On Wednesday (NZT), chemical bombs were fired from a Syrian Government airbase into northern Syria which saw dozens of Idlib civilians killed and hundreds injured.
Horrific images of men, women and children suffering, some foaming at the mouth, from a deadly nerve agent, were seen worldwide.
This afternoon, United States President Donald Trump ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria in retaliation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
59 missiles were launched; the strikes are the US military's first action in the six years of the Syrian Civil War.
In a recent press conference, Trump said, "Using a deadly nerve agent, al-Assad choked out the lives of hopeless men, women and children. It was a slow brutal death for many." He said, "No child of God should ever suffer such horror."
Trump confirmed ordering the attack on the airfield in Syria, and called on "all civilised nations" to join the US in seeking to end the bloodshed in Syria, as well as terrorism in all areas, of all kinds.
New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said that New Zealand was informed but was not asked for our view. "We can understand the US taking action to prevent that kind of chemical attack occurring again - and we support action as long as it's proportionate."
New Zealand Defence Force has military personnel in Iraq on a non-combat training mission as part of the fight against the Islamic State. New Zealand does not have a military presence in Syria.
According to Australian media, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said they would consider joining the action.