Damascus, Syria: As many as nine civilians, including four children were killed in the United States missile attack on a military airbase in central Syria on Friday.
According to local media reports, five of the civilians, among them three children were killed just outside the base. Media reports say that an American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child. Another seven civilians were also wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, 4km from the Shayrat air base.
While, Washington stated it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a “barbaric” chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime.
The US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis.
The US and Russia clashed in the UN Security Council over the missile attack on a Syrian airfield, with Washington warning it is “prepared to do more” as Moscow accused it of flagrantly violating international law with its “act of aggression”. The 15-nation Security Council met for an emergency meeting on Friday on the situation in Syria following the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles by the US into the Shayrat Airbase.
Meanwhile, Britain’s foreign secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled official visit to Moscow next week, his office announced on Saturday, saying “developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally”.
