LONDON: Three Iranians were killed in an air strike on a Syrian air basenear Homs on Sunday, Iran’s Fars news agency said, as Syria and its mainally Russia blamed Israel for carrying out the attack.

Israel has not confirmed or denied mounting the raid, but Israeli officialssaid the Tiyas, or T-4, air base was being used by troops from Iran, andthat Israel would not accept such a presence in Syria by its arch foe.

The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military force have beenfighting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for several years.More than 1,000 Iranians have been killed in Syria, including seniormembers of the Guards.

The semi-official Fars news said on Monday that “two defenders of theshrine, Seyed Ammar Mousavi and Akbar Zavar Jannati” were killed in the airstrike “carried out by the Zionist regime’s fighter jets.”

Iran calls its fighters in Syria the defenders of the shrine as it says theforces are there to protect the Zeinab Shrine, a holy site near Damascus.

In a subsequent report, Fars said a third fighter called Mehdi Lotfi Niasarhas been killed in the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said atleast 14 people were killed including some fighters of variousnationalities.

The attack took place hours after US President Donald Trump warned of a“big price to pay” following the reports of a poison gas attack on therebel-held town of Douma which killed dozens of people, including children.- Agencies