Russia and the Syrian Government say Israeli planes launched missile strikes which hit a regime airfield near the city of Homs.

Key points: Pentagon says the US was not behind the reported missile attack on a Syrian air base

Pentagon says the US was not behind the reported missile attack on a Syrian air base An Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment

An Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment The UN Security Council will meet to dicsuss the chemical weapons attack

The attack on the T-4 airfield came after US President Donald Trump called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad an "animal" and said there would be a "big price to pay" after dozens of people were killed in a chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town.

But initial speculation that the US had carried out the missile strikes were swiftly quashed by the Pentagon, which said US forces had not launched an attack.

Russia's Interfax news agency said the attacks were instead launched by Israeli F-15 warplanes firing missiles from Lebanese air space.

Interfax cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying Syrian air defence systems had shot down five of eight missiles fired.

Asked about the Russian statement, an Israeli military spokesman said he had no immediate comment.

Syrian state news agency SANA said "the Israeli aggression on the T4 airport was carried out with F-15 planes that fired several missiles from above Lebanese land."

The Lebanese army said four Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon's air space, flying from the Mediterranean Sea over the coastal town of Jounieh and then heading east, toward the city of Baalbek near the Syrian border.

A statement from the Lebanese Armed Forces says the warplanes stayed in Lebanese airspace for about 10 minutes, starting at 3:25 am on Monday before leaving.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said at least 14 people were killed on the ground, including some fighters of various nationalities, an apparent reference to Iranian-backed Shiite militia members, mainly from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, fighting alongside the Syrian army.

The Pentagon statement issued in the immediate aftermath of the strikes said that "at this time, the Department of Defence is not conducting air strikes in Syria".

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"However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable."

The global chemical weapons watchdog, meanwhile, said it was gathering all available information about the attack.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Ahmet Uzumcu "expressed his grave concern in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack on 7 April in Douma".

Israel has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of the conflict, hitting convoys and bases of Iranian-backed militias that fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

In February an Israeli F-16 was shot down by Syrian air defence missiles as Israeli warplanes launched a bombing raid on Iranian-backed positions around the T-4 base.

Israel said its strikes were launched after an Iranian drone launched from T-4 crossed into Israeli airspace.

Israel has previously accused Syria of allowing Iran to set up a complex at the base to supply its ally, the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, with weapons.

Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias have a large military presence in Syria and are well entrenched in central and eastern areas near the Iraqi border.

Security Council to debate chemical attack

The chemical weapons attack late on Saturday in the town of Douma killed about 60 people and wounded 1,000 others, according to a Syrian medical relief group.

It sparked a furious response from Mr Trump, who criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for backing "animal Assad".

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The United Nations Security Council will debate the chemical attack in meeting in the coming hours.

Syria denied it had launched any such attack, a denial which was backed by its ally Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned against any retaliatory military action on the basis of "invented and fabricated excuses", saying it could lead to severe consequences.

The Russian military said its officers visited Douma and found no evidence of a chemical attack.

The Russian military taskforce in Syria, which operates in Damascus suburbs, said it visited the hospital in Douma and talked to the staff and they did not confirm reports of the assault.

The taskforce quoted a doctor and an ambulance driver who both said they have not received anyone with symptoms of chemical poisoning.

In April 2017, Mr Trump ordered a cruise missile strike on Syria's Shayrat air base in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack against civilians in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Today French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Mr Trump by telephone and the two agreed that they would work together to establish clear responsibility for what Mr Macron's office said they had both agreed was a confirmed chemical attack.

Mr Macron said in February "France will strike" in the event of lethal chemical weapon attack on civilians by regime forces in Syria.

However a spokesperson from the French Defence Ministry said France did not carry out the latest air strikes.

The US fired cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase last year in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack. ( Reuters: US Navy/Robert S Price )

ABC/wires