Shamkhani reportedly said during the phone conversation that the suspected chemical weapon attack in Idlib was carried out by "a third party" to pave the way for a military offense in the country, and stressed that the recent events in Syria disrupted the process of fighting with terrorists.
"Taking into account the collection and subsequent elimination of chemical weapon, which was conducted on Russia's initiative and under the UN supervision over the past years, this step [chemical attack in Idlib] was definitely carried out by a third party in order to create a pretext for carrying out a military attack on Syria," Shamkhani said during the talks, as quoted by the news agency.
On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government.
Russia described the attack as an aggression against a sovereign state. Following the US military action, Russia decided to suspend its memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria with the United States, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
