Israel informed the U.S. before its war planes had conducted an overnight missile attack on a major regime air base in central Syria, two U.S. officials told NBC news.
Israeli authorities have not confirmed responsibility for the attack on the regime's T-4 military base in Homs province, which killed at least 14 members of the Assad military and its allies.
Russia's Defense Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the air base, firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the western part of the base.
Most recently, Israel hit the same T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base. The base, which was used as a launching pad for counter offensive attacks against Daesh militants who were at one point stationed close by, is near the Shayrat air base, which was targeted by U.S. missiles last year in response to a chemical weapons attack.
Monday's missile attack came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump warned there would be a "big price to pay" after a suspected poison gas attack Saturday on the last remaining foothold for Syrian opposition groups in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. At least 70 people were killed in that assault, including families found in their homes and shelters, opposition activists and local rescuers said.
