Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi broke with fellow Democrats who had criticized President Trump's military action against Syria to endorse the move late Thursday.

"Making sure Assad knows that when he commits such despicable atrocities he will pay a price is the right thing to do," Schumer said in a statement released late Thursday. "I salute the professionalism and skill of our Armed Forces who took action today."

"Tonight's strike in Syria appears to be a proportional response to the the regime's use of chemical weapons," Pelosi said in a statement.

Following the missile launch at 8:40 p.m. Thursday, some Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump for not asking Congress' permission before choosing to launch 59 Tomahawk missiles at an airbase in west Syria where it's believed Tuesday's chemical weapon attack originated.

Schumer did warn, however, that the Trump administration must "come up with a strategy and consult with Congress before implementing it."

Pelosi echoed those concerns, calling on the White House to ask Congress for an Authorization for Use of Military Force if it plans further action against the regime of Bashar Assad in order to "prevent another open-ended war in the Middle East."

Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi endorse Trump's attack in Syria