Air strikes in Syria were about saying "enough is enough" over the use of chemical weapons, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said.
Mr Johnson said the action by the US, UK and France would not "turn the tide" of the conflict and was not about regime change.
But he said he hoped it would act as a deterrent to more "barbaric" chemical attacks.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has questioned the legality of the action.
He called for new legislation to ensure MPs get a vote before future military action is taken, and said he would only back intervention in Syria if the United Nations backed it.
Conservatives said this would never happen due to Russia using its veto at the UN.
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Downing Street has published its legal case for its part in the strikes, which targeted military bases.
Sites near Damascus and Homs were hit in response to an alleged chemical attack on the town of Douma on 7 April.
Both Syria and Russia - which provides military support to the Syrian government - have reacted angrily to the action.
'No to chemical weapons'
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson stressed the "limits" of the intervention were to stop an apparent erosion of the "taboo" of chemical weapons.
"The rest of the Syrian war must proceed as it will," he said, adding that the "primary purpose is to say no to the use of barbaric chemical weapons".
Mr Johnson said he did not know how Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would respond, adding that if there was a repeat chemical attack, "clearly, with allies, we would study what the options were".
Opposition parties have criticised the lack of a parliamentary vote before the air strikes.
Mr Johnson promised MPs would "have their say" when Theresa May makes a Commons statement on Monday.
Mr Corbyn told the Marr show Mrs May "could easily" have recalled Parliament or delayed her decision until MPs returned on Monday.
He also called for a War Powers Act, "so governments do get held accountable to Parliament for what they do in our name".
He added that Labour would continue to push for a debate and a vote on the intervention, describing it as "policy made up by Twitter", in a reference to the US president's tweets ahead of the air strikes.
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