The majority of rockets fired in Syria by the UK, US, and France were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russian air defense units were not involved in repelling the attack.
The warplanes and vessels of the US and its allies launched over 100 cruise missiles and air-surface missiles on Syrian civil and military facilities, the ministry stated.
The strikes were conducted by two US ships stationed in the Red Sea, with tactical air support from the Mediterranean. The Pentagon deployed B-1 Lancer strategic bombers which also took part in the combat sorties, according to the statement.
Syrian Al-Dumayr Military Airport, located 40 km north-east from Damascus, was attacked by 12 cruise missiles, the Russian MoD confirmed, adding that all missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems.
To repel the attack, Damascus deployed Soviet-made surface-to-air missile systems, including S-125 (NATO reporting name: SA-3 Goa), S-200 (SA-5 Gammon), 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) and Buk.
Russia did not deploy its air defense systems located in Syria to intercept the American, British, and French missiles.
Earlier, the ministry issued a statement saying that none of the missiles launched by the US and its allies reached the Russian air defense zones that shield facilities in the port city of Tartus and Khmeimim Air Base.
Syrian air defenses were scrambled to confront the joint American-French-British intervention that started in the early hours of Saturday. The trio launched a series of strikes on Syria in retaliation for the alleged chemical attack by the Assad government in the town of Douma, 10 kilometers from Damascus, last week. The strikes were announced before a team of investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was scheduled to reach Douma to determine whether the attack had indeed taken place.
Responding to the US-led airstrikes on Damascus, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that all countries are obliged to “act consistently” with the UN Charter. “There’s an obligation, particularly when dealing with the matters of peace and security, to act consistently with the Charter of the United Nationals and with international law in general.”