Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters Wednesday: "We stand ready to provide military options if they're appropriate as the president determined," according to The New York Times.

Until recently, Syria had seemed the one area where Putin and Trump were certain to find common ground.

DONALD Trump has made an implicit threat to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after the shocking gas attack in the country that killed 72, including 11 children.

In an interview with French media Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he welcomed conservative French presidential candidate François Fillon’s policies on terrorism.

Russia has criticised the US and UK for using "unacceptable" tone and rhetoric in speeches on Syria at the UN, after being accused of "barbarism".