Moscow: Reacting hard to the fresh air strikes launched by US, UK and France on Syria, Anatoly Antonov, the Russian Ambassador to the US “such actions will not be left without consequences” and said Moscow was being threatened. “Insulting the president of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible,” he added.
Russia’s foreign minister Maria Zakharov has condemned the US over its strikes on Syria. She said the attacks hit a long-troubled country “that for many years has been trying to survive terrorist aggression”.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday, Zakharova also criticised the Western media for its coverage, which it says informed the White House for its attacks.
“The White House stated that its assuredness of the chemical attack from Damascus was based on ‘mass media, reports of symptoms, video, photos as well as credible information’. After this statement the American and other Western mass media should understand their responsibility in what is happening.”
Zakharova compared the situation to the start of the Iraq War in 2003 based on claims Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction.
Iran has also warned of “regional consequences” following air strikes in Syria by a coalition of the United States, Britain, and France.
“The United States and its allies have no proof and, without even waiting for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to take a position, have carried out this military attack,” Iran’s foreign ministry in a statement.
The coalition will be “responsible for the regional consequences of this adventurist action”.
Iran is a key backer – alongside Russia of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, providing military advisors and “volunteer” ground forces.
Tehran officials have said the Western powers were using last week’s alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held stronghold of Douma as an excuse to undermine the Syrian regime’s recent advances in the long-running civil war.
Seven Iranians were killed in an air strike on a Syrian military base on Monday, which Iran claims was carried out by Israel.