Tensions rise in Syria as Israel is accused of bombing air base
Trump says will decide within two days on retaliation against Syria for alleged chemical attack
BEIRUT/DAMASCUS/WASHINGTON: Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack on 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.
Saturday’s suspected gas attack took place in the town of Douma, the last remaining rebel bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. Rescuers and medics in Douma said at least 48 people died after a “poisonous chlorine gas attack”.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he will announce the US response to the alleged chemical attack within the next two days and left the door for a military option .
“It was atrocious. It was horrible,” Trump told reporters. “This is about humanity and it can’t be allowed to happen.”
He added: “If it’s the Russians, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran, if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out …To me there’s not much (of) a doubt (who is behind it), but the generals will figure it out”.
The timing of the strike on the air base in the central Homs province, hours after 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.
This 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.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, told reporters Israel had not notified Russia of the airstrike, even though there may have been Russian military advisers at the base, which he described as “a cause for concern for us”.
Iran’s Fars news agencies said three of its fighters were killed in the strike.
Israel’s foreign ministry had no comment when asked about reports of the airstrikes.
The international chemical weapons watchdog opened an investigation on Monday to determine whether dozens of people were gassed to death in an attack near the Syrian capital, possibly by a poisonous cocktail of sarin and chlorine.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Ahmet Uzumcu said it was responding with “grave concern” to the suspected chemical weapons attack.