Tehran Denies Reports on Iranian Diplomats' Exit From Syria After US Airstrike

The Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Bahram Qasemi dismissed media reports claiming that the members of country's embassy in Syria, along with their families, had left the country after the US missile strikes hit the Ash Sha'irat airfield in the Homs province, Iranian media reported Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Qasemi said the reports were "sheer lies" and added that all employees of the Iranian Embassy in Syria were carrying out their duties as usual, according to the IRNA 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.

Homs Governor Talal Barazi said earlier on Friday that the airbase had suffered insignificant damage after the overnight attack with US cruise missiles. According to Barazi, the attack left five servicemen and two civilians dead. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, two Syrian servicemen are now missing following the attack, while four are confirmed dead and six are injured from trying to extinguish the flames.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said that a material storage depot, training facility, cafeteria, six MiG-23 aircraft in repair hangars and one radar station were destroyed by the US strike.

A Sputnik correspondent reported earlier in the day from the scene of the attack that some aircraft had been salvaged, including five Syrian fighter jets. The runway also seemed to have been spared, he said, as well as a few hangars. However, eight other hangers were taken out of service.