Russia blames Israel for Syria air base attack after Pentagon denial of U.S. involvement

Show Caption Hide Caption Raw: Video said to show missile over Syria A Syrian monitoring group says a missile strike on a Syrian air base killed 14 people including Iranians early Monday. Syrian state-run media says the missiles were likely American. The Pentagon denies launching airstrikes on Syria. (April 9)

Russia blamed Israel for a missile attack Monday on an air base in central Syria that activists said killed at least 14 people.

Russia's claim came hours after the Pentagon denied Syrian media reports that the U.S. conducted the airstrikes in Syria in retaliation for Saturday's suspected chemical attack on civilians that left dozens dead.

Israel refused to comment on the allegations, the Times of Israel reported. Israel carried out an airstrike on the T4 base on Feb. 10 after an Iranian operator working there flew a drone into Israeli territory, according to Israeli media reports.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said two Israeli fighter jets launched eight guided missiles at the T4 air base from Lebanon’s air space early Monday.

The Russian ministry said the Syrian air force destroyed five missiles, and three reached the western part of the airfield, Russia's Tass news agency reported.

Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying Israeli F-15 warplanes had fired several missiles while flying over Lebanon.

Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said 14 people were killed, most of them Iranians or members of Iran-backed groups.

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Syria’s state-run SANA news agency earlier said the Syrian military’s air defenses confronted a missile attack on air base in central Syria early Monday and shot down eight missiles.

The SANA report said the attack on the T4 military air base in Homs province “is likely to be an American aggression.”

A statement released by U.S. Defense Department on Sunday night denied it had fired missiles and said it would "continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable."

President Trump lashed out Sunday against the alleged chemical weapons attack by Syrian government forces on civilians in the town of Douma, close to the capital Damascus, referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad as "that animal Assad" and laying blame for the Syrian president's power on Russia, Iran and even former president Barack Obama.

"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," Trump said on Twitter. "Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world."

Trump's tweet storm came hours after the White Helmets, a civil defense force in rebel-held areas of Syria, claimed that entire families were gassed to death Saturday night in Douma and Eastern Ghouta. The group, which put the death toll at more than 40, said many residents who were hiding in cellars were suffocated by poison gas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russian specialists and aid workers visited the area and found no evidence of a chemical attack.

Syrian state media said Sunday that rebel forces led by the Army of Islam had agreed to leave Douma within 48 hours as Assad's government forces tightened their grip on rebel strongholds around Damascus.