U.S Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Friday that her country was fully justified in carrying out an airstrike against a Syrian government airfield.

The U.S attack came in fiery retaliation to Tuesday's deadly chemical attack that officials said used chlorine mixed with a nerve agent, possibly sarin.

More than 80 were killed in that attack that drew wide international condemnation.

"The United States took a very measured step last night (Friday). We are prepared to do more but we hope that will not be necessary. It is time for all civilized nations to stop the horrors that are taking place in Syria and demand a political solution," Reuters reported Haley as having said.

“On Tuesday the Assad regime launched yet another chemical attack on civilians, murdering innocent men, women and children in the most gruesome way. Assad did this because he thought he could get away with it. He thought he could get away with it because he knew Russia would have his back. That changed last night.

“As I warned on Wednesday when the international community consistently fails in its duty to act collectively there are times when states are compelled to take their own action.
The indiscriminate use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians is one of those times. The United States will not standby when chemical weapons are used. It is in our vital national security interest to prevent the spread and use of chemical weapons. Our military destroyed the airfield from which this week's chemical strike took place. We were fully justified in doing so."

However, Russia's deputy UN ambassador has condemned the U.S attack in Syria, saying the consequences "could be extremely serious."

Vladimir Safronkov said efforts to move forward the political process are hypocritical.

"On the night of 7 April the United States attacked the territory of sovereign Syria. We describe that attack as a flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression. We strongly condemn the illegitimate actions by the US. The consequences of this for regional and international stability could be extremely serious."

Syria's deputy ambassador, Manzour Manzour said the attack was a "treacherous act of aggression and a grave violation of the charter of the United Nations"

Meanwhile, Manzour Manzour, Syrian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations said: "The United States at dawn today April 7, 2017 waged a barbaric flagrant act of aggression against a base of the Syrian Arab Air Force in the central area of the country using a number of missiles which led to a number of martyrs, many injured including women and children and wideranging material damage. This treacherous act of aggression is a grave violation of the charter of the United Nations as well as all international norms and laws."

"The Syrian Arab republic has stressed that the Syrian Arab army does not have chemical weapons in the first place and that it would never use such weapons in any of its operations against armed terrorist groups and that it condemns the use of such weapons as being unjustified under any conditions. Let me stress that it is well known that those weapons have been used and stockpiled in many parts of Syria by terrorist armed organizations," he said.

"Today the United States of America in its policy in an attempt to justify its aggression against Syria is using fabricated information provided by the on the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists. This aggression incontrovertibly proves that Syria has been correct that successive American administrations will not change their policies, which is to target states to make people kneel to their will and spread hegemony around the world," said Manzour.