Alongside the Rafale, France deployed its supersonic Mirage 2000 fighter jets - which have a maximum speed of Mach 2. Both jets have the capacity to carry missiles capable of reaching their Syrian targets without entering Syrian airspace. Syria: timeline of British involvement since 2013 The Americans deployed their B-1B Lancer bombers for the strike and also launched missiles from the Ticonderoga-class cruiser Monterey, the Virginia-class submarine John Warner, and two other warships. In total, the US launched 66 Tomahawk missiles, and 19 joint air-to-surface stand-off missiles. Nicknamed "the Bone", the B1-B is capable of carrying the most weapons of any bomber in a modern air force. It is prized for its speed, manoeuvrability and long range. Like the jets deployed by France and Britain, the B1-Bs would not have been required to cross into Syrian airspace to strike. Earlier this month, the US Air Force released footage of two B-1Bs arriving at the Al Uldeid air base in Qatar. The Barzah facility was hit by 76 US missiles in total, the storage facility was hit by 22 weapons from all three nations and seven French missiles fell on the bunker. Earlier, Russia had claimed its Syria's Cold War era air defence system shot down 71 of the missiles launched by the US, Britain and France in retaliation for Bashar al-Assad's attack on civilians in Douma last Saturday. Russia's senior military officer Sergei Rudskoi conducts a briefing at the defence ministry headquarters in Moscow following the overnight strikes Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images The US's top general played down the Syrian response, and asked if there had been any Russian retaliation, General Dunford said: "We did have some initial surface-to-air missile activity from the Syrian regime. That's the only retaliatory action we're aware of at this time. "We've completed the targets that were assigned to the United States central command. Those operations are complete." He added: "We specifically identified these targets to mitigate the risk of Russian forces being involved. We did not do any co-ordination with the Russians on the strikes, nor did we pre-notify them." Syrian state media had earlier claimed to have shot down 13 cruise missiles, but Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that last night's air strike against the Syrian regime was "a highly successful mission". The destroyed Scientific Research Centre is seen in Damascus. Donald Trump said the attack was 'perfectly executed' Credit: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters He said: "The reason we have taken this action is because we all saw the images last week of the suffering that had been inflicted on innocent men, women and children, and there has been a need to act. "That's why last night we deployed four Tornados armed with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. You will be pleased to hear all of those crews have returned safely and every early indication is that is has been a highly successful mission. "This is something we have been in discussion with the US and French over the last few days but obviously the meeting of Cabinet is where this was properly discussed." Mr Williamson said the service personnel involved in last night's attack have played "an important role in terms of degrading the Syrian regime in using chemical weapons in the future". Russia had boasted of its S-400 surface-to-air defence system, but it does not appear to have been used in the overnight strikes in Syria. Great Britain's arsenal in the Syrian conflict Tornado GR4 The Tornado has been carrying out air strikes in Syria and Iraq over the past few years. Set to be retired from service next year, after almost four decades on operations, the Tornado, with a maximum speed of Mach 1.3, has also seen action in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. It can be loaded with a mix of weapons which include Paveway II, III and IV series GPS/laser-guided bombs, Brimstone air-to-ground missiles and Storm Shadow air-launched long-range strike missiles. An RAF Tornado lands at Akrotiri in Cyprus, April 14, 2018 Credit: Reuters The main Tornado squadrons are based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, which will become the new home of the cutting-edge of the F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets. There are currently six of the jets based at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, a location some 315 miles (510km) from Syria. Eurofighter Typhoon With a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, the Eurofighter Typhoon was first deployed in combat in Libya in 2011, and is also the jet used for Britain's Quick Reaction Alert squadrons based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, and RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, with a presence also in the Falkland Islands. Typhoons are armed with an internal 27mm Mauser cannon, plus Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles, as well as Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV precision-guided bombs. Future weapons on the jet will also include Storm Shadow and Brimstone, as well as Meteor air-to-air missiles. A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet taking off from RAF's Akrotiri base in Cyprus Credit: Petros Karadjidas/AFP There are currently eight of the jets based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, used in the air campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Submarines Another potential option could be to use Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Royal Navy attack submarines. British submarines have been equipped with the missiles since the late 1990s. The Tomahawk IV has a range of well over 1,000 miles (1,610km) and can be redirected to a new target in mid-flight - it is known as a strike first weapon and could be a likely option for use in Syria as they can be launched unalerted. Used during operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq in 2003, it is understood there is always a submarine available to be deployed for such tasks, and one could be sent to the Eastern Mediterranean should it be required. Storm Shadow cruise missiles Described as a "long-range deep-strike weapon" by MBDA systems, which produces the missile, the company states on its website that it is "designed to meet the demanding requirements of pre-planned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets". Weighing in at 2,866lb (1,300kg), measuring 16.7ft (5.1m) in length and with a range in excess of 150 miles (240km), it is operated from Tornado jets and in future will be carried on Eurofighter Typhoon. In this picture taken in 2005, visitors pass behind the French made Storm Shadow/Scalp EG cruise missiles Credit: Rabih Moghrabirabih/AFP The long-range air-to-surface missile, designed as a "bunker buster", is understood to be the weapon likely to be used if allied military intervention in Syria is agreed upon, and could be useful to potentially penetrate underground chemical weapon stockpiles. It was first brought into service in 2003 and has previously been described by the RAF as "arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world". Paveway bombs The RAF said Paveway IV "offers huge tactical flexibility", and, as the impact angle and direction can be programmed from the cockpit, it gives a "precisely tailored strike on planned and unplanned targets". As an air-to-surface weapon it offers improvements over older weapons, including greater accuracy. It requires no maintenance, has a higher resistance to GPS jamming and a lower cost. But to be effective, the jet carrying it has to be over or within vicinity of the target, which could mean the aircraft it is being launched from becomes vulnerable to surface-to-air retaliatory missiles or fire. Brimstone Noted as a "precision attack weapon" by Stevenage-based MBDA, the company said Brimstone can be used to target fast-moving vehicles, tanks, armoured cars and bunkers, as well as naval vessels. Each missile weighs 110lb (50kg), measures 6ft (1.8m) and is 7in (180mm) in diameter, and is a short-range missile. The weapons Donald Trump has at his disposal to attack the Assad Regime Tomahawk cruise missiles The Tomahawk IV has a range of well over 1,000 miles and can be redirected to a new target in mid-flight - it is known as a strike first weapon and is a likely option for use. Manufactured by Raytheon, the company states on its website that the cruise missile can "circle for hours, shift course instantly on command and beam a picture of its target to controllers". With an ability to be launched from ships or submarines, the weapon can "fly into heavily defended airspace" and at extremely low altitudes, according to Raytheon. The US has previously launched Tomahawk missiles at targets in Syria, including 59 on Shayrat air base in April last year from US Navy destroyers, USS Ross and USS Porter. US, UK and French launch Syria airstrikes, in pictures The strike targeted the airfield, warplanes and hangars on the base, south-east of the city of Homs, following an alleged sarin gas attack on civilians. Tomahawks each weigh 3,300 lbs (1500 kg) with a rocket motor, and can travel at the subsonic speed of 550 mph. In 2004 the British Government agreed a £70 million deal with the United States government to purchase 64 upgraded Tomahawk missiles. Raytheon said the Tomahawk is a "highly-accurate, GPS-enabled precision weapon", which has been used more than 2,000 times by the US and allied militaries. The US Navy states on its website that the primary function of the missiles is for "striking high value or heavily defended land targets". It has been reported that two US cruise missile destroyers, armed with Tomahawks, have been dispatched or are already in the region, ready for if military action is given the go ahead. F-16 fighter jets There are a number of the aircraft at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey which have been supporting global coalition efforts to eradicate Islamic State from Syria and Iraq. Known as the fighting falcon, the US Air Force (USAF) describes the jet on its website as being able to fly more than 500 miles and "delivers its weapons with superior accuracy" and can "defend itself against enemy aircraft". A US-made F-16 fighter jet launches flares during a drill above the sea near the Suao navy harbour in Yilan, eastern Taiwan, on April 13, 2018 Credit: Sam Yeh/AFP Described as a multi-role fighter, it can carry a payload which includes the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), a stealthy missile which uses an infrared seeker, as well as four air-to-air missiles and reach Mach 2 when flying at altitude. Lockheed Martin, the company behind the JASSM missile, said it is long-range and "designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets". B-1 Bomber The B-1B Lancer is capable of carrying the "largest conventional payload" according to the USAF, and is the "backbone of America's long-range bomber force". Although the Department of Defence has said it will "not confirm locations of specific assets", in September last year it announced that one of the aircraft had flown in a mission off the North Korean coast amid Kim Jong-un's weapons programme. A US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber (right), US F-35B stealth jet fighters (bottom) and South Korean F-15K fighter jets (top) flying over South Korea  Credit: AFP The warplane is capable of being packed with 24 of the long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Staff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER), according to the USAF, which has a longer range than the JASSM. Flying "missions daily in support of continuing operations" according to the USAF, even though it is not known if there are any in the Middle East, it could potentially be deployed if strikes occur. F-22 Raptor Built by American aviation giant Lockheed Martin, according to the Department of Defence the stealth fighter jet has "unprecedented survivability and lethality". It has been reported that America has a number of the warplanes based in Qatar, which have been used in the global coalition effort to eradicate Islamic State - the first use of the jet in a combat role by the US. According to the USAF, the F-22 "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft", and can cruise at supersonic airspeeds greater than Mach 1.5. A US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet at Santiago international airport earlier this month Credit: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters In September 2015 the USAF said it had 183 of the jets, with each one costing 143 million dollars (£100 million). It can carry two 1,000 lb (450 kg) Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs, which "autonomously navigates to the designated target coordinates", the USAF said. Russia's S-400 surface-to-air defence system - one of the most advanced on the planet The latest generation in a series of increasingly sophisticated systems, the S-400 is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the world, reportedMike Wright, Roland Oliphant and video news producer Charlotte Krol. It comes equipped with a sophisticated radar and control array that allows it to target dozens of enemy aircraft simultaneously at ranges of up to 250 miles. And while its missile interceptor capability is shorter range - about 75 miles -  its missiles travel at a thousand metres a second and can hit low-flying targets at just a few metres of altitude - perfect for killing sub-sonic Tomahawks. Russia deployed the S-400 to its Hmeymim airbase in Syria in 2015 after a Turkish jet fighter shot down a Russian bomber.  How Russia's S-400 missile defence system could stand up in Syria Moscow is believed to have at least one partial battery, consisting of several launchers with up to 60 missiles, at the Hmeymin airbase near Latakia. It can fire several kinds of missile. The 9M96, which the S-400 generally uses against incoming cruise missiles, has an (official) successful interception rate of about 70 percent, so doctrine calls for two missiles to be fired at each target to guarantee a hit. But US commanders may plan to overcome that impressive hit rate by firing an overwhelming number of Tomahawks. "The system should have plenty of capacity to shoot down individual missiles. But it is fairly easy to swamp it just in terms of the sheer number of interceptors required," said Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute. A strike of the magnitude seen at the Shayrat airbase last year, when 60 Tomahawks were used, would be far beyond the missile capacity of the S-400 battery that we know to be in Syria." An S-400 versus Tomahawk showdown in Syria would be the first time the systems have been properly tested against one another - and could have a profound impact on military thinking in Moscow and Washington. "The performance of the S-400 would be very significant for Nato. The system is feared in Europe and Kaliningrad. If it was shown to be incapable of stopping significant numbers of Tomahawks it would have implications for Russia's deterrence capability," said Mr Bronk. "That could be why the Russians refrained from intercepting the Tomahawks fired at Shayrat last year - nothing is more terrifying than the unknown." They are yet to face off, as it appears Moscow did not deploy the system in the most recent air strikes on the Syrian bases.  At a glance | Sanctions against Russia Syria's Cold War-era missile interceptors and launchers S-75 Dvina  Damascus has 320 S-75 Dvina launchers as part of its air defence system designed to combat air strikes.  It is understood the Soviet designed weapons are currently being updated. Since its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most widely deployed air defence systems in history. At 2.3 tons, the weapon weighs more than twice that of Great Britain's new missile - the Storm Shadow cruise missile.  S-200 Syria has 48 Soviet-built S-200 missiles which were built back in 1967 and each one measures more than 10 metres. The S-200 Angara is a long rage, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile system designed in the Soviet Union. While it is no longer used by the Russian army, it is a vital cog in Bashar al-Assad's military wheel.  The missile's range is impressive, but its reliability has been called into question after two people were killed and one injured after an apparently stolen warhead from the surface-to-air missile exploded at a scrap yard in the Siberian city of Chita. A criminal investigation was opened into the "illegal acquisition and storage of explosive device" after two warheads from a S-200 Angara missile were found at the blast site.  Douma chemical attack Local authorities said it appeared that the warhead had detonated while workers were cutting it down for scrap metal. On Saturday morning,  The Kremlin revealed it was considering supplying the updated S-300 missile systems to Syria. In response to the Western strikes, Russia threatened to give Syria and other allies its advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles. Colonel-General  Sergei Rudskoi: “A few years ago, considering the insistent requests of some of our Western partners, we decided not to deliver S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria. "Considering what has happened, we think it's possible to once again consider this question, and not just for Syria, but other countries.” Half of France's military planes 'unfit to fly' French warplanes and helicopters may be asked to join the fight against the Assad Regime, but the French Air Force on the whole is in a disastrous state, according to a report by Rory Mulhollandfrom Paris in December. More than half - 56 per cent - of all France's aircraft were deemed unfit to fly at any given moment, according to a senior minister. “If I compare the current situation … of our planes with a car, it is as if I wanted to have a car every morning that works, I would have to own four cars,” Florence Parly, the armed forces minister, said during a visit to an air base in Evreux in Normandy in December. She made the remark in a scathing speech about the state of the French fleet, where aircraft availability has gone from bad to worse despite a 25 per cent boost to the maintenance budget over the past five years that brought the total to €4 billion (£3.5 billion) in 2017. Ms Parly went to Evreux to announce wide-ranging plans to cut soaring costs and free up more aircraft by streamlining the current maintenance programme, which is so complex that it can take 30 different contracts to get a helicopter repaired. Britain’s Royal Air Force, whose aircraft have been in constant use for many years in Afghanistan and Iraq, was criticised earlier last year when it was revealed that on average one in three of its multi-role Typhoon fighters and Tornado combat jets was unfit to fly. Overall figures for the air readiness of the RAF fleet are not publicly available, but the figures for its fighter jets suggest that it is in far better shape than its French counterpart. Eighty per cent of the French fleet is operational in the battle zones of west Africa, Iraq and the Middle East, according to official figures in December, but in bases in France the figure plummeted to 30 per cent. The overall figure for aircraft ready to fly stood at 44 per cent, down from 55 per cent in 2000. On average, just one Caracal - a long-range tactical transport helicopter - in four was ready for action, while just one or two A400M turboprop transport planes out of a total of twelve were ready to take to the air. An Airbus Helicopter H225 Caracal takes part in a flying display at the first day of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris Credit: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters The Rafale, which is seen as one of the best multi-purpose fighter jets in the world, scored a respectable 49 per cent availability. But the figures for a range of other aircraft were disastrous: 22 per cent for the C-130 transport plane, 25 per cent for the Tiger attack and reconnaissance helicopter, and 26 per cent for the Lynx helicopter. “The consequences of this are that (flight) teams train less … and the cost of an hour of flight time has gone up,” Ms Parly said at the time An hour of flight time for a Caracal, for example, rose from €19,000 in 2012 to €34,000 in 2016. “This situation is no longer tenable, and I have therefore made it a personal priority,” said the minister. She announced that a new aeronautic maintenance department would be set up in March but that there would be no increase in the maintenance budget as it was deemed sufficient if the process was properly reorganised. The planned department, whose boss will report to the joint chief of staff, would make the company that makes the aircraft responsible for their maintenance “from start to finish,” Ms Parly said. The aim is to avoid the case of the Tiger helicopter, whose maintenance is currently split between so many different firms or military offices that it requires more than 30 separate contracts. Profile | Bashar al-Assad Pierre Tran, a specialist on French military issues, said at the time in theory the minister’s plans were sound but that in practice there was a high risk. “They (defence contractors) will likely be thinking that Christmas came early this year,” he said, noting that the huge sums involved meant that there was a high risk of taxpayers’ money being wasted. The key to success for the government is to exercise extreme caution when negotiating the new maintenance contracts with the firms involved, which include Airbus,  Dassault, Thales and Air France Industries, said Mr Tran. In a message clearly directed at aircraft makers, the Armed Forces Minister said she wanted results by 2020. “We buy to fly, not to stock planes in hangars or parking spots,” said Ms Parly.  

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