Al Manar - The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is one of the priorities of the Trump administration.

�There�s not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime,� Haley said in an interview with CNN, which will air in full on Sunday.

�If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it�s going to be hard to see a government that�s peaceful and stable with Assad,� she stressed. �Regime change is something that we think is going to happen.�

The ambassador, however, emphasized that defeating the ISIL terror group was still a top policy goal in Syria.

The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the US military launched a massive missile strike against a Syrian airbase in the early hours of Friday.

President Donald Trump said the operation was in response to a suspected chemical attack this week, which Washington has blamed on the Assad government.

�You pick and choose your battles and when we�re looking at this, it�s about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out,� Haley had told reporters on March 30.

Syria and Russia said the chemical explosion in Idlib, which left more than 80 people dead, was caused by an airstrike on a militant-controlled depot.