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A torpedo attack could cause “considerable damage” to USS Donald Cook, a guided missile destroyer operating near Syria, Vladimir Masorin, former commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, has said. Although Russia probably won’t be required to “sink” the Arleigh Burke-class warship, Masorin said the weapon would be effective nonetheless. Masorin, who commanded the Caspian Flotilla between 1996 and 2002, warned US President Donald Trump to refrain from bombing Syria over the chemical attack. Waging war is a “dangerous thing” for the US who live in a “completely different world” to Russia, whose Navy has “no fear”, he said on Friday. His bellicose comments come after Trump warned Russia missiles “will be coming” in response to the chemical attack blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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The USS Donald Cook, equipped with more than 60 Tomahawk missiles, is among a number of US Navy warships that could be involved in military action against Syria. “It is unlikely that we will have to sink the Donald Cook,” Masorin told Russian TV channel Zvezda. “Yet, a torpedo is a very effective weapon that causes considerable damage to a vessel. “Clearly, we are going to deal with a lot of pressure, but war is a dangerous thing for the Americans in the first place. “They live in a completely different world over there, but we have no fear, we are fed up with the Americans, they are like a burr in the saddle.”

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Meanwhile on Friday, the US blamed the Syrian government for a deadly chemical attack this month and slammed Russia for failing to stop its ally, Assad. The White House accused Syria of carrying out a toxic gas assault on April 7 that killed dozens of people in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. "We have a very high confidence that Syria was responsible and, once again, Russia's failure to stop them and their continued [lack of action] on this front has been part of the problem," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

US intelligence shows a Russian claim that the attack was faked was false, Sanders said. "Our intelligence tells us otherwise. I can't go beyond that," Sanders told reporters. Earlier on Friday, Russia sought to blame a rebel group, called the White Helmets, for carrying out the alleged chemical attack.

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In an extraordinary statement, the Russian MoD accused Britain of orchestrating the "provocation" in Douma, in Eastern Ghouta, near the capital, Damascus. Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said the Russian MoD has "evidence" Britain "seriously pressured" the White Helmets to commit the atrocity, without elaborating. In response, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce branded the assertion "a blatant lie".