Israel blamed for missile strike in Syria; 14 reported dead

Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack Monday on a Syrian air base that reportedly killed 14 people, including three Iranians, while international condemnation grew over a suspected poison gas attack over the weekend that was said to be carried out by the Syrian government.

Opposition activists said 40 people died in the chemical attack, blaming President Bashar Assad’s forces. The U.N. Security Council planned to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the chemical attack.

The timing of the strike on the air base in the central Homs province, hours after President Donald Trump said there would be “a big price to pay” for the chemical weapons attack, raised questions about whether Israel was acting alone or as a proxy for the United States. Israel typically does not comment on its airstrikes in Syria.

It was the second such attack this year on the air base, known as T4, where Iranian fighters are believed to be stationed.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the T4 air base, firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the western part of the base. Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli F-15 warplanes fired several missiles at T4. It gave no further details.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry had no comment when asked about reports of the airstrikes.

Since 2012, Israel has struck inside Syria more than 100 times, mostly targeting suspected weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces.

Israel hit the T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base. The base, which was used as a launching pad for attacks against Islamic State militants who were at one point stationed nearby, is near the Shayrat air base, which was targeted by U.S. missiles last year in response to a chemical weapons attack.

Saturday’s suspected gas attack took place in the town of Douma, the last remaining rebel bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. It killed entire families in their homes and underground shelters, opposition activists and local rescuers said.

Syria’s state news agency SANA initially said the attack on the T4 air base was likely “an American aggression,” but the Pentagon denied involvement, and the agency then dropped the accusation, blaming Israel instead. SANA said the missile attack resulted in a number of casualties, but provided no specific figures.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency identified three Iranians it said were among those killed. It did not provide their ranks or further information.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war through a network of activists on the ground, said 14 died, including Iranians and three Syrian officers.

Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief, said the assault targeted a mobile air defence unit and some buildings inside the air base. He said it also hit posts outside the base used by the Iranians and Iran-backed fighters.