The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that it had been two Israeli warplanes that had attacked a Syrian government T-4 airbase in the Homs province early on Monday.
According to the Russian military, the strikes were carried out from Lebanese airspace.
Five out of eight strikes, carried out by the Israeli F-15 jets, were repelled by Syrian air defenses, the ministry said.
Earlier, Syrian television has reported the T-4 airbase in Homs province, in the country's west, had been hit by "several missiles" in a "likely attack by the US".
Citing a military source, Syrian television said the attack had caused an unspecified number of deaths and injuries.
According to Syrian television, loud explosions near the T-4 airfield in the desert east of the city of Homs could be heard in the early hours of Monday morning. It said the airfield was targeted with several missiles and that Syrian air defence was responding, and had shot down eight incoming missiles. Television reports say the attack was “most likely” American, a claim the Pentagon has denied.
The Pentagon issued a statement on Monday, denying the attack: "At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting air strikes in Syria". There is also some speculation that the Israeli regime might be behind the attack on the T-4 airbase.
US President Donald Trump had accused the Syrian government of launching a chemical attack on a suburb of Damascus, saying there will be a “big price to pay” by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Last year, US fired dozens of cruise missiles at a government-controlled airbase in Syria, making the same accusation.
The destroyer USS Porter launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Shayrat airbase in Syria, on 7 April 2017.
