Moscow says it received no warning from the Israeli government before a missile strike on a Syrian military airport near Homs on Sunday night.

Russia's Ministry of Defence almost immediately blamed Israel for the attack on Syria's T4 base — wrongfooting expectations that the United States would strike first. In a statement, the ministry said two Israeli F-15 jets had launched a total eight missiles from Lebanese territory.

According to Syrian media, three of the missiles struck targets at the base. A monitoring group said the attack killed at least 14 people, some of them members of a Shia militia supporting the Assad regime. Israel has not commented on the matter.

Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian woman and children run for cover amid the rubble of buildings. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Smoke rises from buildings following the attack on the village of Mesraba in the rebel-held besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascu. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian man carries a child injured. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured child receives treatment following bombings on several areas of eastern Ghouta. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A child reacts inside a hospital after relatives were injured in the bombing. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian children cry at a make-shift hospital in Douma following air strikes on the Syrian village of Mesraba. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense group extinguishing a store during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy, cries as he receives treatment at a make-shift hospital. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrians carry a wounded man. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured man covered with blood at a medical point. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures People sit a medical point in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense running to help survivors. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA

No Russian servicemen were injured in the course of the attack. But Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's spokesman, told reporters the surprise strikes were a "cause of concern" given the numbers of Russian servicemen posted to airfields in Syria. The Kremlin has raised the matter with Israeli authorities "on the appropriate channels", he said.

Military-to-military relations between Russia and Israel are considered to be close. Moscow has just recently entertained Israeli military delegations, and was warned about previous airstrikes. Today's decision to leave the Kremlin in the dark is an unusual signal. Reports that the Pentagon was, on the contrary, warned, will not have reduced the Kremlin's displeasure.

Moscow had warned of an uncompromising military response to attacks on Syrian military targets. In March, head of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russia would "take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used" if it deemed its servicemen were at risk.

In the same statement, Mr Gerasimov claimed the United States was preparing to fake a chemical weapons attack in rebel-held Damascus suburbs — and to use it as a pretext to bomb government-controlled parts of the city.

When, indeed, reports of a chemical weapons attack filtered through on April 7, Russia's Foreign Ministry reissued the earlier warning. Russian servicemen were on a peacekeeping mission, helping Syrian government troops, it said in a press statement. Any external military engagement "could have the most serious of consequences."

The fierce rhetoric raised the possibility of direct engagement with the United States were it to launch an attack on Syrian airbases.

Little is clear about the logic of the Monday-morning Israeli operation — not least the level of coordination with Washington. But the fall-out will do little to reduce tension between the superpowers.