(RNN) - The United States has launched strikes against Syria, President Trump said in an address to the nation on Friday night.
The strikes are in response to a gas attack on the rebel-held city of Douma last weekend.
The U.S. is conducting the strikes in coordination with Britain and France, the president said.
According to the World Health Organization, the attack on the Damascus suburb of Douma by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad may have exposed around 500 people to toxic chemicals.
Graphic images of small children being treated by medics and bodies foaming at the mouth circulated after the attack. Russia claims it was staged.
The president called the attack "the crime of a monster" in his address to the nation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that Moscow has "irrefutable information that it was another fabrication."
Trump tweeted early Thursday about the possibility of a strike: "Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!"
Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018
The president had threatened a military response days before.
He tweeted there would be "a big price to pay" on Sunday. He also wrote Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran were complicit in the attack, and referred to the Syrian president as "Animal Assad."
He then warned Russia on Wednesday that missiles "will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'" He wrote on Twitter: "You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
The White House insisted throughout Wednesday a decision to strike had not been made.
Mattis said the U.S. was "still assessing the intelligence" related to the gas attack in Douma and noted "we stand ready to provide military options if they're appropriate, as the president determines."
Sanders only said "all options are on the table" at her daily briefing.
Earlier this week, missiles were launched at the T-4 airbase in central Homs Governorate. Russia and Syria blamed Israel for the strikes.
Following a sarin attack on Syrian civilians in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017, Trump ordered strikes on the Shayrat air base in Homs.
In that strike, 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from the USS Ross and USS Porter in the Mediterranean. They destroyed or damaged a number of Syrian military aircraft and infrastructure at the base.
The Syrians said as many as 16 people were killed in the strikes, including nine civilians in the surrounding area.
Operations resumed at the air base just a couple days later.
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