US attack in Syria is nothing else than a show of force, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The decision to attack Syria was made ahead of Idlib chmical incident, used as a pretext for this demonstration of strength.

The US missile strikes on Syria airfield os a clear act of aggression against sovereign Syria, the Russia Foreign Ministry said.

It is obvious that the US missile attack in Syria was prepared "in advance," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

"It is clear that the decision to conduct the strike [in Syria] was made in Washington before the incident in Idlib, which was used as a pretext for this demonstration of strength," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Damascus could not use chemical weapons in Idlib because it does not have them, as it has been repeatedly proved by qualified experts, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday in light of the United States' decision to strike a Syrian military airfield in response to a reported chemical attack in Idlib.

"In order to justify its military action, Washington has completely twisted the incident in Idlib. The US side can't not understand that Syrian government forces did not use chemical weapons there. Damascus simply does not have them, as it has been repeatedly proved by qualified specialists," the ministry said, noting that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had come to the same conclusion.

The US missile attack on the Sha'irat airfield in Syria further degrades Russian-US relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

"The actions taken today by the US further destroy Russian-US relations," the ministry said in a statement.

The United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat near Homs late Thursday. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on Damascus.

"Without bothering to figure anything out, the US moved toward a demonstration of strength, to military resistance against a country that is fighting international terrorism," the ministry said.

On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government.

According to Homs Governor Talal Barazi, the attack killed five people and injured seven others.

On Tuesday, an alleged chemical weapon attack in Syria’s Idlib province claimed the lives of some 80 people and inflicted harm on an additional 200 civilians. The Syrian National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, that reported the attack, as well as a number of Western states, blamed the Syrian government troops for the attack, while Damascus has refuted these allegations, with a Syrian army source telling Sputnik that the army did not posses chemical weapons.