DAMASCUS: Syria and its Russian ally accused Israel on Monday of carryingout a deadly dawn bombing raid on a military airbase, as global outragemounted over an alleged poison gas attack outside Damascus.
US President Donald Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had voweda strong response to the suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held townof Douma and the UN Security Council was expected to discuss the crisislater on Monday.
Syrian state media reported “several missiles” had hit the T-4 base incentral Syria just before dawn on Monday. Washington and Paris denied anyinvolvement, and Damascus later blamed Israel.
“The Israeli attack on the T-4 airport was carried out with F-15 aircraftthat fired several missiles from above Lebanese territory,” state newsagency SANA reported, quoting a military source.
The Russian army also accused Israel, saying two Israeli F-15s had firedeight missiles at the base and that five were destroyed by air defencesystems but three hit a western part of the facility.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the country´sconflict, said 14 fighters had been killed, including Syrian army officersand Iranian forces.
Forces from regime backers Russia and Iran, as well as fighters from theLebanese Hezbollah militia, are known to have a presence at the base, saidObservatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman denied it was involved, saying: “Atthis time, the Department of Defence is not conducting air strikes inSyria.”
US forces a year ago fired a volley of cruise missiles at the government´sShayrat air base in retaliation for another suspected chemical attack inApril 2017.
The Shayrat airport lies just 70 kilometres (45 miles) west of T-4, alsoknown as the Tiyas base.
*- Israeli warnings -*
French army spokesman Colonel Patrik Steiger also denied France carried outthe strike, telling AFP: “It was not us.”
A military spokeswoman for Israel, which has hit Syrian military positionsseveral times in recent years, declined to comment.
Israel has repeatedly warned it will not accept its arch-foe Iranentrenching itself militarily in Syria.
In February, it accused Iranian forces at the T-4 base of sending a droneinto Israeli territory. After targeting Iranian units in Syria inretaliation, an Israel F-16 was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire inone of the conflict´s most notable escalations.
Israel then carried out what it called “large-scale” raids on Syrian airdefence systems and Iranian targets, which reportedly included T-4.
Nick Heras, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, said itIsrael had a vested interest in bombing T-4.
“The Israelis, well aware of the importance of the T-4 base for Iran toapply strategic military pressure on Israel, would have ample reason tostrike the base hard,” he told AFP.
Lebanon´s National News Agency on Monday said Israeli warplanes were flyingnear the country´s border with Syria.
AFP´s correspondent in eastern Lebanon said a plane could be heard flyingtowards Syrian border around 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT).
Trump had reacted with fury to Saturday´s apparent chemical attack in Douma– the last rebel-held area of the onetime opposition enclave of EasternGhouta — lashing out at President Bashar al-Assad and his Russiancounterpart Vladimir Putin.
“President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad.Big price to pay,” Trump warned on Sunday.
Syria and Moscow denounced the allegations as “fabrications” and warnedagainst using them to justify military action.
Backed by Moscow, Assad has waged a seven-week assault to dislodged rebelsfrom Eastern Ghouta.
The onslaught killed more than 1,700 civilians, displaced tens ofthousands, and left Islamist rebels cornered in their last holdout ofDouma, Ghouta´s largest town.
*- Dead in the streets -*
Late Saturday, the White Helmets, which act as first responders inopposition-held areas of Syria, said “poisonous chlorine gas” had affectedhundreds in Douma.
In a joint statement with the Syrian American Medical Society, the rescueforce said at least 48 people had died, bearing symptoms consistent withexposure to toxic substances.
Footage posted by the White Helmets, which was not possible to verify,showed victims with yellowed skin crumpled on the ground and foaming at themouth.
Relief workers inside Douma told AFP corpses still lay in the streets onSunday and hospitals were teeming with dead and wounded.
After capturing most of Ghouta with a military assault, Syria and its allyRussia secured two negotiated withdrawals last month that saw 46,000 rebelsand civilians evacuate.
After a preliminary deal for the third and final pocket of Douma, hundredsof civilians and fighters from the Jaish al-Islam faction left the town.
After days of talks and a respite from bombing, negotiations collapsed andstrikes resumed Friday, killing nearly 100 people, according to theObservatory.
On Sunday, state media announced a deal was agreed for Jaish al-Islam toleave Douma within 48 hours and release hostages it was holding.
Several buses of detainees arrived in Damascus overnight after having beenfreed by Jaish al-Islam, said state news agency SANA.
It said early on Monday that other buses carrying rebels and civilians hadbegun leaving Douma, in a parallel operation.
Moscow said some 8,000 fighters and 40,000 civilians would be bussed outand said that proved “no chemical weapons were used in this area”.
A civilian committee from Douma participating in the talks confirmed theagreement but Jaish al-Islam has yet to comment. – APP/ AFP