[Columbus Dispatch] Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon went even further, saying any missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launching sites targeted ‐ a stark warning of a potential major confrontation in Syria.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action after last weekend’s suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town near Damascus, which activists and rescuers say killed at least 40 people. The Syrian government and its ally Russia deny that such an attack happened.
Asked about Moscow’s reaction to a possible U.S. strike on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia still hopes that all parties in the conflict will refrain from taking "steps that could gravely destabilize the fragile situation in the region."
State news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday quoted Andrei Krasov, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s defense committee, as saying that Russia will treat a U.S. airstrike on Syria "not just as an act of aggression but a war crime of the Western coalition."
Vladimir Shamanov, a retired general who heads the defense affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, said in televised remarks Tuesday that a U.S. strike in Syria could hurt Russian servicemen and trigger retaliation.
Related: Newsweek - RUSSIA WILL BOMB U.S. MISSILE LAUNCH SITES IF TRUMP ATTACKS SYRIA, AMBASSADOR WARNS |