Russian President Vladimir Putin: Missile strikes on Syria 'act of aggression'

Oren Dorell | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump explains U.S. airstrikes on Syrian regime Listen to President Trump's full address to the nation after ordering airstrikes on the Syrian regime. He also included a message for Syria's allies Russia and Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations' Security Council following the coordinated missile strikes by the U.S., France and the U.K. against Syria.

Calling the airstrikes an “act of aggression," the Russian leader said Saturday that strikes had a “destructive for the entire system of international relations" and will exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, according to a statement posted to the Kremlin's web site. Putin also reaffirmed Russia’s view that the alleged chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma that prompted the strike was a fake.

Syria's President Bashar Assad announced after a U.S. military strike that his country would respond, while Russia's ambassador to Washington warned of unspecified "consequences."

"Good souls will not be humiliated," Assad said on his official Twitter account.

President Trump on Friday announced that a series of strikes were launched by the U.S., France and Britain on Assad's chemical weapons facilities in Syria. Trump said the attack would be sustained to ensure that Syria does not use chemical weapons to attack civilians.

After the Pentagon said the strikes were over, Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov issued a statement on Twitter accusing the allies of "a pre-designed scenario" against Russia and Syria.

"Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences," Antonov said. "All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris."

He added: "Insulting the president of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible. The U.S. — the possessor of the biggest arsenal of chemical weapons — has no moral right to blame other countries."

The Russian military said Saturday that Syria’s Soviet-made air defense systems downed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles launched by the United States and its allies, according to Tass, Russia's government news site.

Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military’s General Staff said the strikes have not caused any casualties and Syrian military facilities targeted by the U.S., Britain and France have suffered only minor damage.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the allied missiles struck outside of Russia's area of responsibility in Syria, so Russian air defense systems did not respond, Russia's RIA Novosti reorted.

Russian military and diplomatic officials warned before Trump ordered the military strike on Syria that they would counter any attack on Syrian forces in retaliation for an alleged chemical attack on April 7.

Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon on Tuesday had told Lebanon's Al Manar TV that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launch sites targeted, Reuters reported.

Russian Ambassador to Beirut Alexander Zasypkin cited orders by Putin.

"If there is a U.S. missile attack, we — in line with both Putin and Russia's chief of staff's remarks — will shoot down U.S. rockets and even the sources that launched the missiles," Zasypkin told al Manar.

Russian submarines

On Friday, before Trump’s announcement, Tass reported that the Russian Navy was monitoring U.S. and NATO ships in the eastern Mediterranean.

Warships and submarines of the Russian naval task force were keeping track at a close distance of U.S. and NATO assault ships and submarines in the area, Tass said, citing military and diplomatic sources.

The Russian navy ships were ordered to monitor the underwater, surface and air situation in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, including approaches and maneuvering of foreign ships in the area near Syria’s Tartus, a port city where Russia has its only foreign base outside of Europe.

Russia in the past week also sought to counter U.S. diplomatic efforts to marshal international support for its condemnation of the Syrian government led by Assad.

Russia's diplomats and military officers issued numerous contradictory statements about the chemical attack, saying it didn't happen, that it launched by Syrian rebels on themselves, and that British intelligence ordered it as a provocation.

Iran's Fars News Agency reported Friday that Russian fighter jets were patrolling Syrian air space to defend against any attackers.

The Russian aircraft were scrambled in response to reports of seven U.S. spy planes near the coastal regions of Tartus and Lattakia.

The U.S. aircraft were reported flying along the coast near Russia's Humeimim Military Airport in the southwestern Lattakia province, Fars reported.

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Contributing: The Associated Press