Russia: Israel Behind Fatal Strike On Syrian Air Base

Cover Image: PA

An air strike, believed to have killed 14 people, was carried out by the Israeli Air Force according to Russia's defence ministry.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said most of the 14 killed in the attack, were either Iranians or members of Iran-backed groups.

A Syrian military official also said Israel was behind the attack.

Russia said two Israeli fighter jets attacked the Tiyas (T4) air base in central Syria from Lebanon air space in the early hours of Monday.

The ministry stated that Syria shot down five out of the eight missiles that targeted the base. It said the other three landed in the Western area of the base.

Syrian state TV meanwhile quoted an unnamed military official, saying Israeli F-15 war planes had fired several missiles while flying over neighbouring Lebanon.

Earlier, President Donald Trump tweeted that there would be a "big price to pay" for the weekend's suspected chemical attack on Douma, near Damascus.

The US launched several Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base last year, following a chemical attack in the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun, which killed dozens of people.

The suspected poison gas attack on Saturday, on the besieged town of Douma, came almost exactly a year after the US missile attack was prompted by the Khan Sheikhoun deaths.

The Syrian government have denied the allegations, labelling them fabrications.

White House Homeland Security Advisor, Thomas Bossert, declined to rule out any form of response during an interview with ABC's This Week.

"I wouldn't take anything off the table. These are horrible photos. We're looking into the attack."

First responders entering apartments in Douma, said they found bodies collapsed on the floor, some foaming at the mouth. The Syrian Civil Defence rescue organisation said victims appeared to have suffocated.

The civil defence organisation, also known as the White Helmets, and the medical relief organisation, Syrian American Medical Society, said survivors being treated at clinics smelled strongly of chlorine.

However, those reports could not be independently verified due to a government blockade surrounding the town.

President Donald Trump has said he will decide on a US response to the apparent chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians "probably by the end of today".

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Mr Trump condemned the "heinous attack" on Saturday that killed at least 40 people, including children.

"It was an atrocious attack," he said. "It was horrible."

He said he will be meeting with military advisers to consider US options and "nothing's off the table".

Mr Trump said the US is still investigating the possible involvement of the Iranian and Russian governments in the strike.

"If it's Russia, if it's Syria, if it's Iran, if it's all of them together, we'll figure it out," he said.

He added of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "everybody's going to pay a price - he will, everybody will".