Russia and Syria last night accused Israel of conducting missile strikes on a Syrian military airport after the US, France, Britain and Germany warned of a strong response to “horrific chemical weapons attacks” on a rebel-held enclave near Damascus.
Moscow said two Israeli F-15 fighter bombers and missiles fired remotely from Lebanese territory had struck the central Tayfur air base yesterday. A military spokeswoman for Israel, which has bombed Syrian regimen positions including those linked to chemical weapons, declined to comment.
Syrian state news agency SANA said “several missiles” had hit the Tayfur airport, later adding that there were “dead and wounded”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “at least 14 fighters” were killed, including Iranian forces allied to the Assad regimen.
Washington and France denied responsibility for the strike, which came just hours ahead of an urgent UN meeting to be held early today over the use of toxic gas on Saturday on the town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta that killed at least 60.
US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, spoke by phone and vowed a “strong, joint response” to the chemical attack.
Read the report in The Australian (subscription required).