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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has ruled out any further US missile strikes against Syria unless, of course, Assad decides to use chemical weapons again.

Russia, in its odd triple alliance with Iran and Assad, has said it will meet force with force if the Americans attack again. Without a blink of irony, the joint HQ of the Russians and their Iranian allies said Fridays Tomahawk missile strike had crossed red lines.

The face-off has led to a renewed build-up of naval power in the Mediterranean and Gulf region. Russia has announced the dispatch of two missile-carrying destroyers.

The US has the George HW Bush aircraft carrier battle group in the eastern Mediterranean. From this the destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross launched 59 Tomahawk land attack missiles at the Sharyat air base in Syria in the early hours of last Friday.

Interestingly, Russian air defences made no attempt to stop the Tomahawks, though the Russians were told they were on the way.

Maybe they didnt want to test their S-300 and S-400 air defence missile systems they say are world beaters. Theres more than a suspicion the Americans know how to jam their command and control systems.

The Trump administration is more than concerned about the threats it sees coming from Iran, which has provided the backbone of Assads recent ground operations. Of particular concern is the development of new generations of rockets and intermediate missiles.

Linked to this is the focus of Trumps two leading strategists, James Mattis at the Pentagon and HR McMaster at the National Security Council, on new military developments in North Korea.

Iran and the Pyongyang regime share missile technology. It is now feared Kim Jong-un is planning some spectacular show of force around April 14 or 15, the 105th birthday of North Koreas now dead founder.

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Backlash over Syria air strikes could see threats from Iran and North Korea - Evening Standard