ISTANBUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Saturday called for more efforts to achieve "lasting peace" in Syria, saying the rivalry does not solve the problem.

Calling the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syrian sites a "positive step," Yildirim stressed that "more is needed for a lasting peace in Syria."

He urged Western countries to take more responsibility and work harder toward permanent peace in the region, saying competition in the field does not solve the problem, as people in Syria have been massacred for seven years.

"Where were you until today? Do you remember your humanity only in the use of chemical weapons?" he asked during a party rally in Istanbul.

Earlier in the day, the U.S., Britain and France carried out a wave of joint airstrikes on Syrian military facilities in response to an alleged chemical attack blamed on the Syrian military.