Russia Says Israel Carried Out Missile Attack on Syrian Base
- Syria initially had blamed U.S.; Pentagon denied involvement
- Damascus says it shot down 8 missiles, confirms casualties
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Israeli aircraft carried out an attack on an airbase in Syria early Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said, shifting suspicion away from the U.S. after President Donald Trump had vowed retaliation for a reported chemical weapons attack.
The Russian announcement was rare, given that Israel has targeted arms convoys in Syria dozens of times without Moscow publicly assigning blame. Israel itself had no comment, as is its custom. While Israel has maintained a policy of largely staying out of the Syrian civil war that’s been raging on its northern frontier, it has repeatedly vowed to take action against activities by Iran and its proxies that it deems threatening to its security.