US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser warned on Wednesday that the United States would respond "very strongly" if Syrian President Bashar Al Assad uses chemical weapons in an offensive to retake Idlib province.
"We now see plans for the Syrian regime to resume offensive military activities in Idlib province," John Bolton told a press conference during a visit to Jerusalem.
"We are obviously concerned about the possibility that Assad may use chemical weapons again," he said.
"Just so there's no confusion here, if the Syrian regime uses chemical weapons we will respond very strongly and they really ought to think about this a long time."
The northern province of Idlib is home to the last major rebel bastion in Syria.
In April the United States, France and Britain launched joint missile strikes on Syrian targets in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in the town of Douma that left scores dead.
Mr Bolton also said that the Trump administration was not seeking to oust Iran's leadership with its reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.
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Read more:
Bombing Idlib would be 'catastrophic' says Turkey Foreign Minister
Syrian regime shells Idlib ahead of assault
Comment: For the Syrian regime, Idlib is crucial to taking back control of the country – and even Ankara won't be able to stop it
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"Regime change in Iran is not American policy but what we want is massive change in the regime's behaviour," he said.
Mr Bolton arrived in Israel on Sunday for three days of talks expected to focus mainly on Iran and its presence in Syria.
Israel and Syria share a border and Iran is backing Mr Al Assad in his country's civil war, along with Russia and Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, and a series of recent strikes that killed Iranians there has been attributed to Israel.
"Every time that Iran has brought missiles or other threatening weapons into Syria in recent months Israel has struck those targets," Mr Bolton said.
"I think that's a legitimate act of self-defence on the part of Israel," he added.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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