Sputnik News- The US missile strike against Syria gave a free rein to Daesh, Washington is fighting Damascus instead of terrorism, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.





He noted that the attack was not authorized by�the United Nations and was in�violation of�international law thus being "an act of�military aggression".
"We do not know what may happen next. But I know for�sure who benefited from�this act of�aggression�� Daesh, because [the attack] gave them [terrorists] a free rein," Medvedev said.


"And what we see is that the new US administration's first step in�the Syrian issue was a strike against�government troops. This means that this is not a fight against�terrorists but�a fight against�the Syrian leadership. Whether Americans like�it or not, but�that is a legal political power," he elaborated.

The prime minister said that further escalation of�the Syrian conflict may lead to�the destruction of�the state and partial victory of�terrorists.
"It is obvious that further escalation will lead to�the destruction of�the Syrian state, its disintegration and a partial victory of�terrorists. Such a scenario contradicts our plans and Russia will work in�this direction," Medvedev said.


He described the chemical incident in�Syria's Idlib province as "a well-planned provocation" from�which Washington might have benefited.
"Everything that has happened recently in�Syria, including the military attack by�the United States, absolutely does not benefit the settlement of�the situation. What happened in�Idlib is a large and well-planned provocation from�which, probably, the US administration benefited." Medvedev called for�an investigation and warned against�sticking labels [on Bashar Assad's government].


On April 7, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at�the Syrian military airfield in�Ash Sha�irat. US President Donald Trump said that the attack was a response to�the alleged chemical weapon use in�Syria's Idlib province on�April 4, which resulted in�the death of�over 80 people, an incident which Washington blames on�the Syrian government.

The Syrian foreign minister denied the government�s involvement in�the Idlib incident, saying it had never nor would it ever use chemical weapons on�either civilians or terrorists operating in�the country.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on�April 5 that the airstrike near�Khan Shaykhun by�the Syrian air force hit a terrorist warehouse that stored chemical weapons slated for�delivery to�Iraq, and called on�the UN Security Council to�launch a proper investigation into�the incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on�April 6 that groundless accusations in�the chemical weapons incident in�Syria's Idlib were unacceptable before�the investigation into�the matter had been carried out�while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on�Saturday criticized the US missile attack as�a violation of�the international law.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the US missile strike against�the Syrian airfield as a strategic mistake.

The US missile attack claimed the lives of�10 people, an officer of�the Syrian Armed Forces told Sputnik. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attack left two Syrian servicemen missing, four killed, and six suffering severe injuries from�the fire. Homs Governor Talal Barazi said on�April 7 that at�least two civilians from�a nearby village and five Syrian servicemen were killed.

After the missile attack, the Russian Defense Ministry suspended a point-to-point communications link with�the US military under�the memorandum of�understanding on�de-confliction in�Syria.

The ministry said the Russian air group in�Syria was protected by S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems on�a round-the-clock basis.

In an exclusive interview with�Fox Business on April 12, US President Donald Trump blamed the current situation in�Syria on�Moscow's support for�country's Assad, calling the Syrian leader "an animal."