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– A Syrian official says the strike on the air base in the country’s centre has killed seven people.

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– The office of Syria’s President is calling the U.S. missile strike against one of its air bases in central Homs “reckless” and “irresponsible.”

– The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin believes that the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base is an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law.” He will chair a meeting of his Security Council to discuss the conflict.

– Russia says it’s suspending a deal with the U.S. to prevent mid-air collisions over Syria in response to the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base.

– A spokesperson for National Defence in Ottawa said early today that Canadian Forces personnel were not involved in the missile strike and Canadian operations in the region remain unchanged.

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BEIRUT – Russia condemned the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base in response to this week’s chemical attack as “aggression” and suspended crucial co-ordination with Washington in Syria’s congested skies. The country’s ministry of defence also announced plans to send a warship to the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Telegraph.

“To protect key Syrian infrastructure a range of measures will be taken reinforce and improve the effectiveness of the Syrian armed forces air defence,” the ministry said in a statement.

The overnight missile attack, which marked the first time the U.S. has directly targeted Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, was condemned by his allies in Russia and Iran but welcomed by the Syrian opposition and its supporters, who expressed hope it signalled a turning point in the devastating six-year-old civil war.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin believes the U.S. strike is an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law.” Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin believes the U.S. launched the strikes under a “far-fetched pretext.”

“Washington’s move deals a significant blow to the Russia-U.S. relations, which are already in a deplorable shape,” Peskov said. He added that the attack creates a “serious obstacle” for creating an international coalition against terrorism.