U.K. Could Launch Air Strikes In Syria Without Assad

Prime Minister David Cameron made the claim after he and President Barack Obama wrote a joint op-ed saying they “will not be cowed” in the fight against ISIS.









British Prime Minister David Cameron said the U.K. could launch air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria without the support of the government of Bashar al-Assad, The Guardian reported.

In a round of media interviews on Thursday morning, Cameron opened a legal path for military action against ISIS in the country by claiming Assad's government was illegitimate.

He said western nations would not necessarily require an invitation from the regime to launch air strikes within the country's borders in order to satisfy international law.




Rebecca Naden / Reuters















In an interview with the BBC, Cameron said he would not "rule anything out" when it came to taking military action against ISIS:

















Cameron said the U.K. would not pay a ransom to free the 44-year-old hostage, who was captured over a year ago in northern Syria. Relatives of Haines had previously asked British media not to publish his name, but after it appeared in foreign outlets such as The New York Times they concluded that its publication in British media was inevitable.

Yesterday, British foreign secretary Phillip Hammond said the U.K. would explore "every possible option" to help the hostage, and said that an unsuccessful attempt had already been made to rescue him.





















President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron visit a school in Newport, Wales, ahead of the NATO summit.


Larry Downing / Reuters




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