This image released by the US Department of Defense, shows the Shayrat airfield in Syria on October 7, 2016.

In this image obtained from the US Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble conducts an operational tomahawk missile launch while underway in a training area off the coast of California, on September 29, 2010. US President Donald Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria on April 6, 2017, in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack they blame on President Bashar al-Assad. A US official said 59 precision guided missiles hit Shayrat Airfield in Syria, where Washington believes Tuesday's deadly attack was launched. / AFP PHOTO / US NAVY / Woody PASCHALL / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / US NAVY / Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Woody Paschall" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS WOODY PASCHALL/AFP/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Syria from the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 6, 2017. AFP/Getty Images

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile Friday, April 7, 2017, from the Mediterranean Sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price/U.S. Navy via AP)

In this image obtained from the US Navy, a Tomahawk Missile is launched from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem during the biennial Valiant Shield, field-training exercise, on September 20, 2016. The US has launched 'dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles' at Syrian air bases, according to US officials on April 6, 2017. The United States on Thursday threatened Syria with military action as President Donald Trump warned "something should happen" following a suspected chemical attack that left at least 86 dead and provoked global outrage. / AFP PHOTO / US NAVY / Jaret MORRIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / US NAVY / Command Master Chief Jaret Morris" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS JARET MORRIS/AFP/Getty Images

Syria decried a US missile strike early Friday, April 7, 2017 on a government-controlled air base where US officials claim the Syrian military launched a deadly chemical attack earlier this week. Syria called the operation "an aggression". Feb. 10, 2017 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks during an interview with Yahoo News in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP, File)

In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy,The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a Tomahawk land attack missile on April 7, 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo by Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Syria has condemned a US missile strike on one of its air bases that reportedly killed nine civilians, including four children.

Syrian army's chief of staff General Ali Ayyoub said earlier on Friday that US cruise missile strike had killed six people and injured seven more.

It was not immediately clear whether the civilian count is in addition to the earlier figures quoted by official Syrian sources, or an updated toll.

The office of Syria's president called the strike "reckless" and "irresponsible".

The statement said the strikes were "short-sighted" and reflect a continuation of policy, regardless of which administration, that is based on targeting and "subjugating people".

State TV also said the strikes on the Shayrat air base were an "aggression" but the Syrian opposition welcomed the military action against President Bashar Assad after a chemical attack earlier this week killed over 80.

The US strike followed Tuesday's gruesome chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, where more than 80 people were killed.

Initial reports said about 60 US Tomahawk missiles hit the base south-east of Homs, a small installation with two runways, where aircraft often take off to bomb targets in northern and central Syria.

However, Russian defence ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov claimed that "the combat efficiency of the US strike was very low", adding that only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles reached the base.

He said it destroyed six MiG-23 fighter jets of the Syrian air force which were under repair, but did not damage other Syrian warplanes at the base. He added that the base's runway was left undamaged.

Russia could beef up Syria's air defences

Major General Konashenkov also said the Russian military will help Syria beef up its air defences following the US strike.

He said that a "complex of measures" to strengthen Syrian air defences will be done shortly to help "protect the most sensitive Syrian infrastructure facilities".

The missiles hit early on Friday morning and targeted the base's airstrips, hangars, control tower and ammunition areas, US officials said.

They were fired from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, in retaliation for Tuesday's deadly chemical attack, which officials said used chlorine mixed with a nerve agent, possibly sarin.

Trump announces strikes

Announcing the strike, US President Donald Trump said that Assad "choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children".

"Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack.

"Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched.

"It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."

The Syrian military said at least seven people were killed and nine wounded in the US strike. A Syrian opposition monitor put the death toll at four, including a general and three soldiers.

Syria's state TV showed footage of the missile strike, as a fast sequence of orange flashes lit the dark sky.

Putin: Strikes violate international law

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the US strike is an "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law".

"Washington's move deals a significant blow to the Russia-US relations, which are already in a deplorable shape," Mr Peskov said. He added that the attack creates a "serious obstacle" for creating an international coalition against terrorism.

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said no Russian servicemen were hurt in the missile attack but insisted the strike violated international law.

A US-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria since 2014, while Russia's air force has been striking both extremist groups and Syrian rebels in order to aid Assad's forces.

A Syrian opposition group, the Syrian Coalition, welcomed the US attack, saying it puts an end to an age of "impunity" and should herald the start of a larger campaign against Damascus.

Expand Close The Kremlin has condemned the US cruise-missile strike on Syrian government forces as an aggression against a foreign state, saying it broke international law. The credit GRAPHIC NEWS mu / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Kremlin has condemned the US cruise-missile strike on Syrian government forces as an aggression against a foreign state, saying it broke international law.

Major Jamil al-Saleh, a US-backed rebel commander based in the area where the US attack took place, said he hoped the strike would be a "turning point" in the six-year-old war, which has killed an estimated 400,000 people.

Assad's government had been under mounting international pressure after the chemical attack, with even key ally Russia saying its support is not unconditional.

Syria rejected the accusations, and blames opposition fighters for stockpiling the chemicals.

President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "the Syrian army doesn’t have chemical weapons," saying this had been “observed and confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a special UN unit.”

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Russia has said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian air strike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal on the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun, and that blame should not be apportioned until a full investigation has been carried out.

Russia's intervention in Syria since September 2015 has turned the balance of power in Assad's favour, and Moscow has used its veto power at the Security Council on several occasions to prevent sanctions against Damascus.

Mr Trump had said the chemical attack crossed "many, many lines" and put the blame squarely on Assad's forces.

Speaking on Thursday on Air Force One, Mr Trump said the attack "shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen".

Later, Syrian opposition activists said warplanes had carried out their first air strike since the US missile attack.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air strike hit the northern edge of the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun where the chemical attack took place.

The Observatory and Turkey-based activist Ahmad al-Ahmad said Friday's air strike caused material damage but no casualties.

They said it was not immediately clear if the warplanes were Syrian or Russian.

Trump speech in full

Here is Donald Trump's speech in full:

"On Tuesday, Syria launched a horrific chemical attack on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of hopeless men, women, and children.

It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of god should ever suffer such horror.

Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the air field in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched

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It was in the vital national security interest of the US to prevent and deter the use of deadly chemical weapons.

There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chimerical weapons convention and ignored the urging of the UN security council.

Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behaviour have all failed and failed very dramatically.

As a result, the refugee crisis continues, and the region continues to destablise, threatening the US and its allies.

Tonight I call on all civilised nations in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.

We ask for God's wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world. We pray for the lives of the wounded and the souls of those who have passed.

And we hope that as long as America stands for justice, peace and harmony will prevail. Good night and God bless America and the entire world."

Belfast Telegraph